Technology Change n.1

TASK: Keep a diary for two weeks and take note of every moment you use your phone

 (even just to check the time!)

“Discovering My Worst Buddy”

If anyone had asked me two weeks ago whether I considered myself to be smartphone dependent, I would have said, of course not! When I started this assignment, I honestly thought that, unlike most of my peers, I used my cellphone in a constructive and favorable way. However, it only took me one day of being actually aware of my smartphone usage schedule to realize how far off from the truth I was; at least, for what concerns the time consuming part of having a smartphone.

First of all, it turns out I check Facebook messages, text messages and/or whatsapp, way more often than I thought and than I need to. Even though I should have expected it, it has surprised me to see how much time I spend procrastinating (literally looking over and over the same news feeds/messages with no particular purpose) on these apps. I appear to be almost “obsessed” over whether I have received a new Fb notification, a text message, an email or who knows what other notice from any pointless app I am subscribed to. Unfortunately/thankfully, the camera of my phone broke a while ago, otherwise I am positive I would be an Instagram addict by now. Additionally, not having discovered the wonder of Twitter, Snapchat and/or Spotify yet, I still get to enjoy some time without having to rely completely on my phone for entertainment.

I have love/hate feelings towards my phone. Yes, I have to admit that it has been with me through thick and thin, saving me from hours of math calculations and allowing me to last longer than 5 minutes on the treadmill without giving up out of boredom. It has also been by my side every time I needed to avoid embarrassing situations and, moreover, it has permitted me to keep closer friends and family I have made from all over the world.

Likewise, having a smartphone is time saving. Whether you have to check an e-mail, book a last minute ticket or look for the recipe of an international specialty, there is no faster way than relying on your smartphone. Well, this sounds a little contradictive, doesn’t it? Smartphones are both time consuming and time saving. How can this be? Smartphones could be a person’s “best friend” if only they were used in a more practical way. They allow you to connect with people worldwide and simplify multiple tasks, not to talk about the countless additional apps I still haven’t learned to take advantage of. The problem lies in the fact that having a smartphone has become such a huge part of our life that we do not even realize whether we are using it or not. It has become like drinking coffee in the morning or brushing teeth before going to bed: it is a mechanical, almost instinctive action. My smartphone is not just part of my daily routine, I would dare to say that most of my daily activities revolve around it. It has taken over different sorts of entertainment I used to enjoy. As Cheskin explains, due to digital revolution, “all devices converge into one central device that {does} everything for you”. My smartphone has become the new play station/television/computer/alarm clock/mp3 etc. That is why I am not that shocked by the amount of time I spend using it.

“Dependence upon technology changes the character of an entire society”. In fact, with technological progress and faster devices, our expectations have changed: we want immediacy. We want to be able to do as many things as we can at once, and we want to be able to do them everywhere. Smartphones give us this immediacy that has become a necessity in today’s society. If we want something now, we will get it, as long as we are near a hot spot or a Wi-Fi area. Smartphones allow us to multitask and easily access information.  They make communication across countries and even continents possible. Indeed, these devices can empower us. If used properly, smartphones’ interconnectivity and speed of communication can allow us to do more with less effort and in less time.   Our phones can make our life much easier and spare us much useful time if we learn to take advantage of them without letting them take over our life. The readings throughout the course have made me much more aware of the implications of the devices that I had always considered mere neutral tools. This technology change has given me a practical example of how real these implications are. Technology is political, it has the power to "enslave" us to a certain extent. However,  as sociologyst Barber argues, “if it enslaves us we will have chosen to act (or not to act) in a fashion that permits our enslavement.” (Barber, 190) 

Do I regret having a smartphone? No. What I do regret is spending the time that having a phone saves me, interacting with the newest, trendiest app on the apple store instead of enjoying the beauty of the life and the people around me. 

To watch!

Technological change results: Ever since I started the diary, I have grown much more aware of the time I spend using it, and, consequently, I have tried to reduce the usage of my smartphone, and so far it has worked!!!