Technology has done so many incredible things for our society today. Through endless platforms, we can learn so much from and about the world around us. The information is never-ending and right at the tip of our fingers. A simple search on google can come up with about 4 billion results in 0.6 seconds. To have this type of information is incredible and quite honestly a privilege. It is incredible what one person can learn simply through technology. Youtube can show you how to change/replace anything on your car/lawnmower/stove/etc. in one simple tutorial video. You can practically travel the world from your computer through Google Earth. With Amazon, you can order a pack of gum and have it at your doorstep the very next day. Today’s technology is so advanced that it amazes me. Self-driving cars? Who would have thought? Most of the things that are possible with technology today, people could only imagine in this far away futuristic world. In this world everything was perfect and all the problems are solved. However, this is far from the truth. With this incredible technology, is it hurting us more than helping us? 
The internet: endless information. Let that sink in. There is so much to see and learn on the internet that can completely consume your life. You find yourself researching how to make a pie, then you are 2 hours into watching What Your Dog’s Sleeping Position Reveals About Your Dog. Is this information necessarily important? No. But do you now want to know what your dog's sleeping position means? Most likely yes. At least for me, I notice myself getting unnecessarily absorbed into the world of technology. I get distracted by it way too easily and end up spending an unnecessary amount of time on it. I will go on my phone to respond to a Snapchat or Text, then start tapping through Snapchat stories, then when I’m done with that I might go to Instagram, etc. The point is, it’s endless. You will never be able to watch all the youtube videos or all the Instagram pictures. I always say to myself, one more video or one more episode until it is 2 am and I just finished an entire TV Series. Now I am not saying that this happens to everyone, but it happens to more people than it should. Technology can be an incredible resource for so many things with the right amount of balance.
Balancing your time with technology is not something that can happen overnight. Most of the things we do with our technology has become somewhat of a habit. I will wake up in the morning and spend about 20 minutes on my phone just checking up on what I missed and then start my day. I will do the same thing at night but it can be more consuming because I will most likely be on my phone or computer until my body is forcing my eyes shut. There is always more to see and the idea of not knowing makes me want to keep going. This scares me. I personally am the type of person who needs my time outside and with people. If I continue to let this technology rule my life I will miss out on so much more than I realize. People have forgotten how to live in the moment and see life for what it really is. We see all these amazing things through our screens but don’t think that we could experience it in real life. It is this alternate universe where everything is perfect, and if there is something we don't like, you can just click on the next video.
There is so much I want to say about our society and how we abuse our technology and how it has taken over. I love all the incredible things it has done for our world and how much good it has done. However, it has also hurt our society so much and can end up doing more harm than good if certain information is put in the wrong hands. Anyone who has used technology in the developed world (which is almost everyone) has some sort of personal information about them online, even if it is something as simple as their name. This can connect you to your home address, phone number, what organizations you are a part of, or who you support depending on what you like, etc. Again, endless information. If this doesn’t scare you yet, imagining all the information you have put online, maybe not even knowing how much there is about you, in the hands of the wrong person or even country. Once something has been posted, there is no way of knowing who can or will see it. There are so many privacy scams that it is hard to trust most technology. If I were to give any advice on how to survive the world of technology, be smart, be balanced, and be aware.
