Tap out of Technology

I tend to look to sources such as Mashable, Forbes or even Snapchat discovery for a source of inspiration while crafting content Monday mornings. 

This morning, I came across an article titled 'Forever Alone', which immediately reminded me of a book I was assigned to read in my first year of post-secondary school - 'Alone, Together'. 

Sherry Turkle is the author of Alone, Together. The book describes how far apart and much time we spend with our devices, yet we still feel connected and together as we have the ability to tap in and connect with anyone or thing, at any time. 

The book takes us through a journey - in which many different ways of connecting are reviewed, but in the end, the people are alone and disconnected. 

Most of us host our conversations online - through our mobile phones or applications. ​

The article I came across in Mashable is about the amount of time we spend on our phone, contacting people, looking for updates or searching for information. We spend more time checking our devices than we do communicating with others in person. 

This article suggest that the more time we spend in / on our devices, the more alone we will feel at the end of the day - which is true. Think about it. You spend the afternoon refreshing your data to see what everyone else, is doing. You spend how many hours a week looking into the lives of people you don't, know. Perhaps envious, maybe imagining what it would be like to be, them.

The argument some have, is interacting on social media doesn't necessarily create these feelings, it may just enhance what is already present. 

Challenge yourself and try some of these suggestions below out to tap out of technology. 

• Don't check your phone when you first wake up 
• Don't end your day with browsing social media online 
• Limit the amount of time you spend refreshing social applications to twice a day