Technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives. I use technology from the moment I wake up to the sound of the alarm on my iPhone until I reluctantly put my phone away each night. This makes me feel that my relationship with technology can be unhealthy at times. I spend hours - more than I know I should - on my phone and laptop every day. Sometimes this time is well spent, by doing homework, keeping up with friends and family, or reading about current events. But a great deal of the time, I am mindlessly scrolling on social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. I can lose track of time and don’t notice how long I am on these apps, and have to put my phone out of sight when trying to study so I won’t be tempted. I also feel compelled to respond to notifications immediately, especially texts from friends. I often find myself suffering from a case of “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) and cannot tear myself away, especially on apps like Snapchat where posts are only live for a limited amount of time. I worry that if I am not up to date on the latest trends and pop culture, I won't know what my friends and classmates are talking about. This is what compelled me to download the new app called BeReal. Every day at a random time, I receive a notification saying "it is time to be real" and I have to post a photo of what I am doing in that moment within two minutes. I can only see what my friends have posted after I have completed this task. Then I can either comment on their photos or post my own reaction photo. Putting it in words makes it seem somewhat ridiculous that this is how I choose to spend my free time. But my FOMO is real and I don't want to be left out of my friends' conversations.
Using social media apps has contributed to my digital footprint. When I Googled myself, I did not find any of my information because I have a very common last name. When I added “High Point University” to my search, my LinkedIn profile appeared. This doesn’t concern me, because I control what is in my profile. I also control my digital footprint by setting all of my social media accounts to private, so only people I know can see what I post. The parts of my digital footprint that are out of my control are primarily found in my subscriptions to emails from retailers (such as Urban Outfitters or Amazon), usage of news apps like Apple News and The Washington Post, and the payment sharing app Venmo. I try to be very deliberate about what I post online, since as we learned from Juan Enriquez’s TED talk, my online activity is like an electronic tattoo, and will outlive me.
My family's digital footprints are smaller than mine. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my Dad does not have any social media accounts other than LinkedIn. He uses technology for his job as a consultant, and utilizes online banking, but subscribes to very few newsletters and does not do any online shopping. My mom usually takes care of that. Besides online shopping and banking, she has accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram but very rarely posts. My 17 year old brother's footprint is probably the most similar to mine of all of us, especially in terms of the hours he spends using technology, but he does not use as many social media apps as I do.
Social media has also caused me to have feelings of anxiety and low self esteem at times. Instagram can often seem like a highlight reel. I sometimes feel pressure to compare myself to others, who have the most fashionable outfits, take grand vacations, or always have perfect hair and makeup. This causes me to have unrealistic standards for myself and self doubt. I can relate to what researchers at Stanford University call “duck syndrome” - a duck can appear “to glide effortlessly, while below the surface its feet work frantically, invisibly struggling to stay afloat.” I know that what people post online is just a snapshot, and not the entire story. But I still feel the urge to compare myself to others, which sometimes makes me feel inadequate or left out.
When considering technology, we can certainly find the good, the bad, and the ugly. Technology can be used for research and medical advances. It connects us to our friends and family, and can make our everyday lives more convenient. But there is a cost. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bring increased efficiency to businesses - robots can deliver food or vacuum floors, saving on labor costs. But what happens to the people who need those jobs to provide for their families? We have also given up our privacy, sometimes sharing personal data without even realizing it. Our lives are watched through everything from license plate readers to facial recognition. Last week, I applied for TSA PreCheck. While this will make my air travel more efficient, I had to give my fingerprints, photo, and two types of identification for the privilege. I don’t know what the U.S. government is going to do with my information, but that is the price I have to be willing to pay for convenience. Is it worth it? I guess I will have to wait and see.
