My Relationship with Technology
There is No Such Thing as 'Perfect'
When I think of myself and how technology has impacted my life, the first thing that comes to mind is social media. Compared to when I was in middle school to being a junior in college, social media has been a huge part of my life. It has been where I show who I am, what I'm doing, hobbies, and more. However, if I am being honest. I am not completely myself on my social media platform. I am hidden by my best photos, filters, and the best things I'm doing, rather than the real me. Technology has taken over our generation for better and for worse.
Technology has made the world a different place. Just today I took an interview using my computer. A few years ago I would have had to meet face to face with a hiring agent in new york city. With the rise of covid, we had to rely on our technologies to get through school, work, socializing, shopping, meetings and more. Think, what if we didn't have the technologies we had today in the pandemic? The whole world would have had to pause. Children these days know more about the iPhone than I know, and that's what scares me. I am one who uses my computer and my phone every single day, and honestly, I find these items to be a necessity because of the time I'm living in right now. However, I am not an expert in technology either, I don't use these technologies to constantly talk to friends, I use them more as a communication device for school and also for my family and friends at home. I would rather have the company of a friend next to me than on a screen. Therefore, if I were to explain my role in the media, I wouldn't say I am an avid user of social media, more a user of the advantages technologies provide.
I am not saying I am never on social media, and that is where my digital footprint comes in. A
digital footprint is defined as the trail of 'electronic breadcrumbs' you leave behind as you use the internet, and it is important to manage it carefully. Anything you do, say, or look up online, has the possibility to be permanent. The information you share online builds a picture of yourself and your interests. That is why many people show a fake face on their social media platforms to be careful of what people can picture you as. When I was applying for college, I remember going through all my social media accounts to make sure there was nothing that would make a college question the person I am. However, I had to get rid of some of the fun memories I shared with my friends because of alcohol in the background. Personally, I have not been one to open about my views on the world on social media, I keep those sorts of things to myself. But if someone were to follow in my 'digital footprint' they would see a girl, always dressed up, looking her best in her photos, with a sense of fashion, adventure, community service, and happiness all the time. However, that is not always me. Most days I am wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, cozy with my friends watching a movie. I don't put that on social media because I don't want people to find me as a lazy person. I have to say, I use mostly even all social media platforms, I have pages on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, Linkedin, etc., and on every platform, shows the exact same perfect person, who really isn't me. It is the best version of myself.
Luckily I am not exposed online, however, I have had my fair share of ugly pictures posted of me to create a laugh with friends. I haven't put out enough on social media to have exposure, and all my pages are private. Moreover, while writing this blog post, it got me searching back on all my platforms to check again if I need any editing on my pages, that do not provide the right content of who I am. But is this the right reality? Should we be doing this? I think not. It's horrible to say that technology has invaded our privacy in many ways, one being how we cannot share our true genuine lives, to almost put a show on for our viewers to think we are perfect. But at the same time, posting the best pictures of myself have a positive outcome. This outcome is the love and nice comments I receive from my friends and family. I am lucky enough to say that I receive great comments on my posts that boost my confidence and make me feel great about myself.
This all brings me to the
dark side of technology. I haven't brought up the evil side of technology because quite honestly it's not something I like talking about. The dark side does not only consist of cyberbullying and mean comments, it's so much more. There is such thing as the
dark web where people around the world sell child pornography, war guns, and machines, criminals interact with other criminals. The evil that is portrayed on the side of the media is horrible. Unfortunately, it's not only on the dark web. People can make websites that give the ability for people to say and post terrible things, and share a love for tragic events. Besides this sort of evil, there is the evil of cyberbullying that has become a major issue since the ride of technologies. Young children are getting bullied and harassed by a hidden figure behind a screen, and this can destroy lives. This semester I have been very interested in how Facebook was aware of the negative effects its platforms have on young children and have done nothing but sell it has data for research. Facebooks whistleblower took the stand against Facebook and outed their reports on this matter, which brought out a larger problem than expected. The media can be a very unsafe place for people who don't know how to use it for the right advantages.
technology advancements happen almost every single day. My hope is that one day in the future these advancements will prevent the dark side of technology and use its advantages for the greater good. But it also has to do with the people involved, therefore I also hope people can use technology for the greater good, and for the would purpose of positive achievement. There may never be a day where there is a perfect world on social media, but there is always room for improvement. There is no such thing as perfect.
