Final Blog Post: My Relationship With Technology

 Being born in 2002, technology has been increasingly accessible for my entire life. I have never been a "techy" person, but I would say I was connected as the average teenager growing up. My parents never idolized technology or were up to date with the newest model phones and tablets coming out. They always stressed that there were more important things in life than being in front of a screen. While that advice sounded like a drag at the time, I now realize that them constantly encouraging me and my brother to set the phone down pursue outdoor activities was for our own wellbeing. I think it is absolutely disgusting to look at the way the society as a whole has an overwhelming dependance on technology. It disconnects us from reality, whether we chose to realize it or not. 

I myself was in a technology-dependent bubble for my teenage years. I think that this was for many reasons. In high school, your social life revolves around a screen. I was so addicted to staying connected with my friends that when I suffered a traumatic brain injury as a freshman in high school, I still would scroll on social media to stay connected, despite the fact that doctors told me the only way I would have a chance of  recovering fully is if I took a year of school off (and that meant to screens). I wasn't able to do it because of my dependency on my cell phone and social media. And they were right, I never recovered. To this day, my reading ability is measured at a 62% proficiency (the average college student is in the high 90th  percentile) because my brain never healed from the screen time exposure post injury. 

I do think that it is difficult to separate yourself from technology when almost everyone around you has the same habits. It is like you are stuck in a bubble and nobody else is realizing what is happening either. You need to leave that environment in order to truly recognize the problem that is happening. That is exactly what I did last semester; I could not be more thankful. I participated in a study abroad program called Semester at Sea. It is aboard a ship with very limited connectivity. 

You are allotted 200mg of wifi a day, which allows you to surf the web for about 7 minutes. Most people used it to email their parents and then they would run out of data. With virtually no connection at all, it is like you are transported into another world. A world where people actually talk to each other face to face. There are no phones at dinner or in class. There are 450 teenagers on board and you might go an entire day without seeing a cell phone, which before I got there sounded unbelievable. It turned out to be the biggest blessing because we were able to fill our time with card games and pickle ball sing alongs when that usually would have just been time where people would have been plugged in by themselves. 

We also ported in heavily impoverished countries with severe lacks of technology, unless you are very wealthy. This gave me another new perspective because I had been to countries like Canada, Mexico, or some European countries, but they all still have the same dependency on technology that we do. Places like Jordan, Kenya, and India did not have that fixation on technology, and I felt like the people were so much more welcoming because of it. They were also much more in touch with their cultural traditions such as music, dancing, and cooking because they do not have dependency on technology to pull them away from those things.

While not all technology is bad, I think American culture has turned something good into a really unfortunate situation. And I think all it would take it for people to disconnect to realize that there is not need for their phone to be attached to their hand 24 hours a day. There is so much more to the world than what fits onto a 6 inch screen. If we could use technology for all the good things it offers, but then stop there and enjoy what people have to offer instead the world would be a much better place. 

EOTO 2 Reaction (What I learned)

I learned a lot from these presentations. I enjoyed learning about the theories and terms that were shared from different team members. The two that stuck out to me the most were the presentation about the echo chamber  and the presentation about the spiral of silence. 

The echo chamber is when you are only consuming media that aligns with your beliefs, instead of seeking out alternative opinions to give you a fresh perspective. This can be created through many channels: social media, friends, family, etc. One of the biggest negative effects of this is that it can often lead to the belief that "everyone thinks the same way as me"
. Social media can be particularly aiding to this phenomenon because the apps are specifically coded to tailor content to your particular interests. So, if you like Fox News and you keep liking posts that contain topics related to their content, they are going to suggest related content and creators for you to interact with. This further deepens the echo chamber because it strengthens the algorithm into knowing your interests so it becomes less and less likely that they will suggest content for you from CNN or MSNBC because they know that Fox News peaks your interest. In the end, it helps with the platform's overall engagement rates, and it helps you only consume the same content continuously.   

The other topic that I enjoyed learning about was the Spiral of Silence. This is when people believe that they believe they are in the minority, they tend to stay silent out of the heart of being logically wrong. They think that it could socially isolate them because others might not agree with their views or opinions. Alternatively, people who are in the majority often take advantage of this to spread their message and to silence minority opinions. I think that you see this happen a lot today in politics as the political arena becomes increasingly polarizing. When people's views are so strong, it is easier to stay silent than to try to disagree with them. 

Overall, I learned a lot from these presentations. I was introduced to new terms and ideas that I was not familiar with before.