We live in a world encased by technology. Personally, I have begun to rely on it as a major part of my life. I have apps for school, apps for entertainment, apps for communication, and even apps just because I like the visuals. As I started my college experience, my use for technology did nothing but increase, as the majority of work was still to be completed online. In an effort to quantify my technology use, this past Sunday, I decided to track every time I used any sort of technology. The results shocked me, as I had 6 hours of screen time on my phone alone. The app I used the most was by far SnapChat.
First, I woke up and checked my Snapchat and Instagram. At brunch, I continued to Snapchat some close friends, as well as catch up on some recent news from the News+ app. I then transitioned to my iPad and laptop in order to work on homework and research. I used my phone to stream music during this time. Afterwards, I went for a run, on which I also used my phone to play music, and called a good friend from back home. I then returned to my studies, which involved the same technology as previously, but this time I stuck around after I finished and airplayed music for the rest of my hall. I finished up the night by watching a few episodes of a tv show on Netflix, all while shooting off random Snapchats or texts.
Although I do use technologies such as Canvas and Word for my coursework, the majority of my technology use is still simply for personal fulfillment and communication. It is a little sad that any free time I get, I immediately pick up my phone regardless of any notifications. It is almost like we are being sucked into a trap by the major tech companies, slowly but surely allowing technology to take up more of my time. I do believe, however, that the new influx of technology and the Internet will be beneficial for society moving forward. The ease in which I can communicate with anyone or satisfy my apparent boredom is unparalleled with today’s technology. However, we must not allow for this technology to consume every aspect of our lives. Needless to say, the amount of time I spent on my phone shocked me. I spent a fourth of my day staring at a little screen in my hand, and this freaked me out. I couldn’t help but think about what kind of a digital footprint I leave behind everyday, especially after reading the Huffington Post article. The article has definitely made me take into consideration if the actions I take online are a good representation of the true me. After doing this exercise I am definitely going to make some adjustments as to how I interact with my phone on a daily basis.
Sheninger, Eric. “Your Digital Footprint Matters.” Huffington Post, 8 Jan. 2016, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-sheninger/your-digital-footprint-ma_b_8930874.html.
