Societies' relationship with technology is far too codependent, and it will only continue to worsen. An appropriate amount of screen time will vary from person to person. For example, a 9-year-old kid probably shouldn't have 6 hours of screen time per day, but a 30-year-old man working a 9-5 in finance will likely surpass that. We definitely shouldn't use technology as much as we do now, but it's become an unavoidable thing we need to take advantage of. For the most part, we need it for our jobs, education, and some hobbies. The question is, is it helping or hurting us?
I don't think tech itself is misleading us, but some people using it might be trying to do so. The internet is a mixed bag of reliable and unreliable info. It become increasingly difficult to differentiate this info with anybody being able to post anything they would like. If you know how to find reliable info, the internet can be a great tool to learn new things useful for anyone. Some misleading or incorrect info is guaranteed to slip through the cracks; finding reliable info isn't a seamless process. If it was, chances are anyone would do it. Despite this, teaching these skills from a young age in school in tandem with internet safety is now a key life skill for kids to have.
I'm not one to keep track of my friend's online activity, but I do stay conscious of what my family does. I have had countless conversations with my grandma about what to look for in common scam calls, emails, or texts. Everyone in my household has private social media accounts where we post very little in the first place. We also do not have any smart devices in our home like Alexa or Google Home. We aren't conspiracy theory level of paranoid, but a bit weary of having too much in the home. Most homes of friends I visit typically have at least 1 smart home device that they use, so I am assuming that society as a whole has moved to use them more frequently. Millennials and Gen Z are living on their own now, so it makes sense that more smart homes exist than ever. Personally, the integration of technology into society doesn't bother me, but that's when I still have the choice to keep it out. If by some chance all homes become smart homes, I will begin to have a much larger problem with it.
Upon googling my name in parentheses, all I found were incorrect public records, 2 links for flashcards I made on Brainly, my name in a volunteer recognition pamphlet, obituaries I was mentioned in, and my blog. From a young age, I was told how important it is to be conscious of your online footprint. It's important not only for your possible employers/prospects but also for your safety. Also, no pictures of me show up. Most of the accounts I made when I was younger didn't feature any part of my name other than ones made for school. This kept my footprint small, as I tend to do that today as well.
Overall, society depends a lot on technology, but I think we are forced to in modern-day society. We are still at a point where we can dictate how much we let into our lives, but most of us don't want to due to convenience. It can make everything easier, but sometimes too easy. I hope that we can keep it at a healthy level, but I know that is very unrealistic.
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