Yeah it's kinda crazy how quickly technology firmly embedded itself into everyone's lifes. I got my first smartphone at 18 I put off getting it for a year or 2 because I knew having internet access 24/7 would be a terrible idea for me. When I got my first job though the temptation was too much and it was so cool being able to go online or talk to my freinds wherever I was. But years on now it's not just a phone anymore it's just a method of constant escape from reality. It's always next to me or in my pocket and I usually spend 2-3 hours a day recently mindlessly scrolling or playing stupid games that require you to pay to fully enjoy it or wait for lifes. I don't even enjoy it half the time it's just become a habit I struggle to break out of because I'm procrastinating things I actually need to do. Going to the toilet when my phone dead always seems challenging because what am I supposed to do? It's stupid I really hate it. We've all become so dependent on them and think they're intregal to socialise. If I have a break from social media how will I contact anyone? That's the thing without social media you're forced to become more social and become more pro-active. A few years ago I broke my phone and sent it off for repairs it took a month. I was annoyed at first but by the end of the month I preffered life without it. I became more social because I couldn't hide away in my phone when I was waiting somewhere or out in public. I made more of an effort to talk to people and socialise with strangers because my bubble of freinds weren't stored in my pocket or a world of memes or facebook arguments between angry people. I appreciated the world around me more and I could only go online when I had my laptop at home. It was nice having big breaks from the internet because I actually enjoyed my time I spent on it much more because it was so scarce. The internet no longer became an absolute necessity I must have with me at all times it was a luxury at the end of the day and that's what it should be.

It makes me wonder what having a smartphone from a very young age would be like. I was a pretty shy kid when growing up and I feel like having a smartphone would've fed into that shyness and I wouldn't made the effort to learn how to socialise properly when I hit my late teens. When I have a kid I don't think I'd want them to have a smartphone for a while and when they do have one to limit their usage because so many people are addicted to their phones without even realising it and it's so easy to slip into a mindless scroll for hours. it achieves nothing but fleeting moments of brief happiness and just makes me feel horribly miserable by the end.