Are we too digital?
to combat the harm of technology, turn to your childhood
Do you ever look at those younger than you and realize - they will never know what it’s like to be unplugged from technology? My mom sent me a photograph of my sweet sixteen birthday, and I’m huddled around the cake with my brothers, receiving a phone call from our fixed home telephone line. It got me thinking about all the fun things I did before I became glued to a computer and smartphone.
The Harm of Living in the Digital Age
I grew up in the 90s, during the .com boom. I remember when we got a computer in our classroom in 1st grade, and we took turns doing basic word processing. Since then, it’s been one “great creation” after another. First came software, then the internet, Google, the “cloud”, cell phones, smartphones, virtual reality, and AI. I feel an overwhelming sense of “adapt or die” - that if I don’t keep my skills current with the pace of growth and change I won’t survive the economic consequences. Now that there have been almost thirty years “online” - researchers are now starting to see the harm this new world creates. Undoubtedly, technology harms well-being. Researchers are seeing increased cases of social isolation, ADD, depression, and anxiety. What I find most concerning is the growing research that shows increased technology usage is correlated to a lack of understanding of oneself.
To Develop a Connection with Self - Remember your Childhood Joys
The fastest way to be well is to create a deep connection with yourself - with your desires, your fears, your joys and your pain. While I am grateful for the many advances in technology we have, I have found that going analog brings me back to a mindfulness I once enjoyed as a child, before I had responsibilities and societal expectations. I am privileged enough to have many happy childhood memories, and it’s been an exercise in mindfulness and meditation to excavate them. If you’re looking for some ways to disconnect to the digital and start going analog, here are four ways I do so to connect and be more mindful to what I enjoy.
Playing Records
When I was little my sister and I used to put on Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA record on my parents’ record player and dance around the living room. I will never forget the cover of that album - it was Bruce’s butt in a pair of washed denim! This might have been the most provocative thing I was exposed to growing up in a conservative Catholic household, and my sister and I clung onto this very “cool” hobby of playing the hit song over and over by moving the pin back and forth again. My mom also bought us lots of tapes. I loved opening the cover and leafing through the booklets tucked inside each cassette, reading along the lyrics as I listened.
Nowadays, when we’re cooking and eating dinner at home we often put a record on. It takes a little more effort than simply logging into Spotify. I love the act of flipping through the records, the smell of old treasures wafting into the air as I pluck through each album.
Listening to Books on Tape
My parents had a giant, rust orange Suburban that they purchased in the height of the gas crises in early 2000s. One summer, we took a family trip to visit my mom’s best friend in northern New York. My parents did NOT do road trips, so my mom checked out the first book of Harry Potter on cassette from the library to keep us occupied. As the Captain’s first mate I lead the command center with our portable Fischer Price cassette player, rushing to rewind and flip the tapes as we went through each one. We sat on edge the entire 6 hour drive, the voice actor quickly switching voices and giving each character life.
Today I’ve adapted by using a bright yellow ceramic megaphone I drop my phone into and amplify sound instead of using a Bluetooth speaker. I like having a bright kitchen, so it lives on the kitchen counter were I can dance and listen to music while I am cooking or doing the dishes. Over the weekend, on a roadtrip, we also discovered BBC John le Carre podcasts. Not only do these have amazing storytelling, but also have stunning voice portrayals and audio experiences, like the characters walking through a tunnel or the sound of airplanes overhead.
Creating Your own Barbieworld
I don’t want to brag, but the colossal Barbie worlds we created as kids were beyond the scale of comprehension for the modern Mari Kondo minimalist. Fortunately we had a finished basement and the requirement for us to keep it tidy was not a battle that my parents chose to fight. We escaped into our Barbie world and rarely came up for air. If you’re picturing a pristine playhouse - think again. Our Barbie worlds became a chaotic metropolis: we used every object available to us to build offices, neighborhoods, cities, and beaches. We were progressive beyond the times, as our Barbies were quite comfortable with polyamory and gender fluidity. Our barbies had an RV car for escaping to the country and a pink convertible for riding in style with Ken.
As an adult, I am not creating worlds for dolls, but I’m creating a playful world for myself. I used to be so afraid of looking silly - but now I am enjoying trying on different makeup, clothes, or wigs. I also love traveling so much because it feels like trying on a different life for a week. Slipping into a fancier rental car like my Barbies did or even just eating new and different foods. It’s fun and important to play!
Writing on Physical Paper
As a kid, I often made plays, directed homemade movies, wrote books, or made art out of magazine clippings. I remember the first ever magazine I “published” by using all of our colored ink on our computer (sorry mom). Today I keep up my habits of creating things by journaling every day on physical paper and pen. I like doing my gratitude practice there, as well as morning pages and general self-reflection prompts. My partner bought me a typewriter which I love to use as well to get things out in the open. Finally, I really enjoy writing letters. As a kid I had a pen pal! She lived in a neighboring town and we ended up meeting in real life at basketball camp. I’m not sure how I even started this local pen pal, but it was wonderful to receive her letters in the mail.
What do you think? What did you like to do as a kid? Do you still do it, today? What are the ways in which you prefer analog to digital? I’d love to hear in the comments below.
Analog all the way! I grew up in the 70’s …days spent outside and evenings making all sorts of things inside. It was the perfect balance. It makes me sad that I am inside as much as I am … something that i deeply need to change (thanks for the nudge!). But to answer your question … loosing myself in my art room is where I disconnect and it is magical … so good for my soul! Happy “analog-ing!”
Thanks. Feeling this hard today - how shattered everyone’s attention is, and how hard it is to change that status for oneself.