Technology- Are You a Host or a Hostage?

Technology- Are you a host or a hostage to it? Do a "technology check up" and find out.

Technology is all around us. It has enhanced our lives in many ways, made our jobs less tedious, made our chores less of a chore and brought modern conveniences to many people. No one can deny that technology has uplifted many and given voice to those who might otherwise not be heard.

But, I ask you to consider if you are a host or hostage to the technology in your life.  Is it something that has made your life better, yourself freer or has it created a relationship that has brought you into even more dependance? If you find yourself in the overly dependent camp,  you might want to check yourself before the proverbial wrecking of yourself ensues. I mean with everybody’s head down, looking at their phones, it’s bound to happen sooner or later, isn’t it?  

There was a little meme going around that said, “If the Breakfast Club kids were to meet in detention today, none of them would have looked up from their phones long enough to even make eye contact!”   Think about it. Picture it. All of them just texting away to people somewhere else. It’s funny, because it's totally true. What a shame and waste of a perfectly good Saturday that could have been! 

Technology should set us free. For example, we watch much less television in our house with the use of a dvr. For us, it means watching tv when we want to and some nights that is not at all. And we can do that now knowing the shows we do want to watch can be recorded and watched at our convenience. We feel much more in control of what we allow in our living room. Really that's what you are doing... inviting whatever you are watching into your living room. We are careful about that. And at our place, we also require all commercials to be fast forwarded, which is my favorite feature of the dvr and worth every penny we pay for it!  So, although we are talking about tv, this technological advance has been a wonderfully freeing gift for our family. 

However, can you see the flip side of that? The person who because they have access to so many choices and so many shows, they now watch even more tv than ever before! They are recording shows they might never even had known existed and feel there isn’t enough time each evening to get in all they would like to watch. They stay up late and fall asleep in front of the tv.  Only to repeat the cycle night after night.  This has gone to the point of enslaving themselves.

"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key." ~ All Ready Gone by The Eagles.

I decided, in our house, we are doing a “technology check up.” We sat down and talked about how much time we devote to using technology. In our house it’s basically the computer, because I do not have a smart phone and our overall tv watching is minimal. 

But my kids and I each retreat to our own computers or tablets at times during the day. We each need our time alone and this is our way to unwind.  I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is me sitting on Facebook because for some reason it makes me forget that I have a million things on my to do list! I also have a problem with my kids always choosing the computer when they have free time.  There is a big playroom right behind the computer nook filled with toys that  feel neglected.  I know! They told me!  But, what do I expect after what I've been modeling for them? So, it’s a family affair and we're all in this together!

How about you and your family? Could you use a check up? How much time do you spend using technology and being wrapped up in “screen time?” Little screens or big ones. It doesn’t matter.  Most of us probably spend most of our day looking at a small screen, only to go home and trade it in for a bigger one (if we are lucky) but it’s still ‘screen time.’ My hubby is one of those who rarely wants to be on the computer at home because he spends so much time on one at work. This works to his benefit. 

Let’s all be good to ourselves and lift our heads up and take a break. Let’s look each other in the face and smile, instead of just liking each other's profile pictures. And please, not the dreaded texting each other from the other room!  Let’s spend time together in person instead of feeling that an online connection is enough. It's not.  

So, what is the right amount of technology to use? There is an old parable that says, “If you tighten the string too much it will snap and if you leave it too slack, it won't play.”  

We all need to find the sweet spot that makes music for our own families. For us, it is going to be times when we turn off all technology, even unplugging the router to give us a break. During this time, no ‘screen’ technology can be used. No tablets, computers, televisions at all. I will report back how it goes and what we learn. 

But, in return there will be Facebook time for me and Minecraft time for my kids! Cuz everybody needs some time to do what they want to do and just have some fun. But, balance will be the key. Along with control. When balance and control are lost, we become the hostage and no longer are we being a good host or hostess.  

How about doing your own “Technology Check Up” today?