In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many of us were left without power for an extended period of time. Personally, I just got power back today! I was lucky enough to get lent a generator this last Thursday, but the last two weeks, I have been charging my phone and other electronics at the gym like it was an absolute necessity. For the first three days after the storm, I could not get out of my plan due to a hanging wire that prevented cars from getting in or out of the neighborhood. During this period, my phone died, and I had nowhere to charge it. Little did I expect that this would affect me so much. I felt as if I was disconnected from the world. No Twitter, no Facebook, not even email to stay in touch.
In this article by Nancy Colier from Psychology today, she talks about how smartphones are quote on quote “stealing our lives.” That we get so caught up in recording pictures and videos or keeping in touch through social media, that we are losing the present moment. She says that our need to capture every moment or document every minutes stems from our fear of losing that experience. We do not want it to end so we capture it for perpetuity.
In some ways, this storm was a good thing, aside from the damage or loss of course. I spent more time with my family, not watching a TV, but talking and playing board games like when we were little and smartphone-less. I became aware of my need to “keep up” with everything on the internet and TV, and now I know that sometimes I let my life pass me by trying to keep in touch with everything at once. One thing I definitely learned about myself: I am a really good card player ;)
What about you? Did you have a similar experience with electronics during super storm Sandy? Do you think that our smartphones are keeping us from living our lives to the fullest?
I completely agree that smartphones are keeping us from living our lives to the fullest. During hurricane Sandy, I was mortified of the thought of not being able to connect with people because I had no way of charging my phone in my house without electricity. I realized how unhealthily dependent I am of my smartphone. During the week I spent without power, I checked Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram about every minute just to stay in the loop. As the week progressed, I realized I needed to cut down the time I spent on my phone to save battery life, and I predicted that my life without electronics would be miserable.
ReplyDeleteNot having my TV or internet available to me was actually a blessing in disguise. I had the opportunity to spend more time with my family and learned a lot about my parents that I didn't know before. I was able to connect with them on another level and it was a good feeling. Normally, I am preoccupied with my electronics that I take the time I spend with my family for granted. Without electronics, I was able to enjoy their company much more than I usually would.
I completely agree with this. I was actually really surprised by the good that came from not having power for a week. Personally, I'm not too bad with smartphones, but I'm definitely a sucker when it comes to TV; that's always the first place I go when I'm bored. I was ashamed to realize that I didn't know what to do with myself when I couldn't sit down and watch a show before going to bed. I just felt off-balance.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that I had a pretty solid relationship with my parents too, but after being forced to find entertainment in each other for a week, we actually bonded a lot, like Steph (and like Ashley said, I discovered I'm awesome at cards). Our routine is that we generally watch a TV show before hitting the sack, but instead of sitting in the same room together, we actually had to talk and communicate, and it felt like the entire dynamic of our relationship changed -- in a good way! The challenge that we all face now is that we need to find a balance, like the article said, between documenting our lives and actually living it.
After experiencing the lack of power due to Hurricane Sandy damage, I realized how much time I spend on my phone and how much I depend on it along with internet and TV. I had no idea what to do with myself; playing cards and board games was not satisfying like Twitter and Facebook. I felt incomplete and disconnected from everything in the real world, and it was somewhat lonely because I couldn't communicate with the outside world. And this discovery brought to my attention how depressing my dependence is, I rely so much on a cell phone that it is keeping me from living my life.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that cell phones own the users when it should be the other way around. It is important for us to take time out of our day and separate ourselves from our phones, this way we can enjoy a family dinner without checking text messages or watch a movie without Tweeting. We are so wrapped up in the electronic world we forget about our own reality.
After losing power from the storm, I would say the most difficult thing to deal with (besides the lack of heat in my house)was figuring out where I would be able to charge my phone, and how long the charge would last. I realized how much I rely on my phone for not only communication but also entertainment. I remember when my sister had a smartphone and I still had a regular phone, I used to get annoyed with her because of how long she spent on her phone. Now that I have a smartphone too, I realize how easy it is to get caught up in it. The countless number of functions smartphones have today make them a main source of entertainment. One device can be used for communication, internet, music, TV, games, and more. Having all of these things at once is fun, convenient, and shows how far we've come in technology, but it also is not healthy to rely on technology for all these forms of entertainment. This is why we find ourselves glued to our phones, because everything is so easily accessible.
ReplyDeleteOur dependence on smartphones becomes very unhealthy because instead of entertaining ourselves in the real, physical world, it's often easier or more convenient to entertain ourselves through our phones. This storm was a blessing in disguise because I realized how dependent I, and everyone has become on our phones. Now I know how good it can feel to put it down for a while and focus on something else.