My Relationship With Technology

    As of recently, technology has become something that most people physically cannot live without. Personally, I cannot imagine my life without it. A couple of years ago, I got all of my technology taken away. The only time I was even allowed to touch a computer was when I was at school in class or doing homework at home. My parents took away my phone for six months, and I was off social media for two years. I then realized how toxic social media was in my life that I was happier and more confident in myself without it. Before this experience, I would say that my relationship with technology was not healthy at all. Honestly, I abused it. Currently, I would say that my relationship with technology is much healthier. I now know how to use it appropriately and my limits. Especially now being in college, my phone holds my entire life within it. It has all of my banking apps, GPS, and most importantly, my calendar. When it comes to my news updates, if I didn’t have my phone to alert me through the NBC4 app or BuzzFeed, I would never know what is going on in the world. As it is, I don't read the newspaper or watch the news.

    The only time I read a magazine is if I am in the nail salon reading Cosmopolitan or People or Us Weekly. My phone not only keeps me informed, but it also keeps me up to date. I honestly cannot imagine a world without technology. The video attached below is a clip from the popular tv show aired on the Cartoon Network called the Amazing World of Gumball. The clip is called Life Without Technology. What is happening in the world has lost all of its technology. This is due to technology eventually becoming "stupider," and no longer could do things like add up a simple math problem. 

    Technological innovation has introduced many things to our society. Some of those good, while some are bad. Without technology, we would not have Instagram, Twitter, or even Facebook. While social media stemming from technology has brought us many good things, it has also brought bad things. Bad things such as fake news. Technology has made it so that we can get all the information we need available to us whenever wherever—making it, so news travels fast. That means it also makes it easy for fake news to become widespread. Fake news, in some cases, can make technology seems unreliable. 

    Technology has become so ingrained in our society that it is a social norm to be an owner of a computer and a cellular device. Those who do not have a smartphone are considered weird. Although technological advancement can cause some to worry, we as a society have begun to accept it as part of our society. No questions asked.

    Technology plays a big part in the way we communicate. Take quarantine, for example; if we did not have access to Zoom or Facetime or technology at all, we would all have gone insane. These technologies have made it so that we can still connect with family and friends but at a safe distance. Throughout my years of travel, I have made many friends along the way, and technology makes it possible for me to still be connected with them. I also believe that in the point of view of my family, they care about technology the same way I do; we cannot live without it. One thing I will say is that it does become super annoying when I hang out with my friends, and they are always on their phones. Society has become so engrained on our phones that it has created less face-to-face interaction. This was especially true when I underwent that "digital detox." 

    When it comes to my online footprint, there is not much out there about me. What I did not realize that my name, Zoe Karp, is very popular. When searching my name on Google, the only results I saw on the first page was my old Twitter account, and the first image result was the profile picture I used for that profile. There are many IMDB pages with actresses of the same name, but they obviously are not me. My father has done an excellent job raising me in terms of my online presence. My father, a well-known, high-profile businessman, has owned his own company since before I was born. He has told me stories where he is hiring people, and they seem like exceptional candidates, but when he looks at their social media, he sees something that he doesn't like. One person he told me about graduated from Wharton Business School and went on to Harvard for grad school and they were highly qualified and perfect for his company, but my dad looked up his social media, and this person had posted a picture of him drunk one night with a red solo cup. My father did not hire him. Something as simple as a solo cup can make or break your career.

    Regarding my online footprint, there is not enough available information to the public to paint a picture of myself. Luckily, I am in a position to control my own narrative. As of last summer, I am officially the owner of the domain zoekarp.com. My father bought me the domain so that when I have my own business, or I am "famous," as he puts it, I do not have to worry about someone else taking that domain. As long as I stay informed and keep up my good habits, I do not have to worry about doing damage control for my online presence. 

    Yes, I have made mistakes in the past, which resulted in me getting my technology taken away, but I am very lucky that there was no trace of my mistakes. Not everyone is as lucky as I was, and that made me learn my lesson. Technology has made life as we know it so much easier. A world without it is honestly impossible for me to imagine. It is such a powerful and helpful tool, but it can also become dangerous. There are people out there who abuse technologies and use them in the wrong ways. It has also created a new possibility for war. Technology has made it so that the risk of a "cyber war" very real. 

Click here to read an article written about what a day without technology would look like.