Tech Check

I saw the movie Crazy, Stupid Love this long weekend. In one scene, a 13-year-old boy told his mom that he didn’t know what to do when he saw her crying. As a result, he Googled “mom crying in bed.” This made me think of things I learned through the Internet that I could not have learned as easily in real life. This includes how to tie a necktie, how to play some tunes in an instrument via Youtube, and how to better use a camera through online forums among others.

The ease of information gathering and learning brought by technological convenience is truly fascinating. I do check my e-mails almost daily. I check the available books in the library online at home instead of using the card catalogue. I Google when in doubt. But have I transformed myself into somebody who is technologically dependent? More and more experts believe excessive use of technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic.

It is difficult to know when dependence is attained or whether dependence is bad at all because in a sense, we are technology dependent in that we rely on e-mails, social networks and search engines almost on a daily basis. Nonetheless, I resolve to be more mindful of my technology use by asking myself if I have neglected chores because of time spent online or if I lack sleep because of late log-ins. Much like the normal things we do, like eating, everything needs some degree of regulation.

James Anthony Mina #11