Hi, I'm Mac.
My laptop is comparable to a third arm. It is extremely useful to have but I don't really need it. It seems as those most college students could not live without theirs (their computer that is, have yet to see a third arm). Take a stroll through almost any building on campus and you will see a bunch of hunchbacks looking at their screens sitting almost anywhere they can find open (guilty). Education shaped by technology. Intelligence shaped by the best software updates. Efficiency shaped by the speed of the internet. College students shaped by their laptops. Me shaped by my Mac.
I use my laptop for education such as typing papers, conducting research, writing emails, doing assignments, reading textbooks, and studying in its many forms. I use my laptop for fun as well including watching Netflix, exploring Pinterest, connecting with friends, booking trips, watching YouTube videos, renting movies, and booking entertainment. I use my laptop for personal uses as well including banking, apartment hunting, gym membership managing, job applications, online shopping, finding recipes, and home improvement tutorials. Without my laptop and a solid internet connection, my life would be a lot harder than it is.
Of course, I could use my phone or other computers provided on campus, but it is the ease and mobility as well as functionality that I enjoy. I can use my laptop in a campus library or sitting in my hammock by a lake. I can do my own thing knowing that I can bring my laptop with me anywhere to do my work. I can travel to see my family and just throw my laptop in my carry on. I can head out to the lakes up north and just throw my laptop in the back seat. I can study with a friend at midnight just making sure my laptop is fully charged. My computers dies, my productivity dies.
My laptop is portable, fast, and efficient. It is always with me to each one of my classes, meetings, and free time. I bring it on trips, back home, to work. It is always by my side. It sleeps and recharges when I do. It works when I do. It figuratively is my third arm. I do not need it but life is pretty great to have it by my side. It makes tasks easy. It makes me more efficient. It makes me more productive. It has changed me into a hard-working college student. It has made me addicted to my Mac. I need my laptop. I need it.
Not only has it changed my productivity and efficiency, it has changed my physical being. I get more migraines now that I am constantly looking at a computer screen. My posture is at the worst it has been in my life. I find myself being lazy in my free time because I would rather watch Netflix then go for a run. It affects my psychological being as well. I see "perfect" people and social media making myself feel worse. I hear all the "should" statements we need to be doing and I feel inadequate. Yes, it has changed me both for the better and for the worse. The good must outweigh the bad or else we should stop. Right?
I appreciate that you considered both the good and the bad here. I seemed to solely focus on the negative aspects of technology in my post, but in reality I can't complain too much since I really couldn't live without the benefits of technology. I think we forget how efficient technology has made our lives (especially college life). Just as I discussed, my posture has been hindered with an increase in technology in our lives. Still, are backs are smiling because no longer do we have to lug around heavy books. For the most part they are on our computers. In any advancement, there are pros and cons. However, since "logging-on" is so addictive, it is important people find moderation in their technology usage for their mental health sake. Thanks for sharing - cheers.
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