So often, we hear about how the more "connected" we are, the less connected we become with people and our surroundings. If we step back and look at our overall happiness, are we better off with or without technology?
I mean, we can definitely say our lives are better and easier with technology. I was going to add simpler, but I think this is definitely not true in so many aspects. Technology adds a lot of ease to things though such as banking. No longer to I have to keep a check book and write checks for payments. This also means no longer having to actually go to the bank for depositing checks as well. We get so much convenience from simple easy things like that.
Now, on the flip side, technology can also be extremely scary. I'm not referring to it being scare in the sense that it's overwhelming. The scary I'm referring to is scary that there's so many opportunities for thieves and criminals to exploit our lives. Thankfully, there are plenty of controls and things to do to be safe from a lot of these threats.
Can technology make us happier though? I mean, technology provides tons of entertainment. I have my whole career based off of technology so I guess without technology I'd have to find a different field. I know I enjoy what I do but also feel the addiction at times.
I love learning and love learning more and more about technology. The constant non-stop development opportunities in all fields tech make is almost depressing to realize that you can study every day of your life and still not know everything you want to learn about.
Like we say with a lot of things, "Everything in moderation is ok!" I definitely agree with this and know that for sure it also applies to technology. As much as I love it, I also love unplugging at times (even though not often), and being able to enjoy life and surroundings without needing to be connected. Ignore your phone, don't check your wall or notifications, and try to be in your space without those distractions. Maybe I'll give you the TV and you can watch it with some friends or a sports game -- but that's all you get!!!
We love our devices. I love sound systems, computers, phones, etc... Now, I'm even starting to love some of my smart home devices. They are all technology which are fun to use and play with. However, don't become obsessive and overall we won't see a major impact to happiness. There's still plenty of ways to stay connected without being connected.