Are we too addicted to technology?

Editor: Technology has changed our lives over the last few decades. The word “smart” is being linked to almost every aspect of technology. We now have smart phones, watches, washing machines, fridge, toilets, etc. Gone are the days when every household had to have a land line phone and paying a monthly bill. Once you have a smart phone, you can download WhatsApp and make calls and send text messages for free. Gone are the days when persons had to go at a river to wash clothes or to the back of their house washing clothes with the blue washing soap, hearing a peculiar sound as you wash your clothes on hand. These days almost every house hold has a washing machine.

Technology has definitely made our lives much easier. However, being addicted to technology can be very “problematic”. This addiction is staring us in our eyes. In some households, from Monday to Sunday, mother, father, and children are locked away in their room on their gadgets and there is no family time for each other. Couples would go on a date whether it is at the movies or at a restaurant and everybody is on their phone texting. Could this be one of the reasons why a lot of relationships and marriages are falling apart because there is a lack of communication [with] each other?

Sometimes you would be driving and persons would be walking in the middle of the road with a headphone in their ears, texting on their phone, putting their lives at risk. Drivers can also be seen at times texting and making calls on their phone which can cause accidents, and endangering the lives of pedestrians. In meetings, staff, and some bosses can be seen with their eyes glued to their phone. You go to church on a Sunday morning and some church members can be seen watching “Netflix” on their phone and tablet while the pastor is preaching. Some students are even distracted by their gadgets when their teacher is having class.

Before we go to bed, a lot of us would put our phone under our pillow to wake up in the middle of the night to check Facebook, depriving ourselves of sleep. Are we too addicted to technology?

Kimani Wiseman