During my latest research from the database at Front Range
Community College, I wanted to find out what other affects the abuse of
technology can have. Pat Galagan a very well-known writer, explains in his
article titled “Technology and the Interrupted Brain” that technology is affecting our memory. We are
putting so much garbage in our brains that in the end it will affect our brain function,
in particular our short memory term. Mrs.
Galagan believes that because of technology we do not have the desire to learn
anymore. People prefer to go to google and find some information rather than
retain the information in their brains for future recall. Mrs. Galagan said
that technology is a distraction affecting our ability to focus which means
that this will affect us in our career. She said: “We need to unplug, take time
to calm down, and focus on one thing at a time”.
What we can do so technology does not control our lives?
Dr. Deepika Chopra, a health & wellness expert, has a
doctorate in clinical Health Psychology. She gives us some tips on her article titled
“10
Tips to Spend Less Time on Social Media & More Time with Humans”. Here is a summary; see how many could apply to
your life. Maybe technology has a bigger grip on you than you first thought:
- Reduced the time you spend on you cell phone or social media to 90 minutes a day. Sometimes people spend up to 3 hours a day on technology.
- Try to seek help from a person and not “Siri”.
- Adopt a “No phones at the Table” rule.
- If somebody texts you call them instead.
- Use an old-school alarm, for me this will helpful. That way my phone will not be next to me when I wake up and would not be the first thing I wake up to.
- Do not depend on your phone to remember special dates. Do not text your friends or family to wish them a Happy Birthday but call them instead.
- Try to do physical activities with your friends, it’s more likely you will not use your phone if you remain busy.
- Encourage yourself or a friend when you find an activity that is not related to technology.
- Try to remove your Facebook app from your phone if you feel brave.
- Try and accomplish these goals with friends and families.
What a great list! I have implemented a couple of these with my sons and I especially at the dinner table. We have even tried full days to disconnect. I wonder why this is so hard when I was not raised this way and even early on, my sons were not raised this way.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting how focused we are on technology. It’s almost as if it’s like nicotine or caffeine. I honestly didn’t know that technology can affect our short term memory. I think if everyone were to “unplug” for an hour, I’m sure it would be hard for some people but it wouldn’t be as bad as people would think.
ReplyDeleteHave there been any studies to show what happens to your mind when one doesn’t rely on technology so much?
I agree that people rely on technology way too much. It’s really all around us. Sometimes it can be helped, and other times it can’t. I believe that everyone can benefit from the list you posted on your blog. Most of us should be able to do a few of those. I like the no phones at the table rule. That’s something that should be implemented all the time. It’s bad manners to me to have a phone at the table and it ruins the atmosphere. Your blog is fantastic to read.
It's crazy to think how technology has tremendously changed our everyday lives, even from just 20 years ago. Yes, its helped, but at the same time I think it's fair to say that its pushed us away from one another, particularly our immediate family members and closest friends. Too often we find ourselves talking pictures of the moment, rather than living in the moment and enjoying the present for what it is. This is a sad phenomenon to think about; that we can't control ourselves enough to put technology down and interact with/enjoy one another's company. I mean look at how we're interacting with one another in this very instant. Yes, there is acknowledgment, but at the same time it's so withdrawn. We should all just take some time out of our technology driven society and unplug.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is quite thought provoking, job well done.