When Technology Makes Life Heavier

Clearly, I am a fan of the internet. I am a passionate and humble servant, all the while giving it my full attention for 14+ hours a day and complimenting it on its majesty, complexity, possibility. It is what brings home the bread, what I call my “bliss,” and largely how I see the world from my personal set of peering eyes. Unfortunately, like anything else, there can be too much of a good thing.

Here are 5 ways technology makes my life heavier.

1. When I am (through social graces and my own guilt/indeliable necessity to be polite) forced to connect with someone I don’t want to. Peering into their lives leaves me feeling shaken, stirring up emotions that my psyche isn’t prepared to deal with, while my stomach has me running for the bathroom. Yes, yes, this is not purely a technology issue but more of self restraint. But hey, I was born in the 80s. I am not that evolved yet. There are some things humans are simply better off not knowing.

2. Along the lines of point #2, when I can’t stop myself from Googling someone who, if I lived 50 years ago, would quietly, gracefully, never resurface…

3. When I feel the urgent craving to check my phone/computer, like a smoke addict. So much for my Buddist effort to not be attached to the things I accumuate.

4. When I send a text, wait for a text, wait for a text…

5. When I make a habit of seeing the world too infrequently, because I have a watered down version of it through Vimeo (although this video is quite amazing).

Side note: did you know that the majority of teens would rather give up their sense of smell than their favorite technoloy device (source = PR Newswire)? Never smell flowers, perfume, or a new car for their iPhone.