Melting

As senior year of high school is winding down and there is less work to be done, more time is left in class to discuss a variety of different topics. Sometimes these topics relate to what we are currently learning or veer completely down an unrelated path. The other day however, we were discussing the impact technology has on our lives presently. How we are practically attached to our cell phones and how we get dopamine rushes in the brain each time that little red one pops on Facebook or each time you receive a text message. We have become addicted to this dopamine and depend on it to make us happy and to feel a sense of self-worth. Without it, we become antsy, impatient, unable to sit through a 10 minute Youtube video or unable to read an interesting newspaper article or disinterested in class lectures. Our minds are always focused on getting this dopamine that we are always checking our phones and other mobile devices for signs of activity to get us excited.

I notice this in myself, actually quite often unfortunately. The other day, I decided to watch one of my favorite childhood movies, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the one with Ivan Ooze (aka, the best one) and all throughout watching, I was constantly checking the internet and alternating between the many websites I am hooked on. Before I knew it, the film was over and I did not remember even watching it.  Sad? I know. But this isn't the only case. When reading books assigned from English at home, I catch myself checking my phone during each chapter break or even pauses in the page. Why can't I just sit through a full chapter, say 20 pages, without feeling cut off from the lives of friends or the internet world? I think it is safe for me to say, because it simply provides a sense of comfort and belonging, a network of people who share common interests and care about what's going on in my life as much as I care about theirs. 

Sitting here with a laptop on my lap and the television on in front of me, I wonder what my life would be like had I never bought that first laptop 6 or so years ago. Would I still be as happy as I am now? More so? Possibly less? I know for certain that I would not be the same person, as far as personality goes. I have learned so much about music, photography, and am constantly updated on current events. If the computer/internet are one thing, it would be a learning tool. For this, of course, I am grateful. Adding to this however, I have also met many people in real life from connections we have made through the online world. If I had not been a part of Tumblr, a blogging community, I know for sure that I would not have dated my most recent [ex] boyfriend.

The fact of the matter is this: whether we like it or not, technology is only going to keep advancing, and we are going to keep buying into it. May as well accept this instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and our culture.