Overload

...fill to excess so that function is impaired.

I think this is where society is at today. Technology is making us feel overwhelmed and stressed. Being reachable any time and any place can get exhausting. We never feel finished for the day. Electronic gadgets can add convenience and even fun to our lives, but are we paying a price?

Today's technology can be addictive and time-consuming. Very little evidence shows that it has really made life more enjoyable. In fact, almost half of Americans think their lives have become more stressful.

We feel compelled to do everything there is to do: answer every call, return every text, follow every link. If you don't believe me, keep a log of all your time spent online, using your cell phone and texting. We get anxious because we can't digest all the info thrown at us. We are so afraid we are going to miss something that we flit from here to there trying to take it all in. How easy it is to keep on clicking, keep on searching, following threads from site-to-site, until we've literally spent hours at it. How often, if we get real and honest with ourselves, is this time spent trying to escape the reality of our every day lives?

Multi-tasking is over-rated! We can do it, but it means doing at least one of the tasks poorly. Constantly stopping one task to focus on the other and vice versa usually produces poor results. On this information super-highway, we let new info in, but haven't properly digested the old.

E-mailing can present a whole host of other stress-related problems. First of all, we have to spend time deciding what's important and what's not. On top of that, we have to decipher what the person is really saying. Are they angry or sarcastic or snippy, etc. It's impossible to hear tone-of-voice in an email or read body language. Here's the other thing that can get really sticky: think about how hastily we vent in anger and hit send, only to regret it later.

I think it's fine to accept the technological age we are living in. Of itself, there's nothing wrong with technology. But, with that acceptance comes the responsibility to set limits, to establish boundaries, to exhibit self-control. Technology should not distract us from our responsibilities. We need to learn respect for other people and their space, when and where it is appropriate to be using devices. In our home, cell phones are not allowed during mealtime or school. One of my absolute biggest pet peeves is when I'm in a conversation with a person and they answer their cell phone. It's as rude as if they would turn and start talking to another person in the middle of a sentence. I mean, duhhhh!

Here's something I heard the other day. In fact, it's what got me thinking about this topic. In the very near future, cell phone usage will be allowed DURING airline flights. Oh geesh...not only do I now get to practically sit on a complete stranger's lap, but I get to hear every bit of their very annoying conversations. Can you imagine an airplane full of emotionally needy (those who believe the earth will stop rotation if they don't take that call) people talking on cell phones all at the same time?

I use my cell phone and computer just as much as the next person, but I am trying very hard to go a day or two and not even open my computer. I always take calls from my husband and kids, but if I'm in the middle of something, I may not answer my phone.