Reflection
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Throughout my day unplugged, I was
able to converse more with the people I live with and learn more about them
than I normally would. Technology often time takes us away from bonding with
our family due to the importance we give social media, entertainment, and other
distractions that only seem important in the short term. It can sometimes take
us away from what is actually more important such as conviviality and showing
of affection and attention for the people we love. I was also not able to
communicate with my friends, which I would normally do on a daily basis via
text, so it is very possible to lose touch with people from long distances
without the help of technology. It can erect barriers and force us to keep our
circle of friends limited to the people in the community we are living in.
Nevertheless, technology has been so ingrained into our lives that without it, it is difficult to not feel as though we are missing out on something important going on in the world around us.
Sometimes, we are so preoccupied with what is happening in the world outdoors
that we don’t care to find out what is happening under our own roofs. Although
I do agree that it would greatly impact the way we see and experience the world
around us and allow for more ignorance towards world issues, it is countered
through the closeness we would achieve with our community, our neighbours, and
the people we can reach physically and not electronically.
Communication via technology’s main
goal is not commercial for the people using said technology, however, it is for
the companies and corporations who make a profit off of such outlets that
include social media, phones, and the ad market on the internet in general.
There is great commerce involved in the technological industry, and although it
furthers the cause of global unity and globalization, it hurts the intercommunal bonds within our society.
Throughout this experience, my
reality was changed. I was not able to do almost anything that I would normally
do and many a time I would search for my phone subconsciously forgetting that I
left it in my room to avoid breaking the rules. It felt as if I was not going
forward in time by not receiving the latest updates regarding people’s lives or
the world around me. I felt helpless. At that time, I had realized that it can
truly be an addiction, something that people including myself have become
dependent on, and dependency on technology will only increase with each and
every generation to come. I believe this assignment will one day, surely,
become an impossibility.
