Is it Our Relationship with Technology or Technology's Relationship with Us?

 

As a sports media major, technology has been a massive part of my life. Technology is a significant part of everyone's life. It is just the way that the world is. While there are many positives to it, there are also many negatives, and we do not even know all of the negatives. Since I know all the positives and know that there are negatives, I am cautious when it comes to technology, the amount of time that I use it, and what sites or apps I go on because there are so many apps that will draw you in and before you know it so much time has passed by. Not only does technology affect people's day to day, but it also affects them at night because many people have their phones near them when they sleep. Many will go on their phones before they fall asleep, causing them to stay up later and be tired the next day. I turn my phone on sleep, which is a do-not-disturb mode, so when I fall asleep, I won't feel the vibrations of notifications while I try to sleep. 

There are times when my relationship with technology is not healthy. I left my phone in my room recently, panicked, and ran back upstairs simply because I did not have it. Not having it felt like I was missing something important when, in reality, I knew I wasn't. Other times, though, I do not have my phone, and I don't care; I like the break from the screen. According to Forbes, 5.3 billion people use the Internet worldwide in 2024, and they predict that the number of users will reach 7.9 billion by 2029. People today have a mix of technology uses, whether a mobile device, a TV, or a laptop. People spend around four hours on mobile devices, around 2 hours on their TVs, and around a little over an hour on their laptops daily. Many people spend their days staring at a computer or device because they work in an office or are students, and then they go home and watch TV or go on their phone and look at social media or text their friends. The article split up ages and percentages of how many people have access to the internet, which is a leading cause of the number of people who use technology. The age group with the highest percentage of people with access to the internet in America is ages 30-49, with a percentage of 98%, although only slightly behind is 18-29, which has a percentage of 97%. Next is ages 50-64, which has a percentage of 96%, and finally, ages 65 and over have a percentage of 88%. I feel that technology is taking up too much of my time because I am just like others. I go to school and am on my computer for a long time, and then after, I am on my phone or watching TV as a form of relaxation, but really, I am just adding to the amount of time that I use technology, which is not good for my eyes or my head. 

One of the significant parts of technology is the concept of a digital footprint. In simple terms, a digital footprint is the unique set of digital activities, actions, and communications that leave a data trace on the internet or on a computer or another digital device, which can identify the particular user or device. Like technology, digital footprints have their pros and cons. For instance, your search engine makes finding things easier, mainly if you use the same sources for your news. However, it's crucial to understand the implications of our digital footprints, as they can be used to track our online activities and potentially compromise our privacy. This understanding empowers us to be more cautious and responsible in our online behavior. It is famous worldwide because of your digital footprint. Another way is if you tend to read about a specific topic, for example, say the Kansas City Chiefs, if there is news that is somehow related to the team when you are on your search engine and below the search bar, articles come up and are related to the team it is because your digital footprint. While the footprints make it easier to find what you are looking for, there also could be photos of you on the internet, which is a part of your digital footprint. For me, when I look up myself, there is a photo for my professional website that I created in a class, but there are also results from races that I competed in during high school, old dance competitions, and old photos from my high school for an achievement. These photos or links that have your name attached to them are all a part of your digital footprints. According to Morgan Stanley, there are ways to safeguard your digital footprint. The biggest thing anyone can do is change their passwords and look themselves up because they can edit what comes up when they search. Other things include being safe on social media, app restrictions, and removing accounts you do not need. 

Our mental health has also been hurt by technology. One of the biggest influences on mental health when it comes to technology is cyberbullying. Before technology, cyberbullying was not a thing. Mental health well-being mainly applies to teenagers and young adults but can apply to everyone. The mental health struggles started to occur in 2010 and have continued to rise. Vanessa Mendoza says that teenagers' depression has increased by 150%, anxiety has shot through the roof, as well as suicide rates. The reason is that teenagers need to be a certain way so that their peers approve of them and that they are being judged in real time. The Mad World Remix by Steve Cutts shows how the world works today. At one point in the video, it showed a female around her. It was all gray, and she was frowning. Then, when she was in the camera, she was happy, which shows how influencers today always act as if they are always happy, which makes impressionable teenagers feel that they cannot feel okay. The video also showed our world today because it showed many people ignoring each other and staring at their phones.