The Power of Tech
Towards the end of last week I got thinking about how much power technology has in our lives. Some of this was prompted by the congressional hearings with leaders from some of the largest tech companies but it also was because of some experiences I had with tech.
Technological Advancements
If we look back, even just over the last decade or so, it’s amazing to see how quickly technological advancements are accelerating. As these tech advancements occur, usage also dramatically increases and it seems that we find more and more creative uses for that technology. With all of these factors, there are a couple of interesting things that occur. First we start to deviate from the original intention of the technology and then we also start to see that not all uses of the technology are positive.
The Real Power of Tech
The real power of tech is not the tech itself, it’s how we choose to use the tech and if we control the tech or it controls us. These are distinct yet potentially connected aspects of tech.
Some companies develop tech with great intentions and truly do use it to change the world. Along the way, others take the tech and tweak it or even just modify it’s use to become something that also changes the world, just not for the better. Email is a great example of how a tech concept could drastically change how we communicate around the world but then others took it and began using it to scam people. And that’s just one of the negative uses. Sometimes the opposite is true although I struggle to come up with a simple example to share here.
Control the Tech, Don’t Let it Control You
Sometime ago I had a good friend and neighbor that seemed to have everything going for him. He had a good job, nice apartment, was active in his church and overall seemed to be doing really well. I had a chance to work closely with him at church and he was just a great man. Then one day he just kind of disappeared. I thought maybe he had gone to visit family or was just working a lot. After a couple of weeks of calls not being answered, I decided I needed to check on him in person.
When I walked into his apartment, he was sitting at his computer in the far corner of the room. Not unusual as I knew he was into some of the pc games of the time. But what was unusual was that I couldn’t find a pathway to him without wading through the empty pizza boxes and take out containers. He hadn’t disappeared. He had been right there at his computer for days at a time. He couldn’t get away from the games.
Not soon after that he lost his really good job and then we lost touch. I still have the vision of him sitting at his computer in my head and it’s probably been 20 years.
A few years ago I had a similar experience to a lesser degree. At the time I was riding the bus for my commute and that took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour plus. Right before I got on the bus after work one day I downloaded a game that reminded me of one I used to play on the pc. The next thing I knew, we were pulling into the bus lot and my entire ride was over. I hadn’t noticed any of the stops and I’m still not sure how long that commute took. What I do remember is that when I exited out of the game, the image was stuck on the screen briefly and I could still see the game even when I looked away from the phone.
Luckily I realized what had happened and remembered the friend of mine. I deleted the game and have never reinstalled it.
These are both examples of how easy it is for tech to get us hooked. Tech makers understand this and you can be certain that app creators do as well. They know how easy it is to get someone hooked on completing a level or getting the next achievement. If you don’t believe that, just look at how much money the free games in the App Store make.
Even with the risk of the tech playing a bigger role in our lives than it should, there are tremendous benefits to be had. Here are some ideas on how to mitigate the negatives while allowing tech to play a positive role in your life.
Set and Know Your Limits
Just like I knew that I needed to delete that game and not just try and limit my playing time, most of us should be able to set limits on the use of tech that would have a negative impact on our lives. We need to have those limits and stick with them. If you know that you can easily get pulled into multiple hours of social media scrolling, then figure out how to set and enforce limits. Most smartphones have the ability to set limits. If yours doesn’t, you may need to chose another one.
If you know what your limits should be but struggle to enforce them on yourself (assuming you are an adult), then ask someone to help you manage it. You could ask a spouse or close friend to be the one to set the passcode on your app limits. If that still is not enough, then maybe you need to remove yourself from social media.
Parent Should Be Involved in Kids Use of Tech
One thing I strongly believe is that parents need to be involved in their kids use of tech. When my kids first got their phones, they were pretty locked down. With my oldest daughter, we even sat down on a regular basis and looked at the call and tech logs to make sure things stayed within the boundaries we had set. As we moved onto our other kids, we continued to monitor but were able to be more relaxed in their usage but there still were limits. We learned that we couldn’t make all the decisions for them but that it was better to teach them the correct principles so that it didn’t require mom and dad being there for them to make good decisions.
I like to think we did a pretty good job of teaching all of them about the positives and negatives of tech. Our youngest son actually came to me and asked for more restrictive app limits and lockdown times. And there were numerous times where they initiated conversations with us so they could better understand situations and decisions that they needed to make.
Using Tech to Better Our Lives and Those Around Us
My last suggestion is probably the most important. I absolutely love tech. I love the information that it makes available to us, I love learning how it works, using it to solve problems and just for the entertainment value that it provides. But I also recognize the dangers that are inherent in my love of tech. I can become too reliant on it (how many phone numbers do we have memorized now) and as I mentioned above, it can also take control and become a huge liability in our lives.
With that knowledge and also understanding that I will never be able to get away from tech, I have also tried to identify the positive things I can do. These are all things that help fill the need I have to be in the middle of tech. Here are just a few of them:
Communication with family - while most of our family is still here close, we have one son serving a mission in the central US and our oldest daughter and grandkids just moved to the east coast. We use various apps and devices to keep in touch with them.
Creativity - with my iPad and the Apple Pencil, I started learning how to turn photographs I had taken into drawings. I’m not great at it, but it’s certainly a creative release and I have even made a few as gifts to family and friends.
Journaling - I really struggle to use paper at all so asking me to write in a paper journal on a regular basis is just not going to happen. But I am willing to do small entries on my phone and longer form on my iPad or Mac.
Helping others - when I first starting about iPhones and iPads, I realized that my passion for learning how to use them could really benefit others. That led to a valuable skill as a part of my profession, but more importantly I was able to help friends, colleagues and family learn how to take advantage of these devices and how they and their kids could use them safely. That may not seem like a huge deal today with smartphones so prevalent, but when I started this Blackberry was still king and no 8 year old wanted to have his own blackberry.
Solve problems - today I spend a good portion of my professional time taking various types of tech and creating solutions that solve real problems.
I have named just a few of the ways that I use tech in positive ways but really there is no limit to the number. I’m sure you can come up with your own list.
Summary
Tech is no going anywhere. If anything, it will become more and more prevalent in our lives. The pandemic has also shown how important tech is to help us face challenges that unfortunately will only become more complex as time goes on.
As important as it is, we should remember that it is just a tool. It is not life. We need to be deliberate in determining how we use tech to improve our lives and the lives of others.
We also need to be aware of the inherent dangers that tech introduces.
Most importantly we should remember that is how we use the tech that generally makes it good or bad. Let’s all strive to use tech to make our lives and the world a better place.