Technology is now a core part of everyone’s life in one way or another. I am no different,
especially as I am studying information technology. But what has it become? How does it impact your life? Is it positive
or negative?
Maybe it’s somewhere in the middle, as most things are.
In any case, I have explored how using technology affects me, and it’s been a fantastic journey that I’d like to share.
In Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport, the author explores how the use of
technology must be taken into serious consideration. He dicusses both the good and the bad, and I highly recommend
checking the book out - it has provided me with a clearer outlook on how I interact with technology. How it manipulates
my mood, becoming a source of draining negativity.
“The impact of technology on people’s personal lives is worth deeper exploration.” - Cal Newport
With an eye on my usage, I have slowly taken control of how I use technology versus how it uses me. My phone still has
too many apps that I don’t use, but I’ve focused on reducing my time on social media, as I found that to be a large
consumption of my time. It’s not that social media is inherently bad. In fact, there is a lot of good to it. It
connects people and gives those who would otherwise lack a voice a platform to be heard and seen. Never in the history
of humanity has this been so easily accessible.
So, how bad can it be if it brings goodness?
Since removing those apps - Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, TikTok – I’ve been able to focus on
what matters to me: my career, school, family, my daughter, church. I made time for these before, but now I have fewer
distractions pulling at my attention. I feel more in control—or at least more so than before.
Don’t get me wrong, I still use Facebook from time to time. However, now I make a deliberate choice to open my laptop
and type in www.facebook.com when I want to see what family and friends are up to.
This shift—form one very accessible form of technology to a less accessible one—has made all the difference. A
clear decision with a purpose.
As time goes on, I’ll update how this change has impacted my life.
I am happier. More present. Calm.