Technology: Who’s in Control?

“In today’s society, there is no question that technology has become a part of our everyday lives. According to a 2014 Pew Research study, 58% of American adults have a smartphone, 32% own an e-reader and 42% own a tablet.” [1]

Media has portrayed technology as both a positive and negative influencer in the workplace, educational settings, and at the dinner table. “In fact, the average person is estimated to spend 23 days a year on their mobile phone.”[2] The question is, how are those days being spent? On one hand, technology has simplified lives by improving proficiency in the ways we communicate and perform mundane tasks, and on the other, technology has served as a distraction in the settings mentioned above through apps such as Facebook and Instagram. Does the way you use technology show you who is in control?

In a podcast by Peter Awad[3], he gave examples of 5 ways to use technology in a positive way and to reduce its negative impact:

Limit the impact of technology on you
Spend time without technology
Use plug-ins
Use apps to be more mindful
Connect live

With these 5 points in mind, here are practical ways that we recommend implementing them in order for you to regain control of your technology usage and the ways in which technology may prevail in your life:

When limiting the impact of technology on you, consider first eliminating the “dangerous” situations that technology can place you in, such as texting while driving. Before starting your car, set your phone to Do Not Disturb While Driving. Not receiving text notifications while driving may eliminate the desire to check your phone.

To spend time without technology consider scheduling a consistent “no blue-light” time. For example, prior to going to sleep at night, set a goal to not expose yourself to blue light (i.e., cell phones, computer screens, television, etc.) 30 minutes prior going to sleep. Too easy? Make this a 30-minute commitment upon waking up in the morning as well. This habit may even enhance your quality of sleep! Want to take this another step further? Remove your phone from all “meal-times”.

What are plug-ins? As recommended by the podcast stated above, Citrus is a Google Chrome extension that blocks you from utilizing distracting sites during a designated time in order to increase productivity. If you don’t want to install this plugin, consider removing “automatic sign-in” from each of your social media accounts in order to be more aware of when you are choosing to switch from work to entertainment. Minimizing the easy-access to distracting sites or apps may be a great first step.

As much as technology can be used as a distraction, it can also be used as a tool for mindfulness. Apps that offer resources such as yoga meditation, time management scheduling, budgeting tools, and journaling may make a larger impact on your daily routines than you may realize. We encourage you to download a new mindful-based app and incorporate it into your routine for 30 days in order to create a new habit. After these 30 days, assess the impact it has made in your life.

How can you connect “live” using technology? We recommend the same tips from Awad’s podcast- using Skype and FaceTime for audio conversations. It is important to not let technology depersonalize our relationships, therefore, a simple FaceTime call as opposed to a voice call may make all the difference.

As quoted by Christian Lous Lange, “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” We hope that you are encouraged to take control of technology and to reduce the potential negative impact by implementing these 5 steps.

Additionally, if a career in technology is of interest to you, be on the lookout for the new Master of Science in Information Technology Management program that the Jabs School of Business will be launching in fall of 2018!

Logging out,