Managing technology

Red indicates areas with 3G coverage

My sister gave us (mostly J) a subscription to W*red magazine.

Usually I just move it from the magazine rack to the recycling bin, but today I popped it open for a quick read and came across a lovely article called "The end of unplugging."

In it the author argues that on such a connected planet we are literally running out of land mass where we can get away from technology. The network truly spans the globe.

I wage a constant battle against technology taking over my life. With blogs, pintrest, FB, IG, banking, email, bills, etc., etc., etc,  being so accessible online I could literally spend all of my waking hours in front of a screen.

And I kind of hate that.

I believe in technology. I know that it has its place and that in so many ways our lives are better and easier by being so connected. I also know that people are able to learn more about the church through technology than ever before.

However, I often find myself reaching for my phone/kindle/mouse whenever I have an extra minute to see what's going on in the world.

The author of the article, Mat H*nan, states, "The phone isn't the problem. The problem is us- our inability to step away from email and games and inessential data, our inability to look up, be it in an alpine lake or at family members. We won't be able to get away from it all for very much longer. So it's vitally important that each of us learns how to live with a persistent connection, everywhere we go, whether it's in the wilderness or at a dinner party."

I love his thought. The solution is not starving ourselves from technological devices. They are a part of our world and are not going anywhere. The solution is taking control of what, how, when, where, and why we use them and being accountable for the time we spend, and the content we consume, living our lives in front of a screen.