Final Blog Post: My Relationship to Technology

Technology has changed our world both in positive and negative ways. Our world wouldn’t be the same without technology because of the impact it has made from its advancement. It has grown, advanced, and changed how we live our daily lives. Throughout this course, I have learned so much about technology that I didn’t know before. Not only have I learned about technology, but also learned more about how integrated technology impacts our society through the good and bad.

My relationship with technology began when I was in fourth grade and got my first iPod touch, and then my first iPhone in sixth grade. While this may seem like an extremely young age to be getting a phone, it became necessary so that I had a way to communicate with my parents. I then went to a private high school which was an all-iPad school. This meant that there were no textbooks, and all books were online. This had its benefits and negatives. A few of the benefits of using Ipads was that it helped me advance in the use of digital technology. It helped me with life skills such as typing, writing skills, and interactive skills. It also helped me with my learning disability because I had services on my iPad such as an e-reader for reading books, drawing tools for notes, and videos. However, it did have negatives because it made my attention span decline as I noticed I wasn’t able to focus during lectures for as long as I used to be able to, it led me to become more distracted, and my screen time increased dramatically. 

Overall, I would say my relationship with technology is neither healthy nor unhealthy. While I do spend lots of time on my phone, I have noticed that I often only use it to communicate with friends and family. My average screen time on my phone is about 6 hours a day. However, I am usually on my laptop way longer than I am on my phone since everything in college is on my Macbook. Of course, I could definitely be better and cut back on my screen time by limiting myself to certain apps, specifically social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. However, for the average college student, I would definitely say I am not that bad with technology and have gotten much better than I used to be. For example, in high school, I went through a phase where I was addicted to being on my phone. I quickly realized the issue and so did others who were around me. While it may not have been easy to cut back on screen time, I knew I needed better habits. Now, I am much better about being in the moment when I am around people and putting my phone away. Since I have changed my habits, I have noticed a huge change in my overall happiness as well. The biggest thing I have noticed is that I feel more content and fulfilled with my life.

When thinking about your online footprint it can be scary knowing that anything and everything you post can be traced back to you. Not only can it be traced, but once it's posted it can’t be undone and you lose the right to take it back. Sure, you might be able to delete a photo, but once it’s posted it will belong to that platform from then on. Personally, I have always been told “be careful what you post.” However, knowing exactly what the online footprint is and how much it tracks your personal information, will make me think twice before I post things on social media. I have always posted things that I am proud of and wouldn’t be ashamed of. However, it is still scary because I have a pretty open online presence since all my social media accounts are public, and I post about what I am doing and where I am. 

In conclusion, this course really helped me to have a deeper understanding of what the online footprint consists of. It raised my awareness about the technological life and the digital world that goes beyond just my phone. I now understand the benefits and underlying issues with technology. With this knowledge, I will be more cautious and aware of my online presence.