R U ADDICTED 2 TECHNOLOGY?

In the dawn of time, when humans first stumbled along the Earth in caveman and cavewoman form, their basic instinct was to survive.  They would scour every place possible to find the animal that would be their next meal, whilst defending their lives in whatever way they could.  Every morning, food and their lives were the only things they would wake up thinking about........ Nowadays it is a completely different story.  Monday 2^nd April was the first proper day of the Easter holidays and to celebrate not having to wake up at some ungodly hour, I slept in.  Only until 8.45 though (blasted body clock) and by 9.00, I had dragged myself out of the cave known as my bedroom.  However, unlike my caveman and woman ancestors, I did not get my breakfast.  I instead, chose to pick up the laptop and simultaneously check my emails, Facebook, Twitter and- of course- my website.  It was not long after that when I realised that I was prioritising my online life over my actual life where frankly, I needed some food.  This then lead me to question: Could I get up every day without seeing if I have any new notifications or followers?  And more importantly: Could I live without technology? The sad truth is no, but I’m sure most of you couldn’t either.

Since I was born, technology was there and I used it without thinking.  I can remember going on my parent’s somewhat prehistoric computer at an early age, likewise with watching the television.  This demonstrates that when technology is there, we as humans cannot resist it.  Take Facebook, as an example.  Even if I am not putting a status or talking to anyone, I still want to check Facebook.  Although I am not quite an addict yet, I still want to be able to log in and see what is going on- as nosy as that may sound.  Facebook is seen as somewhat the ‘in thing’ to be a part of amongst young people and it identifies who we are and what our place is in teenage society.  To fulfil this feeling of having an identity and an online life, we feel the need to keep checking our accounts on Facebook, Twitter and all forms of social media.  I believe that this makes us feel like we have a place on the map or a rung on the social ladder.  What I don’t understand though, is why we need a website to make us feel like we have a place to voice our views without the world being on our backs if we say them.  Why does it make us feel good when twenty people will like our status, when we are only close to about two of these people?

I’m sure I can speak on behalf on many people when I say that technology has replaced so many daily activities that were and are still considered to be normal.  I have never been a fanatic for reading the paper, I’ll admit.  However, as soon as I discovered that the Daily Mail and the Guardian had their own websites, I began reading the paper online.  Some may argue it is because I am too lazy to pick up an ordinary paper and read it.... and I would agree with them.  I much prefer to scroll down the side of the page and see the previews of different articles before reading them, than begin reading them in the paper to only discover half way through that it wasn’t what I wanted to read or was uninteresting.  What started out as the tradition of going out to buy the paper has like many other ‘normal things,’ been given a digital alternative so that we don’t even have to move to find out what is going on.  Additionally, rather than seeing a child/teenager outside playing football getting some good ol’ vitamin D, they are more likely to be inside playing a video game.  I am in no way criticising video games- I played a very competitive game of Mario Kart with my brother earlier, I’ll have you know.  Whilst video games are fun, some children would rather play them than go outside on a hot sunny day, which just goes to show how dominant technology can be in our lives.

Although I do love the fast paced nature of the technology we have today, I do think it would be beneficial if the world could have a week without certain aspects of technology, simply to highlight how dependant we are on it.  A traditional letter would replace a Facebook conversation; children would be forced to go outside and find their own entertainment instead of playing video games.  That way, they will be getting the vitamin D they need and that thing called ‘exercise’ that P.E teachers seem to go on a lot about.  However, we are a world revolving around technology and I don’t think we could even spend a single day without it.  Even though my family and I are too lazy to get out the Wii Fit board, we still feel the need to have it.  My Dad still manages to get lost with his SAT NAV, I can’t be bothered to knock my friends front door, so I instead text them to say ‘I am at your door.’  The purpose of all this technology is to make our lives easier and quicker- and yet it is doing the exact opposite.... and is making us LAZY.  A word we do not want to admit to but we all know is the truth.

What could possibly happen if you didn’t have your phone? Would your head explode simply from the shock of being away from your trusted companion? Or would your fingers start twitching from the urge to text someone?  What about your X Box? Would you survive in the real world with real interaction rather than cyber interaction? If you even think of answering ‘No’ to any of these questions, then I think it is safe to say U R ADDICTED TO TECHNOLOGY.