“Disconnecting” from Technology

I find it quite ironic that I am here writing about “disconnecting” from technology as I use my computer, the internet, and the word press site to blog. Today, technology is all around us and is unavoidable. This assignment was made as an activity because class was cancelled yesterday. How did I found out that class was canceled? I found out through an email from my professor and from a text from a classmate. Each form of communication was technology based. Technology is so important for efficient communication and for many other reasons however, I am not going to talk about all our necessary uses for technology. I want to talk a little about my experience with “disconnecting from technology.”

I consider myself a limited user of technology compared to other users in my generation. I do have a smart phone, I do have a laptop, and I do own a television however I do not have an ipad, tablet, or smart watch and I do not have facebook, twitter, instagram, or any social media. Although social media can have positive effects, I have a strong belief that the negative aspects associated with social media outweigh the positive. My thought is, If I want to keep up with my friends and families lives I will call them or meet up with them. I find it extremely impersonal to simply acknowledge someone’s birthday just because facebook notifies you that it is their birthday. I also believe social media invades your personal privacy. With that said, I did not have to “disconnect” from social media because I am already disconnected but my challenge came with disconnecting to  my other technologies.

My first thought was I would use my phone to text classmates if they wanted to meet up and study since we were not going to have class. Well, there I go using technology. Next, I needed to open my laptop to check my emails and review study material. Again, I used technology. Once I felt I was organized enough to ditch my laptop and phone for the day, I let technology go. I studied with my textbook, I went for a run, I ran some errands, I worked in the yard, I babysat my nephew, I cooked dinner and ate it with my boyfriend as we sat at the table conversing with no technology to distract us. As I was being extra observant of technology use throughout my day, I noticed how many people out and about were on their cell phones rather than conversing with the people around them. This makes me so sad. What happened to being friendly and personable? As nurses, being personable is a quality we can NEVER forget.

If you were a patient in the hospital, what would comfort you more?

A kind and compassionate nurse standing next to your side listening to your questions and concerns

or

A computer screen with a robotic voice explaining your diagnosis and condition to you