Final Blog Post

        My relationship with technology started in 3rd grade when my parents got me an iPad for Christmas. Before this, I had very little interaction with technology. My parents wanted my sister and me to grow up playing outside and using our imagination to expand our knowledge and have fun. I remember using my first computer in school around the first or second grade. I didn’t really know how to use it compared to the other students so I struggled in the technology class at first. Because I was young I was able to pick up the new information quickly and learn how to use it. This new technology in my life pushed me to ask my parents for an iPad. I wanted to explore the world of technology and see what it had to offer. My parents were hesitant because they felt I was still too young for the internet and everything that can be discovered on there but they got me one anyways. Shortly after receiving it, I was swept quickly into the world of technology and absolutely loved it. Fast forwarding to the 5th grade I got my first iPhone and from there I was locked in obsessed. 

Ever since then, technology has taken over my life. I spend countless hours on social media scrolling through nonsense and talking to friends. When I try and do something productive, like homework, I see a notification on my phone or laptop and easily get distracted. It saddens me that such a small object, like my phone, has such a hold on my life. With all the time I spend on social media, I am unable to decide if I'm being misinformed or gaining information. I find that a lot of educated people post content on social media and you can find valuable information, but if you don’t do enough research you can also be easily miss informed. There is also a lot of entertainment-based content on social media, that isn’t persay posted to teach or inform you, but isn’t good for you if you watch too much of it. (studies have shown). I worry constantly about how much time I spend on social media and whether what I’m watching is going to affect my mental health. I also am concerned about the mental health of my friends and family and how much time they spend on technology. 

When spending time with friends and family, I find often they will sit and text or scroll through social media while being with people. Why would you ask someone to hang out if you aren’t going to talk to them? Society is forgetting the value of quality in-person interactions because they can just speak to people over the phone or text them. I find it rude if you are sitting with someone and they are texting someone else or scrolling through social media, but this is the world that we have come to live in today. People need to learn to put down their phones and appreciate the people in front of them. 

If I was to Google myself currently, nothing much about myself comes up. I am very lucky that I don’t currently have a large digital footprint. There is an island off the coast of Ireland called Tory Island and you take a ferry to get there. Tory Island Ferry and my name is Tory Ferry, so when you search my name it’s all about the island, its history, and how to get there. Some information about me does come up like my Instagram, Facebook, and my great-grandmother’s obituary where I am mentioned. Even if you search “Tory Ferry Rhode Island”, the same information about me appears, and the boat information appears again as well as the Block Island Ferry, which is located in Rhode Island. I am one of the lucky few who does not have a large digital footprint, but I am sure as I grow older and buy property and work full-time jobs my digital footprint will expand.