Technology Is Dictating Our Lives, And It's Time To Stop Letting It

Something that really has been on my mind lately is how people who are way older than me, probably like my grandparents and those before them, grew up and how they approached everyday life. I don't really know if anyone else can relate, but how did they grow up without technology or the use of smartphones every day? How would they have a regular conversation with people over the phone?

I will use my grandparents, for example. Not too long ago, I went to visit them in the Dominican Republic and it amazed me how they are so intelligent for their own time. The technology over there is not very advanced but they still have enough to understand and function every day. My grandfather builds and fixes gas stoves as a little side hobby since they don't use a lot of electric stoves. They rely more on gas for everything over there. My grandmother, on the other hand, works for the parish of the community.

Every time I go over there it amazes me how they can function and interact with other people without having to rely on technology. Often, I think of the movies that were based in the 80's like "Dirty Dancing" and how there is not much technology present in the movie. I'm going this route because of how relationships are currently being brought up. We often meet individuals through social media most of the time, and there is nothing wrong with meeting people over the internet, but I believe after taking the first step a relationship should be built in person, not through a blue screen. Doing this causes a lot of misinterpretation and potentially builds an image of an individual the wrong way.

I often think about how relationships for people my age begin. Most of my friends all meet and we all have the same mutual preferences for certain activities which is why we all bonded. But mostly everyone meets over social media and never meet in person. So, every time we are at events we see the individual whom we are friends with on social media but never really acknowledge the person when seeing them in the flesh.

It's kind of weird how we have let our phones and our social media outlets dictate and control the way we make relationships. I say that because not too long ago, the only way people would talk to each other was through the phone or letters. I wonder what times would be like if we still communicated that way and if most of the problems we face in relationships like jealousy would even exist. If girls and boys would still compare themselves to each other as often as we do. What if insecurity was not such a big factor in people's lives? This is one of the many ways social media and technology have influenced us all.

Something I been trying to do lately is enjoying my time away from my phone and trying and do things that don't involve using my technological devices. It's been very difficult, but I've found it to be something very refreshing and something that people should try and practice for at least 15 minutes every day.