Final Blog Post: Relationship with Technology

    I think if blogging and social media were around when Martin Luther King was alive he would have posted a lot on his social media. He would have been able to type up his speeches and publish them for the world to see. If he were still giving speeches, he might have opted to go live on a social media platform and address his audience directly. While this could have been a great opportunity for Martin Luther King to reach a wider audience quickly, I think some people may not have taken him as seriously, and some people would not have listened. I believe that social media could have diminished his impact, as people could have easily dismissed him and created divisions instead of unity. 

    I think my relationship with technology is not as healthy as it could be. I think this because I have found myself so focused on what I am looking at that I am not paying attention to what is around me at times. We saw this in the 2nd video when no one is paying attention to the kid instead they are all looking at their phones. I also related to this video in the scenes of videotaping things going on around. I have found myself recording things that were happening in many circumstances instead of living in the moment and taking it in. It can be good to have those videos but sometimes just enjoying what's going on is important. 

    I believe I should reduce my reliance on technology. I have a lot of entertainment on my phone, which keeps me using it for long periods of time. This is not healthy, especially before going to bed. Research shows that looking at a device before sleeping can negatively affect our health. However, I find myself using my phone the most during this time. Moreover, if I don't use my phone much during the day, I feel like I need to catch up on everything I missed when in reality, I do not need to give technology that much attention.

    I believe that technology can be very informative if used correctly. Looking up news or important questions is a great way to learn. However, sometimes you may come across bad information which can mislead you. When learning from the internet, it is important to be smart and find trustworthy sources that provide accurate information.

    I sometimes worry that technology might take over our society. Although, I hope it doesn't happen, if I were to predict the future, I would say that technology is on the rise and might take over in some ways. Nowadays, we see younger generations using devices more often, especially more than my generation did at their age. For example, my 9-year-old cousin always has his iPad in his hands, playing games. It's hard to have a conversation with him because he is so invested in his device. This is why I think society may be negatively impacted by technology.

    As I mentioned earlier, social media and technology affect all. of us, but it harms different generations in different ways. My grandmothers do not use social media or have smartphones, they only use a flip phone to call us. My parents use social media and technology, but they are not as addicted as my generation. In comparison, my generation spends most of our time on our computers, phones, and iPads. Almost everyone in my generation uses some form of social media and we use it quite often. Tik Tok, can be an addicting app that can give us positive information but also hurts us by the time we spend on it. Lastly, I feel that my cousin's generation is the most affected. I fear they won't be able to interact and be social with anyone. This can have an impact on their brain development and overall life.

    The first thing someone would see when they look me up is the roster for the High Point University Women's soccer team. Despite my social media accounts being private, posts can always be found as they are stored in our systems even if they are deleted. We learned a lot about cyber privacy and the impact of online presence. Although I don't have much of an offline presence, I do have several social media accounts where I post and engage with content.