Hello, my name is Emily…

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..and I am a technology addict. I’ve known this for awhile, but lately it’s been something I’ve been thinking about more and more.

The realization started a couple years ago when my mom made a somewhat off-handed comment about how Tim and I are always have our faces down in our phones. It really stuck with me. And, what’s more, it really bothered me. I don’t want to be the kind of person who is often disengaged in the world as it happens around me. I want to be present and active for my friends, for my family, for my job, so I’ve been thinking about it a lot. And I’ve been noticing how right she was, and how the world is more and more isolated, even though there are so many people we could actually interact with on a regular basis.

I’ve noticed that my neck is often bent over my phone. Or my iPad. Or looking at my laptop. Or so many things. For me, it’s social media. I check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram way more than is really necessary. I check Facebook and then recheck it just a few moments later. I wait for new Tweets to pop up even though I really really don’t need to be interested.

For other people, it’s news sites, blogs, or photo sites. For some people it’s following entertainment or playing games. For other it’s probably something even darker.

My “need” to always know what is going on in social media means that I spend way too much time comparing myself with other people. I am jealous of successes of friends, even when I should just be happy for them. I feel like I’m not living enough of my life, when I am actually doing a really good job living for the most part.

So, I know something needs to change. I am going to do my best to do something about it. That means less time on Facebook and Twitter. Less time on Instagram and Pinterest. More time engaging with my husband. I will put my phone down more and look people in the eye. I will be better at being in the world.

My name is Emily and I am a technology addict.

Admitting it is the first step to recovery.

16 thoughts on “Hello, my name is Emily…”

  1. Technology is a dangerous trap. I’ve found I have to turn notifications off when I’m working on something, otherwise it’s too easy to get distracted. I’m reading Crystal Paine’s new book. She talks about scheduling the time you check on social media. I think I need to do that. I think we would all be shocked if we added up the time we spend using technology during the day. Some of it is necessary, but a lot isn’t.

    1. Part of this thought for me is just tallying the number of times I “pop: into social media during the day. I think that will be eye opening this week, even if I don’t track the time I do it. It’s such an easy trap to fall into.

  2. Technology is a dangerous trap. I’ve found I have to turn notifications off when I’m working on something, otherwise it’s too easy to get distracted. I’m reading Crystal Paine’s new book. She talks about scheduling the time you check on social media. I think I need to do that. I think we would all be shocked if we added up the time we spend using technology during the day. Some of it is necessary, but a lot isn’t.

    1. Part of this thought for me is just tallying the number of times I “pop: into social media during the day. I think that will be eye opening this week, even if I don’t track the time I do it. It’s such an easy trap to fall into.

  3. There’s a classic teaching in time management. Started back in the day of fledgling email. Only check it at 3 specific times. I am interested in your age demographic. How long you have had technology at your fingertips. I find I enjoy turning off the technology. I will actually leave my phone put away and go outside to the garden. I was careered into technology. Always chained to it. First the pager, then the cell phone, then the smart phone. I was required, by contract, to be available and responsive 24/7/365. So perhaps easier for me to put away for a few hours .

    1. I have a smart phone. I love my smart phone. I also think it’s an evil thing that just needs to go away. I feel like I work 24/7/365 because I’m not good at ignoring the texts and emails and needs that pop up. I’m trying to be more intentional about just keeping the phone put away and not worry about it. Thanks for your comments!!

  4. There’s a classic teaching in time management. Started back in the day of fledgling email. Only check it at 3 specific times. I am interested in your age demographic. How long you have had technology at your fingertips. I find I enjoy turning off the technology. I will actually leave my phone put away and go outside to the garden. I was careered into technology. Always chained to it. First the pager, then the cell phone, then the smart phone. I was required, by contract, to be available and responsive 24/7/365. So perhaps easier for me to put away for a few hours .

    1. I have a smart phone. I love my smart phone. I also think it’s an evil thing that just needs to go away. I feel like I work 24/7/365 because I’m not good at ignoring the texts and emails and needs that pop up. I’m trying to be more intentional about just keeping the phone put away and not worry about it. Thanks for your comments!!

  5. I can relate to this. It is quite common. I’ve taken steps to reduce my online time significantly. Being part of the writing challenge really helped in that I couldn’t spend much time reading what other people were doing if I wanted to get something meaningful accomplished.

    Thanks for sharing this, Emily. I like your brave and transparent style!

    1. Thank you, Melinda! What have you been doing, besides the writing challenge, to reduce your time online? I’m so connected at work and at home that it’s so easy to just pop in and look….even though NOTHING has changed since the last time I was there!

  6. I can relate to this. It is quite common. I’ve taken steps to reduce my online time significantly. Being part of the writing challenge really helped in that I couldn’t spend much time reading what other people were doing if I wanted to get something meaningful accomplished.

    Thanks for sharing this, Emily. I like your brave and transparent style!

    1. Thank you, Melinda! What have you been doing, besides the writing challenge, to reduce your time online? I’m so connected at work and at home that it’s so easy to just pop in and look….even though NOTHING has changed since the last time I was there!

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