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The influence of technology on our daily lives

Telecommunication equipment, through which information is transmitted, has been evolving and becoming an important part of our daily lives, Converge Transform went from the telegraph to WhatsApp and from black and white television, which deserved its own space, to cell phones or high-resolution tablets that can even be taken to the bathroom. But technological devices not only bring practical value but also aesthetic and symbolic value that lead us to choose among an endless number of options: not only the most efficient but also the most beautiful, the one with the best design or the one that gives me the highest status.

It is worthwhile then to start reflecting on the technology in our daily lives by questioning not only how we use it, but also why and what for.

TECHNOLOGY AND MIND

Mexicans spend more than eight hours a day interacting with some technological device connected to the Internet, whether it is a cell phone, computer, or tablet. It is impossible to think that something we already spend most of our time on cannot have an impact (both positive and negative) on our mind, it does, and technology has marked not only a new way of relating to others but also to ourselves.

Well-applied technology helps us, for example, to organize ourselves better, to learn new things, to keep track of our personal goals and progress, or to shorten distances with friends and family. However, the other side of the coin is that, if we are not aware of it, we can bombard ourselves with harmful or stressful information or seek situations in which we are exposed or at risk. Universities are registering more and more cases of depression and anxiety that are directly linked to the use of social networks.

According to the Mexican Internet Association, 82% of Internet users are active on some social network, being this the main activity on the Internet above mailing and information search. In addition, according to the latest research on Internet habits, it was recorded that Mexicans spend an average of eight hours a day online (i.e., a working day), with lunchtime and the end of the day being the hours with the highest traffic. This means that, regardless of whether we are alone or accompanied, we are online, so where is the time left for intimacy with myself and my relationships?

In social networks, Converge Transform interact and exchange information with people with whom we somehow have something in common, we filter the things we upload or delete from our profiles based on the number of likes, shares, or comments we receive. This “attention economy” depends entirely on the reaction we get from the interest of others and their responses on social networks. Studies have found that each like generates dopamine production in the brain and the activation of systems linked to reward, which is why social networks are so addictive. A good dose of likes and exchanges can indeed make us feel very good and contribute to our self-esteem, the problem comes when in the outside world there is nothing to support my self-esteem and my links, so the issue with social networks, technology, and mind, has nothing to do with isolating us and deprive us of the exchange, but in landing how we use them.

First of all, we must keep in mind that social networks tend to appreciate people’s moments of achievement, the most likes come from successes and exceptional situations, so that is what people upload the most, not their everyday moments of doubt, anxiety, or failures. Keeping this in mind is essential since depressive disorders linked to the use of social networks have to do with the comparison of our lives and everyday moments with those of others, without considering that these are exceptional issues.