i-Addiction

Hi, my name is M and I have an i-Addiction. I used to be the person who clung to my simple, no-nonsense mobile phone handset for dear life (I don’t deal well with change). I turned my nose up at reading the news and books online. I resisted the urge to link my email account to my phone. I thought social media required too much effort and that other applications were a waste of time. When MOH (My Other Half) finally convinced me to upgrade to a Smartphone, a whole new world opened up and I haven’t looked back. These days, my i-Phone is like my fifth appendage.

I now have a telephone, personal assistant, GPS, camera, web-browser and portable media player all rolled into one sleek, slim, little package that can fit into most of my handbags. I can catch-up on the news (both the current affairs and Facebook kind) at anytime and from anyplace. I can be in the middle of nowhere and still do my banking and shop for ‘essentials’ (MOH didn’t quite know what was happening when two tubes of mascara turned up in his office mail and I wasn’t even in the same State). I can navigate my way around unfamiliar places with the help of the trusty little, blue dot on my GPS (if only it had footprints to indicate which way I should be facing it would be perfect). I can release my inner child and amuse myself with sorts of games (“Angry Birds” anyone?). Best of all, I can keep in touch with family and friends from all over the globe with the flick of a button or two, helped by the fact that I have no less than three (yes, three) email accounts linked to my phone.

Basically my entire life (well a good proportion of it) – contacts, appointments, events, reminders, notes, pictures – is in my phone. If I lost my phone, I would be lost (both figuratively and literally as I really cannot find anything without the help of a GPS). This leaves me wondering whether I’ve crossed the line from this technology being something that supports my life to something that has taken over it. When MOH and I were going through a “Words with Friends” phase, we found ourselves playing this game while seated next to each other on our lounge. At that point, I wondered if someone needed to stage an intervention! I decided that I should implement *gasp* an i-Ban. But then, what if I need to Google something?

Perhaps it won’t be a total ban (baby steps, M, baby steps). It could be something like switching the i-Phone off after 8.00pm. After all, I definitely don't need to be this ‘connected’ all the time (receiving calls and emails from work while on a holiday is not a good thing). So I am going to take a deep breath and tell myself I can do this. I can be strong. I can walk away from my i-Phone without looking back. Well, maybe just one little look to check that everything is okay. And just so we’re clear, the i-Pad doesn’t count right? ;)

Does anyone else feel this way? Have we fallen into the trap of letting technology overrun our life or even replace it?