Technology is everywhere these days. Really, it seems like it's getting harder and harder to go somewhere where there isn't at least one type of tech. A lot has changed since I was a kid, even though it really wasn't all that long ago. It kind of shocks me a little bit when I actually think about how relevant and common place technology is today, and is a little scary to think of what the future will be like. Will we be totally technology driven? Just how dependent will we become on the devices around us?
We stare at our cell phones when we're waiting in line, taking public transportation, walking from one place to another and during a long list of other activities. Why? Are we trying to avoid someone or talking to strangers? Catching up on the latest news or passing time by browsing social media? We are so glued to our cell phones that we don't even notice how true that is.
In an article published last year, Greek Wire, it was found that Americans spend 162 minutes on their cell phones per day. For most of that time, people are on apps. I'd almost be willing to bet many people spend much more time on their phones than that. How crazy is that? The little moments really add up.
Children are growing up with so many different forms of technology we didn't have when we were kids. There's iPads, iPods, Kindles, computers, TVs,video game consoles, hand-held gaming systems and more. It's so common place to them that it's odd if they don't have immediate access to it. This is the new normal.
Nature Valley released a video asking three different generations what they liked to do as kids. Of course, the answers varied, with children having the most different answers. Their answers were all around technology. I definitely think this is purposefully exaggerated because it's an advertisement and helps further Nature Valley's brand. But I don't think the results seen in the video are that far off from the truth.
It's not just children that have an attachment to technology. Teenagers and adults of all ages can have some level of dependency on it. We can't go 30 minutes without seeing who updated their Snapchat story or posted a new picture on Instagram. Hey, I do it too. But maybe our time could be better spent interacting with what and who is actually around us.
Don't get me wrong, technology is a great thing. It's saved lives and made daily life easier. We can communicate better and more conveniently. It helps us work and entertain us. But I think it's important to set a limit. I'm guilty of having an attachment to technology myself. Yet I know I have better things to do than check my social media accounts just to see not much interesting has happened. I don't need to watch reruns of Keeping Up With the Kardashians that I've seen a 100 times.
Obviously technology is going to continue to evolve and grow. In the future we'll probably have things we never even dreamed would exist. It is a beautiful thing to think about how the human mind can come up with these concepts and bring them to life. But we are much more than our devices.
