To Tech Or Not To Tech- That Is The Question.

This week I attended a funeral for a life-long family friend who died at the wonderful age of 83. He was one of those old school southern gentlemen, from what many would consider days long gone. At his funeral, they discussed how mornings in their house were frequently filled with family devotionals around the kitchen table before school and his favorite things included a simple cup of coffee with his wife or a round of golf with friends. When picturing these moments in my mind, I cannot help but compare it to my own life.

Mornings begin with an alarm clock programmed by my phone, followed by a healthy scroll through Instagram and Facebook. What of any interest could have possibly occurred during the middle of night? Who knows, probably nothing. Immediately, I then go to my computer where I spend the next 10 hours doing work for my full-time job followed by schoolwork for my Ph.D. program. The evening usually ends with a small bit of television and another healthy scroll through the phone. Screens, internet, technology. It. Is. Everywhere.

Hundreds of people came to this man’s funeral- school friends of his now grown children and grandchildren, former coworkers, fellow church parishioners, people with whom he had served on countless community boards. So many different forms of relationship and community- all of which happened through personal engagement. And yet, this week, we read about Peter and Trudy (Rainie & Wellman, 2013); how, in times of hardship, their virtually networked community from all over the U.S. helped them navigate of time of great need. Although formed in very different ways, each community was meaningful and important to this man and this couple.

I struggle with longing for these simple days from my family friend’s past, yet not knowing any other way to function in my present without this technology. As Dennen (2020) notes social media in its broadest sense is designed to help people connect and share content, yet I feel that one can sometimes feel even more isolated and disconnected because of technology. There are so many layers and pieces to these technological resources and- as Kietzman et. al. (2011) accurately states- it feels like a jungle. Sometimes I feel like I have to choose: technology or no technology. Is there a way to maintain balance and not feel lost or isolated by either extreme?

-SMT