Opinion: Putting away your technology is nearly impossible in this era
I stared at my small screen, watching my apps shake as though afraid of being deleted. My finger hovered over Twitter, then moved to Facebook and eventually Instagram, but they all remained as I weighed my choices. As a social media manager for a business, I had to maintain certain apps and an online presence for them. However, the draining effects of social media and technology use was taking its toll, resulting in less sleep and more anxiety. Ultimately, the apps stayed, because they had to.
In today’s modern generations, it’ hard to tell millennials and Generation Z people to put the phone down and experience the real world when their real world requires that phone in their hand. Is it really possible to return to the flip phone and avoid the online world that surrounds us? Not really.
A vast majority of jobs today require technology. According to The Muse, you can’t be a successful creator or marketer without the use of technology. Writers showcase their work online for jobs, designers need to have an adequate understanding of everything Adobe has to offer, and countless others rely on the internet for success in the workforce.
In an article from Business Insider, technology and social media have negative effects on society physically and mentally. So then why do so many jobs require technology? Maybe because younger generations thrive on technology. According to Forbes, the modern generations expect the workplace to have sufficient technology that allows them to do their job effectively.
Wavestone says millenials are the first to grow up in a digital world. Generation Z was born into it. They’ve had to learn how to pick up an iPhone or laptop and understand how to use it quickly. This has fostered a quick learning and skilled generation. They crave information. Unfortunately, this technology and information have also been linked with poor mental health and physical ailments.
The majority of students here at Liberty are attached to their laptops, forced to check Blackboard regularly for assignment instructions, updates and grades. Only a limited number of professors still accept physical papers because most prefer an online submission. Because technology is an essential part of our everyday lives, it’s difficult when we’re urged to let go of our phones and take a “technology fast,” partially because we literally can’t.
Besides jobs, younger generations are also dependent on their mobile devices for directions, communication and entertainment. Putting the phone down may be possible for some, but business people are constantly using their phones for updates, medical professionals frequently use tablets or laptops to make patient notes and those in communications are often dependent on the smartphones for their paycheck.
However much we wish we could throw our smartphones in the pond, modern culture makes it nearly impossible.