When was the last time you took a technology break?

By: Steve Scaffidi, Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

 

I was sitting in a local diner early last week, enjoying a hot cup of coffee while tuning out the banter of other patrons so I could concentrate on my own activities.  As I sat there, periodically checking my phone or my laptop for any new emails, I thought about the pace of my day and how that has changed thanks to technology. 

In the amazingly fast-paced world we live in, with an almost continuous bombardment of messages coming at us from every direction, I thought to myself how incredible technology is. The world is now delivered right to the palm of our hands via smart phones, serving as virtual mini-TVs, always on and providing data to our brains.

What that means is a never-ending stream of messaging and information directed at us, with the sole purpose of capturing our attention. If you're like me, you're curious about what's happening in the stock market, politics or sports, and getting the latest updates should make us all better-informed citizens. But at what cost? When does technology become a burden or overwhelm our ability to process information? 

You can certainly make the case that this information flow provides the fodder for our water cooler conversations or whatever the 21st-Century version of that would be. A Keurig conversation perhaps? We've become a country of people filled with pretty strong opinions on the subjects that impact us every day. Has technology over-stimulated our information receptors? After all, how much do we really need to know about the Kardashians or the President's pets? 

I've read some great stories lately about folks "unplugging" from technology, some for as much as a week or longer. That length of time is not realistic for most of us, myself included. But, in small doses, maybe an hour or so a night, it might be a good idea to put the phone down and decompress. Take time to have a conversation with your spouse, your children or even yourself for that matter. The key is to have it without using technology or having it interrupt you. And don't talk about what the world is doing, talk about what you're doing and listen to what comes back to you in the form of an old-fashioned, face-to-face conversation. It might be the best news you've heard in a while.

Have you ever tried to escape from technology? If yes, for how long were you able to make it?