Final Blog: Technology, Healthy or Unhealthy?
Technology... one of humanity's greatest inventions. We have come so accustomed to technology and the media that we often try to remember what life was like before it, yet struggle to see the realities of how it affects us. It is the drug that we cannot seem to slip away from. It consumes us and our daily lives; we know the realities and struggles it brings upon us — but we simply can't get away. Could you imagine what the world would be like if we didn't have the wonders of technology? What your job or life at school would be like? Even traveling to other places? While we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the brilliant minds who have gifted us these inventions, we cannot deny the toxicity it pours into our minds. Ultimately, we simply need to remember that social media and technology can only provide a highlight reel of emotions through communication. This, however, is the true reality of social media and unfortunately, we are all victims of its unhealthy habits.
My Relationship With Technology
It all began when I was in the fifth grade. Christmas morning of 2013, I received my first iPhone. It was the model 4 generation and I remember how excited I was to finally have a phone and be considered a "big kid." At first, I really only used my phone to call a parent, text a friend, or explore my camera and enjoy taking pictures. My parents monitored my activity heavily and ensured I was not spending too much time fiddling my thumbs across the screen of my phone. I was a "normal" kid; I loved spending time outside in the backyard of my house with my brothers. Growing up as a competitive dancer, I rarely ever had time to spend on my phone, other than to squeeze one game of Candy Crush on the ride to rehearsal. However, as I started getting older and with the rise of social media becoming way more popular, my mental game completely changed.
In my teen years, my mental health would plummet due from the effects of social media. I would scroll and scroll and scroll, only to depict everything about myself and not feeling like I was good enough for anything. Eventually, when I was 14 years old and competed in the 2016 Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen Pageant, I adopted my personal platform entitled "Love My Selfie," that promoted positive self-esteem through the uses of social media, and would later travel across the state of North Carolina where I was able to promote my platform to many boys and girls of all ages, specifically those who were teens. I learned to love myself, my platform, and had a strong passion for helping others see their true light in the world, and still do to this day.
After adopting my platform and continuing its success throughout high school, I still experienced these effects of mental health from social media and its users. I wanted to be living my "best life" just as my friends from all over the country were doing, and I thought that was where true happiness would be found. But, as I learned in time, social media is the furthest thing from finding complete happiness. We, as a society, have become accustomed to this idea, and it breaks my heart to see youth suicide rates continue to flourish from concepts such as these. Society has given "norms" to young teens and people of all ages, and these will only continue to flourish in the minds of its victims. We, as a society must do better. We as a society, are victims of the unveiling effects of technology, and it must stop before it only continues to grow worse.
When I say technology has become a "drug" to society, I simply mean it to its literal definition. Did you know that our brains can actually release the same "addictive" hormones when using technology as they do when abusing a certain substance? This fact and scientific research is absolutely mind blowing. The article linked above mentions much about technology and what it means to be cyber-dependent to our lives behind these tiny screens. Though I can most definitely suffer from addiction, I know I am not the only one within my circle of people who surround me each day. My friends and family both too suffer from these addictive personalities, however, everyone has a certain degree of addiction. Honestly, sometimes the way in which I communicate with friends is through sending memes to one another on TikTok or Instagram, or simply by sending a funny picture on Snapchat with no context behind it. The fact of the matter is that although technology has been an extreme wonder of the world and has benefit our lives in many ways, it's important to remember the extreme effects it can have on one's neurological health:
- Impaired sleep
- Decline in mental health
- Experience sudden mood changes
- Neglect our social, work, and school or professional lives
- Lose track of how much time we spend on the internet
- Experience withdrawal symptoms
These symptoms clearly define what it means to have an addictive personality to technology, and I can confidently say I have experienced all of these situations, though I am not necessarily proud of them. Though it is hard pill to swallow and admit, it is also import to bring more awareness to these types of things and encourage a more healthy side to technology today. Our world has adapted these habits and have made them the "norm"; but, we must search to make technology healthy. To not fall under the brilliant minds behind the Age of A.I. because yes, they are listening. They are collecting your data to not only invade privacy, but to use it against you. They are going to feed you everything that you want to see: you're favorite artist, types of food, favorite celebrities, your friends, areas of travel, and so much more, all to see you become addicted to technology and make it impossible to resist the temptations of scrolling.
Can Technology Be Healthy?
Of course I do have an addiction to technology, and I probably made it sound much worse than it actually is... however, it is still a real thing and I am improving and ingraining more healthy habits into my life each day as I've recognized the unhealthy habits I've developed over the last few months from technology. In the ongoing battle of technology against humanity, I do strongly believe technology can be used in healthy ways, too. Now, don’t get it wrong, there are many things wrong with social media such as cyberbullying, sexting, comparing oneself to another, belittling others behind a screen, the spread of false information, lack of privacy, entice people to waste time, and much more. But, the overall effects of technology is simply based on how we use it and when we use it. We use technology to call friends that we don't see everyday or who live far away, for inspiration within our own personal lives, to be creative, to stay up-to-date in the world, and so much more. These are ways in which I use technology to not fall into an extreme down-pit of addiction or unhealthy patterns; using media to be a light and change in the world could never be unhealthy. It is always important to remember that though there are extreme negative side effects to technology, we can always find ways to incorporate it into our lives in healthy, beneficial ways.
1) First, I love to use technology as ways to inspire a healthy diet and exercise habits. One of my good friends, Allee George, is one of my biggest fitness and health inspirations! She utilities her social media platforms and has a high following of users who admire her fitness journey and tips. She ensures to give the most beneficial advices for those who are starting their journey towards better health habits. I absolutely love this aspect of technology... inspiring others through different media platforms!
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| @alleefit |
2) I also love to see my favorite dancers on social media! Diego Pasillas, winner of season 4 of World of Dance, is one of my biggest dance inspirations. He is simply amazing in his technique, skill, and performance, and his growth and work ethic is something I aspire to have as a dancer. Click here to see how talented he is!
3) Lastly, technology makes it easy to spread awareness. As mentioned in a previous blog, Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019, passed away on January 30, 2022. Knowing Cheslie personally for over seven years as she was from Charlotte, this absolutely devastated me. However, from her passing, Cheslie has continued to shed light by spreading awareness for mental health in the media. Some can call her a former major title holder, ExtraTV personality, an attorney, a designer, a celebrity, but I can call her a friend. Unfortunately, Cheslie felt societal pressure to continue to "rise up" to certain levels of life and it caused her much depression and anxiety... and she was really good at hiding it until it was too late. Today, April 28, 2022, is her 31st birthday. I miss her dearly, but know she continues to do good in the world, though not physically here, by spreading the importance of mental health in technology. She is the reason I have changed and will continue to do so within my own life. She was a light to the world, a mentor, and an all-around amazing person. Technology not allow allows to grieve her, but make her name known, share her story, and make a difference.
Final Thoughts:
As Dave Willis once said, “Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people,” I feel as though this should become anyone’s mindset when using social media platforms. When I reflect on my overall impressions and relationship with technology and the impact it has on my life, I can only help but feel so thankful yet resentful at the same time. I am extremely thankful for all of the opportunities and experiences technology has given me and has given to the world and how much I admire it for sparking motivation within me to follow my dreams in life. However, I truly do sit back and think about how at times, I wish it didn't exist. It controls my life many days when I wish it didn't. It makes me reflect on my own values as a person and how I look at myself. It binds me to something that I feel as though I cannot break away from. But, within the last few years of the social media uprise, I feel as though I've learned so much more than what is portrayed on these highlight reels.
In conclusion, social media has sparked a monumental movement throughout the world in so many different ways. Because of these effects that social media has placed in our culture today, teens, adults, or even young children who come in contact with technology, are able to withstand the negative connotations placed on these platforms and use them to promote a positive, inspiring, and motivational atmosphere for many to look up to and aspire to achieve, just as I have within recent months. Social media, if used in the correct ways, can be more positive within the world rather than negative, if taught correctly. Because of social media and its everlasting imprints on society today, the upcoming generation will be able to develop and adapt more effectively, openly, and properly, with great hopes of using these technological innovations to their fullest potential as an impact on the world. Because of social media, the world will flourish prosperly. Because of social media, we are able to learn, grow, and adapt to a new environment because of the positive influence it has upon our culture. Though there will always be a battle of technology against humanity, in turn, if we learn to use it in more healthy ways, we don't have to be addicted; we don't have to feel chained; we can simply make an impact and change the world through technology.
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