MY NETWORKED HOME

In order to think about the impact that digital devices and internet had on our everyday lives, I decided to monitor the use of the network in my own home. This was then compared with past experiences before technology had advanced to what it is now.

In the past few days, there was not one time when internet was not being used. My mum would be on her phone looking through social media or the internet to find new cooking recipes, while my dad and brother would be using the internet to do work or play video games. Even our own television was connected to the internet in order to watch Netflix or dramas from another country.

A few years ago, I remember when our internet used to be incredibly slow at home, and it would even cut off sometime. However, this didn’t mean that it was time for family bonding or “hey, the internet cut off, lets all gather around the television and pop in a DVD while we wait”.

No.

When this happened, it meant stress. Stress because we had to somehow find a way to fix the internet again to do work or attend to other commitments, and our mobile hotspot was far too slow to even load the google home page. It was in that moment, in all the chaos, that I realised our society heavily relied on the internet. Our society used internet as a means of staying connected through social media, for research and for enjoyment. It was the whole package.

Not even just the internet but technology in general. Even when I was at a young age, I was already welcomed into the world of gaming devices such as a PSP or a Nintendo DS. My cousins and I all spend our weekends using these devices, and it became our way of bonding and spending time together. However, in the past we also all had our time away from technology and internet. We would swim on the hot days and play at the park until dark. There are just some things internet couldn’t do for you.

So in saying this, even though internet and technology is an important element in our lives, we need to remember that it’s not everything. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to get off our devices once in a while and to live in the present.

– G