Have you ever tried to spend, even an hour or two, not looking at your phone voluntarily?
Chances are, probably not. They are designed to keep you hooked.
We are constantly looking to see if anything has updated: texts, emails, likes, comments, everything.
It is rare you can access anything without going through infinite scrolling or others’ content.
In “How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist,” Harris talks about ten methods to keep people hooked.
Ten methods can get you too engrossed on socials, texts, emails and everything else to keep you on your screens.
After all, it has provided a lot of dependency.
I have meetings scheduled in my calendar app, homework laid out on my notes app, people messaging me through every platform known to mankind.
I literally cannot go anywhere without a device– my phone, iPad, computer, anything really.
We’ve also grown dependent on it for work and school.
I don’t think I have had more than 5 pages given to me so far in the 5 weeks of school so far.
With our society, increasingly becoming more dependent on it, this means that people are going to be using tech, younger and younger in ages.
I know, for a fact, my elementary schools in my hometown are already integrating more computers into the classroom.
This can have devastating effects for these children in the long run.
With this increase of tech, the “Ledger of Harms” published by the Center for Human Technology, Pointed out the increased risks of serious dangers for children.
Sexual harassment, cyberbullying (which leads to higher risk of suicide), developmental delays, negative influences, mental health issues and more than I could even list. You name it, there’s a risk.
More and more people are also getting their news off of social media, but in the world of increased AI and incorrect facts, people are either believing things that aren’t true, or not believing things that are true.
Don’t get me wrong, tech, technologies, helpful, and so many ways. It has helped advances in healthcare, communication, business and all these different areas of life that would not have improved without technology.
It is also understood, though that there are risks and dangers, especially for younger people, when it comes to technology.
There are trade-offs. As AI has developed more, there are already significant drawbacks.
I think back to when “The Washington Post” let go of a large scale of their workforce. They were replaced with AI tools.
That was a wake up call for me. Somebody who wants to be a journalist is actively watching as her career is being replaced by AI.
In the other point, here I am using a computer and a website to publish a blog.
Technology is a great tool, when it is used well. What I would encourage everyone to do is analyze what has made your life better with technology but what have you sacrificed?
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