Recently, my brother got me hooked on the Netflix original series Black Mirror. If you have not watched this series already, it is fairly difficult to describe because each episode is different with totally different characters so they don’t really correlate at all. The best way I have found to desrcibe the show is as a modern day Twilight Zone. Although I love the series and think there are valuable lessons to learn from it, I’ll openly admit that it is very odd and slightly messed up! However, don’t let that deture you if you’re interested! Definitely give it a chance.
The episode that I just finished watching, titled “Nosedive,” was really eye opening for me. In short *without spoiling anything* the episode is about a young woman in a futuristic society who struggles to boost her social status and live the perfect life she always envisioned for herself. In this society, your status is determined by how many “points”, on a scale of 1 to 5, you have on your social media profile. If you are a 3.8 or higher, you are considered to be in the upper class whereas people with a lower rating are looked down upon and do not have access to expensive things and other indulgences. Because people are constantly checking their rating and want to be ranked highly by others (even strangers) in order to boost their overall score, they are so consumed with their phones and technology. Watching this episode actually made me slightly uncomfortable. Just the fact that how you act in public, how you communicate with others and what you post on your social media page – these factors determine your place in society. Furthermore, the lengths that people were willing to go to in order to reach the top tier of society were amazing. While this made for good entertainment, I really hope our world never comes to this! So, with that, here are some reasons why we should not let technology run our lives:
1. Obsessing over social media only leads to FOMO
Which we all know is not a fun feeling.
2. It eats up hours and hours of time that you can never get back
Admit it, you’ve waisted 30 minutes just scrolling through social media at least a few times in your life.
3. We should be focusing on the people around us, in our lives, instead of those on social media
Be thankful for the people you have in your life while they are there! Focusing on random people on social media who you envy will never do any good and usually just causes you to compare yourself to others & damage your self-esteem.
4. Sometimes the old fashioned way is just better
No matter how much you may like your Kindle, you will never be able to physically turn the pages. Personally, I am partial to physical, tangible books and hate reading long articles and books online.
5. Staring at a screen for hours on end is bad for your eyes
Luckily I already have bad eye-sight!
Unfortuantely, technology is both a blessing and a curse. We can’t live with it and we can’t live without it. BUT we can choose to limit our use of technology and even do a “digital detox”! Here are a few ways to do so. First, turn off your phone and put away your laptop, then:
- Sit down and read a book. No, not a textbook.
- Go for a walk outside.
- Work up a sweat at the gym. Just 30-50 minutes at the gym can help relieve stress and reenergize you!
- Grab a pen and paper (or journal) and just write. Reflecting can be very cathartic.
- Perfect your favorite dinner recipe or try a new one.
- Take a nap – we all know college students could use more sleep.
Finally, I would like to say that I know, it is difficult. I too am guilty of being on my phone more than I should, scrolling through Facebook or Instagram for no real reason sometimes. So I know how hard it can be to step away from your phone or from Netflix. But personally, the times I have tossed my phone off to the side to spend time with friends, bury my nose in a book, or go outside, I have not regretted doing so! The way I see it, the virtual world can wait, but the present will never wait for anyone.