I chuckled at the irony of this post being written on a computer and sent internationally via internet, and read on a computer...
Just because technology becomes a part of lives doesn't mean we're sacrificing the other parts of our lives that aren't bound to it.
I have dysgraphia, so I'd never want to go back to writing by hand if I can avoid it.
I have friends all over the world, and I'd never want to go back to only being able to associate with people who live near me.
I have information at my fingertips, so I'd never want to go back to only having access to a limited supply of books with years old information.
I worked via computer, at home, for my kids' entire childhoods, but that doesn't mean I don't go out in the sun. It doesn't mean I didn't go camping with my kids, or play in the dirt, or run in the park, etc.
Everything in life, be it diet, exercise, work, family, household, and yes, technology, is about making space for everything when the time and purpose is important in that moment. And as much as people complain about needing a technology detox, its generally only for a short time while they find their equilibrium again.
Technology's ever evolving technologies aren't locking us out of life; they're not even locking us out of creative arts like everyone is so worried about in creative industries; they're giving us an opportunity to evolve the way we do things, and freeing us up to pursue higher levels of thinking and being.
Anyway, just a few cents from someone who has studied the evolution of language and writing technologies alongside the evolution of homosapians.
Hi Rebecca, you’re right there is definitely an irony here! And I appreciate you presenting the other side of the argument as mine is definitely focused on the darker side of tech. I don’t eschew all tech and I appreciate much of what it offers - I certainly don’t want to live without a lot of it! However, this piece was written as an exploration of what it might also cost us, and what that costs feels like to me - and I do feel that from the conversations I’m having, for at least some of us, there is this sense of such a cost. I don’t want to stop tech developments - but I.also want to explore the other side of what such developments mean.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts here. You sound like you have found your balance well (although I would still argue this is not the case for many others, particularly as I watch the impact on the younger generation as they grapple with screen time and online visibility and connections). It’s also very reassuring to know that you feel like this as a result of your studies. I’m really glad that it has opened up this discussion - that feels like the key - that we can share our ideas and opinions and insights and lean into the complexity and the conversation more. And I never mind being told to rethink so I’ll think on what you’ve said too!
Beautiful post, beautiful.
Thank you Emma xx
I chuckled at the irony of this post being written on a computer and sent internationally via internet, and read on a computer...
Just because technology becomes a part of lives doesn't mean we're sacrificing the other parts of our lives that aren't bound to it.
I have dysgraphia, so I'd never want to go back to writing by hand if I can avoid it.
I have friends all over the world, and I'd never want to go back to only being able to associate with people who live near me.
I have information at my fingertips, so I'd never want to go back to only having access to a limited supply of books with years old information.
I worked via computer, at home, for my kids' entire childhoods, but that doesn't mean I don't go out in the sun. It doesn't mean I didn't go camping with my kids, or play in the dirt, or run in the park, etc.
Everything in life, be it diet, exercise, work, family, household, and yes, technology, is about making space for everything when the time and purpose is important in that moment. And as much as people complain about needing a technology detox, its generally only for a short time while they find their equilibrium again.
Technology's ever evolving technologies aren't locking us out of life; they're not even locking us out of creative arts like everyone is so worried about in creative industries; they're giving us an opportunity to evolve the way we do things, and freeing us up to pursue higher levels of thinking and being.
Anyway, just a few cents from someone who has studied the evolution of language and writing technologies alongside the evolution of homosapians.
Hi Rebecca, you’re right there is definitely an irony here! And I appreciate you presenting the other side of the argument as mine is definitely focused on the darker side of tech. I don’t eschew all tech and I appreciate much of what it offers - I certainly don’t want to live without a lot of it! However, this piece was written as an exploration of what it might also cost us, and what that costs feels like to me - and I do feel that from the conversations I’m having, for at least some of us, there is this sense of such a cost. I don’t want to stop tech developments - but I.also want to explore the other side of what such developments mean.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts here. You sound like you have found your balance well (although I would still argue this is not the case for many others, particularly as I watch the impact on the younger generation as they grapple with screen time and online visibility and connections). It’s also very reassuring to know that you feel like this as a result of your studies. I’m really glad that it has opened up this discussion - that feels like the key - that we can share our ideas and opinions and insights and lean into the complexity and the conversation more. And I never mind being told to rethink so I’ll think on what you’ve said too!