I have a love: hate relationship with our current world of technology. I can imagine most people see both the benefits and hindrances inherent in this relatively new form of living. The electronic revolution that has brought us computers, the internet, and new ways of communicating. It has opened up our lives globally in many ways. We can connect to people from all around the world both personally and professionally. The sharing of ideas and access to so much more information via the internet is mind boggling. Our children and grandchildren have access to a plethora of information compared to what we can possibly contain in physical libraries.
Technology has also benefited our health. New ways of intervening medically and surgically are available. People with disabilities have been privy to major advances that have improved the quality of their lives. Complex or physically demanding aspects of the workplace have seen advancements. It has helped us grow our economies and generally improved our living standards.
Unfortunately, in the brief time we have been dominated by technology (the last 2 generations of over 200,000 generations of human existence) it has also shown its limitations with some detrimental impacts on our world.
- Our children and ourselves are more distracted by devices. Rather than choosing connection we are more likely to reach for our devices for the immediate gratification of, for example, the loading of a game or video, the acknowledgement of a Facebook status, Instagram Post, or tweet. We are looking to technology for our validation and growing increasingly impatient with loading speeds and technical glitches. These instantaneous expectations cannot be replicated in our everyday face to face interactions with others. In real life we take time to do things and we do disappoint each other.
- We feel more emotionally affected and isolated by the content we digest. Mesmerized by our screens we find it difficult to turn away or switch off. This can lead to a heightened sense of anxiety or depression around life. It is harder for us to discern the reality of situations due to sensationalist media coverage. Developing brains have a difficult time discerning content they are exposed to. The guidance provided by adults is crucial.
- It is changing our bodies – posture, digestion, and function – through less natural exercise on a daily basis. We used to move throughout the day. Now we require prompts to alert us to our sedentary patterns and organised exercise regimes to keep us moving.
“Technology… is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other”
Carrie Snow
Our bodies have changed in structure and function. As we sit hunched over our technology we put our spines out of alignment, particularly affecting our neck muscles. Our bodies are focused from the neck up yet our mind, body and emotions are so integrated that we may be switching off our awareness from the neck down. We can easily lose physical and emotional balance with our more sedentary, device driven lifestyle. One we have all unwittingly joined.
I am unsure what the solution is, technology and electronics are here to stay. Yet, our bodies have increasingly been taken away from nature and the way we were meant to function. How do we help ourselves and our children to become stronger and more resilient as we navigate modern life?