Love Without Smartphones

Technology, as a whole, has ruined traditional romantic progression. In today's world, we hold our phone more than we hold hands. In the Mad Men era, we would have to learn about one another through an actual conversation rather than getting a scouting report from their Twitter bio prior to your night out because describing it as a "date" these days would aggrandize the situation. Above all, people would have more of a connection with one another instead of being connected with the entire world. Dinner dates wouldn't be interrupted by nagging phone service and business app notifications and people would actually get to enjoy the company of those in front of them instead of those who are merely virtually present.After a few minutes of thumb scrolling I can find out a lot about a person. Just think about the type of effort that love in the relatively medieval times required. The hand cramping letters that took hours on end to complete because they wanted to get every word written is a testament enough; nowadays people have simplified emotions to 140 characters.

The Internet and the Pope

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it? The Internet presents a platform for communication, Pope Francis wrote, letting people of different faiths and backgrounds interact. The pope is using the message to promote open conversation about things like faith. Pope Francis also added that while there are positives on the Internet, it can also ultimately serve to isolate users from friends and family.Even though we have application such as internet phone services, it can still serve to tear us apart because communication is much too easy so we can act on our impulses. On the other hand, it can connect people that are in different countries. Talking using video conferencing programs has different dynamics than talking face to face and many experts are saying that the younger generation is losing the ability to communicate with other people besides on the internet and behind a screen. These are too sides of the same coin and we have been here before when other new technology such as the telephone came out. Where do you think that we are headed?

Secure Your Phones

Your smartphone is probably a much more tempting target for cybercriminals than your desktop computer, and unless you take proper precautions, it's easier to hack as well. Think of it this way: Your computer might have sensitive work documents, banking information or personal records, but there are only a few ways people can access those files — in person, via a network or over the Internet. Your smartphone is almost always on, connected to the Internet, logged into your email and social media and other mobile applications, and likely has at least a username stored for your bank account. Your smartphone contains as much sensitive information as your wallet does — more, if you count the contact information for your family and friends. A smartphone is a whole different beast. Hackers do not represent the only mobile threat, either. Leaving your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality activated when you don't need to do so represents a considerable privacy risk.

Unplug for a Day

Just the other day was National Unplugging Day. Would you be able to completely go off the grid for 24 hours? Many people would probably go into shock and experience anxiety symptoms because it is hard to just let go of your internet phone services and constantly being in contact with people. I realize that the demands of the business world is that you have to be available 24/7. There are time when we need to unplug though. Participants are encouraged to put away their phones, tablets, laptops and other Internet-connected doodads from sunset Friday to sundown Saturday for a digital sabbath. The time might instead be used for quiet reflection, communing with nature, reconnecting with family or friends, focusing on a project and even getting a rare, uninterrupted night's sleep. How awesome would that be?! Just let the important people know that you are going off the grid before you do. They might report you missing otherwise.