I was on vacation last week, lying at the pool with my sister and our husbands. My sister took a picture with her phone and posted it on Facebook. I, too, was on Facebook, saw the picture, and “liked” it not ten seconds after she had taken it. She looked at me and said, “Did you seriously just ‘like’ my picture instead of turning your head and telling me in person that you like it?” (After all, we were lying only a foot away from each other.)
After thinking about what had just happened, we busted up laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. We then looked around and noticed that about 99 percent of the people at the pool had their faces buried in some type of electronic –iPads, phones, Kindles, etc. Here we all were in paradise, and no one was willing to look up from virtual reality to enjoy the reality of the beautiful place we were in.
I was reminded of a Mormon Messages video I saw last week called Things as They Really Are by Elder Bednar. In it, he warns of the consuming power of digital technology. Technology can be a tool to accomplish great things if used properly, but for some, it can become life consuming. I’m afraid I might be falling into the latter category.
It’s so easy to grab my iPhone and check the news, an email, or play games. I just had a baby and my phone is a great tool for taking pictures of her, but I wonder if I’m more concerned about sharing her life on my blog and Facebook than doing so in real life. This video is like a slap in the face, telling me, “Get off the phone and computer! Enjoy things as they really are!”
I’m grateful for Church leaders and the warnings they give us. I was/am in real need of a wakeup call. I’m working on my technology dependency (haha, of course, I’m on the computer as I write this), and I’m setting a goal of only X hours a week of electronics. Wish me luck!
Do you struggle with technology dependency? Leave a comment below.
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Ashley Evanson is the online editor at LDS Living. She loves eating Costco hot dogs, Pinterest (addicted!), and watching America’s Funniest Home Videos