For the final blog post of the semester, I was prompted to think about my relationship with technology. While encountering technology and using it every day for my phone or computer which seem impossible to go without for a day. I think back before phones and computers were used in the ways I use them today. I got my first flip phone in 6th grade and slowly upgraded through the coming years. From the flip phone to the iPhone 6 and finally, to the iPhone XS, this slow progression made an impact on my days. In 5th grade when I wanted to hang out with friends after school I would have to make the plan the night before and let my mother know or call her using the school phone whenever I got the chance. Having my own phone made everything easier and I'm sure eased the stress my mother thought about throughout the day. I always felt very savvy with technology I’m sure because it was the cornerstone of how I grew up. I remember times where I was riding the bus in the morning and would use song downloading apps to listen to music I didn’t pay for on iTunes, back when that was the only way to listen to songs other than the radio. Soon I bought my own iPad mini that was on sale during Black Friday, using that to play games, and soon discovered Spotify, which my dad thought was a scam. As I got older I got to download all the apps I wanted to without my parent's permission, only free of course, which catapulted me into freedom with technology that I had never known before. Fast-forwarding to today I believe there is an even balance of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship with technology and social media in general. Almost every day my phone and computer help me stay on top of homework in classes and stay in contact with my friends and family.
Most days I spend time scrolling through TikTok which wastes time and entertains the moments where I procrastinate my obligations, on the rare occasion I scroll or post on Instagram I see people who seem to be doing more with their lives and having more fun so I chose to distance myself from scrolling on there and it is now an app I rarely use. After reading the article Youth suicide rates are on the rise in the U.S. by Laura Santhanam I found this quote the most shocking, “Between 2000 and 2007, the suicide rate among youth ages 10 to 24 hovered around 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Then, the rate curved upward, reaching a rate of 10.6 deaths per 100,000 by 2017 — a 56-percent increase in less than two decades.” I can’t help but think that social media and the freedom of posting whatever you want has an underlying effect on today’s youth. When I think about my online footprint I think I have a pretty good record. Not only do my social media platforms remain respectful and professional it also shows my personal life. Every post I make I think about who will see it, from friends to family to even future employers. With the help of my Graphic Software Packages course this semester I just joined LinkedIn. Although it was an assignment I didn’t think to join before this course, after completing it I have found it will increase my online presence. With a professional style photo and about section and mentions of my work experience and achievements, it will make future employers possibly increase their likeliness to hire me in the future. When I search my own name on Google and click on LinkedIn profiles mine is the 27th one mentioned. While I am not sure how to get mine to come up first I do think that employers would match a face to a name, but with more keywords like HPU 2024, my profile is the first to come up. This is because I made my individual profile URL specific to myself. The name Olivia Moran is more common than I thought but my online presence remains respectable.
Overall, between self-driving cars that may save more lives than humans can or medical miracles helped by technology, there will always be good and bad. Social media is how you use it and keeping your head above water and keeping a level head over what is real and what is fake. As an avid user of technology, I believe it will not only always be used in our everyday lives but expand and help make the world a better place, not only making things easier in life but benefitting humanity as a whole.
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