Technology: Saving Time. Killing Life?

Originally written in Feb 2022:

With advancements in technology, we are now saving time on tasks. Whether that be direct deposit saving us trips to the bank every other week, snow blowers saving us hours of shoveling, or washers/dryers saving us from manually washing and hanging our clothes to dry, we have much more time to spend on other things.

I wonder if the time saved is being used on meaningful things. Often, we are distracted by social media, which has unintended consequences (at least unintended from the user's point of view). Even if the time is not being used productively, are the activities done during the time saved by technology forming negative habits?

Bad habits are potentially worse than having to spend the time to do certain tasks. Habits like endlessly scrolling on social media and surfing the internet may cause us to change what brings our mind satisfaction. Yes, content sharing adds to connections with others, but could we leverage that time/energy to do something more meaningful? I’ve always felt odd when people know more about celebrities, fictional universes, athletes, and influencers than many of their close family or friends.

I have found that being bored is much more valuable than scrolling on social media. Since this realization, I have cut down on my social media consumption dramatically.

With technology, there is a sense that things should be completed quickly. Applications are so good at filling any time users may have free time, short and long; users have to be mindful about not using the applications. Does it make it harder to think about things that take more time and effort? Is the activation energy higher to do those hard things because more satisfying distractions are available?

Like many aspects of life, if you aren’t intentional about what you do with your time, something/someone will control it for you. Also, I’m not saying I completely control my time, but I’m on a continuous mission to improve.