Blog Post #1

This past week in class we discussed the topic of obsolete technology. Obsolete technology is technology that is either no longer used or produced. We talked about how it is so common in today's society to immediately decide to upgrade to a product that claims to be better than what we already have; simply because it's new. When we did the assignment where we had to list different technologies that we have had or still currently use, I not only realized how much technology I have, but also how quickly I stopped using new products that I had recently bought. The waste of technology is almost shocking. In lecture, we discussed how a dishwasher is considered technology. Before that was said I never even considered any appliances to be a form of technology because I have just grown so accustomed to automatically having those technologies at my disposal. Technology is taken advantage of all the time. Most people don't realize how different things would be if we didn't have the technology that we had today. 

Me and my friends often talk about how we hate the direction our society is going; in the sense that most people in our generation can't go five minutes without checking some form of social media. I think that many people are losing the ability to communicate well in person or even on the phone simply because they are more comfortable with written text online or on their phone. As much as me and my friends comment and complain about this, we are all guilty of it ourselves. I find myself checking Facebook an unnecessary amount of times while doing my homework - since starting this blog post I have checked twice. Regardless of me trying to disconnect from social media, I ALWAYS end up checking my text messages. I can honestly say I don't know if I could comfortably live without my phone for more than a day at this point in my life. As sad as that is, I think thats very common with a lot of people my age. 

We talked in class about the gratification that people receive from the use of technology. I think that most people find this gratification through the use of social media; I know I do. When I wake up in the morning and when I go to sleep at night I find it gratifying to check Facebook, Instagram, and my texts. I don't know what I could possibly be missing on my Facebook newsfeed while I sleep at night, but I still find myself checking every morning. Social media and technology in general feels like an addiction sometimes. I'll find myself checking some form of social media without consciously deciding to do so; my mind just automatically types in Facebook when I open my computer. I'm not at all proud of how often I use my phone or computer in a day but it's very hard to go through an entire day without checking any technology - it makes you feel out of touch. I would definitely say that I'm a ritualized user of media. As discussed in class, a ritualized user of media is someone that frequently uses media, has a high regard for media, and often uses it as a diversion. In some of my Psychology classes we have discussed the DSM-V, which is basically a diagnostic manual of mental disorders. Something I find interesting is that psychologists are now pushing to have Internet Addiction added to this manual as a legitimate mental disorder. I think it's weird how before the Internet was around, this would not be a problem but with growing technology we have added a new form of mental disorder for people to develop. I think that many people unknowingly have a minor addiction to the Internet; myself included. I think it would be funny to see what the treatment options for this addiction are and if they are similar to those of drug abuse treatment. 

Although I love technology and use it all the time, I constantly try to find a good balance between using my phone and actually participating in the world around me. I find it relaxing sometimes to turn my phone off and just enjoy what is happening in real life. I think that people should try this more often because they may be surprised by the gratification that there is beyond an electronic screen. Although I try to do this more often, it never really lasts for more than a few hours before my phone starts calling my name again.