My disillusionment with technology — Silvia Maggi:
Technology no longer excites me. To be precise, I’m not able to feel enthusiastic about new technology anymore. Might be because I’m getting older.
I went through many digital tools and hardware in the past, had my favourites, and was prepared to defend them when needed (Apple vs Microsoft, iPhone vs Android). I was a fangirl.
Every so often, I go through phases feeling the same way! I remember shortly after the pandemic lockdowns, my enthusiasm about technology was so low I got rid of my gadgets and kept my iPhone and a pair of earphones only — can’t live without my music listening.
I spent a considerable portion of the lockdown free time at home geeking and nerding out on technology for hours daily. The break from keeping up with technology was much needed. Furthermore, returning to everyday normal life with a renewed focus on work required regimented discipline, and geeking out was a distraction I could do without to help me concentrate on rebuilding all that was lost with work due to lockdowns.
Getting rid of the gadgets themselves was only one part of the detox and declutter. The software side needed to be taken care of as well, starting with news aggregators and readers; my RSS feed in particular, followed by podcasts, culling the amount of tech podcasts I subscribed to, and redirecting focus on other areas of interest which worked a treat. My RSS Feed subscriptions now have been much more intentional; subscribing to sites/blogs that offer analytical commentary on the goings-on in the world of technology, making it easier to keep up with my feed.
Keeping up with the world of technology through media publications can be overwhelming and tiresome — especially from the firehose sites — let alone getting yourself entangled in the tech culture wars that you witness online regularly. It can be exhausting.
It’s good to have a break and detox occasionally, allowing your brain to process and understand the goings-on in the world of technology to help cultivate more mature fresh perspectives.
How often do you pause, and consider taking a break?
