There are many ways to engage with the digital world. For example it can be used to connect with people, to entertain yourself and others, to inform and share. Some people use the digital world more than others, and sometimes it is forced because of work or school while other times voluntary because of your own hobbies and interests. Both can have positive and negatives effects for the individual.
In this blog I wanted to explore what kind of effects the digital world can have on the day to day life in my experience.
the effects of the obligatory uses
Because I am writing this blog for a college course (which is a first for me so hopefully it will turn out okay) I want to start with the use of the digital world when it is forced. When I was in high school the amount of time spent in the digital world was reduced to writing reports, making PowerPoints, and checking the schedule and school e-mail. The rest was all on paper or communicated through the teachers when we were in class. Compared to now when I am in university I find myself spending a lot of time in the digital world. Almost everything is online: the readings to prepare for classes, the papers I need to write, e-mails send to teachers and others about making appointments and asking questions about the course, talking with classmates on a group project and meeting online because schedules don’t align or we live far away from each other.
I don’t really mind that everything is done online, it certainly makes everything a little easier and quicker. I don’t have to physically be everywhere except for classes and that makes it a lot easier to plan the week and it makes social engagement outside of the student life possible.
the effects of the voluntary uses
The other side, the voluntary side, of the digital world is very adjusted to the individual. I use it to play games, keep in contact with my friends, watch movies and series, keep up with hobbies and interests, and go through social media. I spend the most time on the last two.
I have a several hobbies all having to with art in some type of way so have the ability to go online and find inspiration or buy an embroidery pdf-pattern for the next project is so useful. Sometimes when I go into a store and look at the embroidery kits I find it a little lacking in options, which goes hand in hand with the fact that you could easily find something you like online so stores have to provide the general favorites to be sure they at least sell.
I like to read and am definitely a fangirl at heart so I like to immerse myself in the fandom even though I don’t create my own content. Most of the fan content I see goes through social media platforms such as Instagram, Tumblr and more, because that is the easiest way to reach a larger audience but others like fanfiction goes through a website specifically created for that content. Those of the fandom community will probably know which site I am talking about: https://archiveofourown.org/. When you maybe first thought you were the only one enjoying a show or book now you can instantly find other who share that same interest and enthusiasm.
Most of my uses of digital media are positive. The only negatives I can find is when I look at social media like Instagram and Youtube. Because your attention is easily captured by the algorithm knowing what you like, the short attention span needed to enjoy the media, and the features designed to keep you engaged it unnoticeably (or maybe very knowingly) takes a lot more time from your day than you originally intended to spend on it. I find myself more easily procrastinating on school work because of this. I try to keep mindful of the time I spend on social media but it is always a bit of struggle. I even have a timer set on the apps I want to minimize my time on, but catch myself sometimes extending that timer or deleting it all together because I just can’t resist being on the app a little longer.
conclusion
Both the obligatory and voluntary uses seem to have mostly positive effects in my personal experience. While there are some negative effects they don’t trump the positive ones. How do you experience this?
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