User:LovellDavis1

By this time in my life, I have already interacted with various technological devices; everything from handheld games to Apple computers. Currently, I own an Apple iPhone and a PlayStation 4 gaming system. Both devices play a huge role in my everyday life; especially, my cell phone.I believe that technology is an extremely useful tool on a large spectrum. In all honesty, as a species, humans would not be where they are today without technology. However, without the right guidance and proper temperance, technology can be an overwhelming influence to anyone’s life. Growing up, I had limited access to video games. In my mother's household, playing video games was a privilege that was granted only during the weekends. How long I played was constantly being monitored and I was not allowed to play at night. On the other hand, at my father’s apartment, playing video games was practically considered my God given right. I could play whenever and however, as long as I was under his roof. Essentially, I lived out my childhood with two opposite viewpoints on technology. However, even though I grew up with two different viewpoints, I primarily related to my father's ethics when it came to handling devices. Because I spent so much time playing video-games at my father's house, I never learned temperance. My brother and I would play day and night without interruption. My father knew what was going on, but he never gave us the guidance on how to handle technology appropriately. At that time, being a child with all that power in my hands was overwhelming and I did not know what to do with it. As a result to my ignorance of temperance, my gaming habits never improved until they started getting in the ways of priorities. My mother did her utmost best to teach my brother and I temperance; which is why she made it so video that games were only played during the weekends. She influenced us to partake in more productive activities, yet I was hooked on the video games. All I can remember from my childhood was feeling the urge to play the latest video game. I did not care about anything else. Not to say I was obsessed, but I definitely had my priorities else where. My addiction was so bad, I used to sneak into my mother’s room at night just to play my games. This phase lasted until my mother pulled the plugged and exiled video-games from her household for two years. Ironically, my father just bought me and my brother our first smartphone. My attention then turned from video-games to cellular devices. At this point, a whole new world had been brought to my attention. My cell phone is a prime example of an object that interferes with my life. Growing up, neither one of my parents monitored my cell phone use. However, I still had the knowledge of their viewpoints on technology from my early childhood. I assumed that their views did not change, regardless of whether the device was a cellphone or a gaming console. At first, I did not know how to use my new distraction. So, how frequently the device was used was limited. However, slowly but surely, the addiction started to grow. At first I would just use it to contact my parents. Then I learned about application(Apps) on my phone. I downloaded a few games here and there, but I was not hooked yet. This was when applications were first introduced to cellular devices, so the quality of content was not enough to hook someone in just yet. But as time passed on developers got more and more creative. By 2017, thousands upon thousands of applications had already been created; given people such as myself, more and more reasons to go on the phone. Apps I use on a daily basis are the following: Facebook; Instagram; Snap-chat. In addition to the Apps, notifications, which did not seem to be a problem, became my new alarm clock. Every time a notification went off I would check my phone. It got so bad at times I would check my phone to see if the notification had arrived, rather than waiting for the notification to catch my attention itself. Sooner than later, I started checking my phone just because. I would log on and off just to waste time, instead of doing something more productive. It can be said in full confidence that my phone was used every hour on the hour unless it was dead. As a result of my addiction, my long term memory has suffered several casualties. The interference from video games and social media, prevented me from feeding my brain knowledge. Essentially, I let my long term memory decayed away, as countless days went to waste. However, regardless of the number of hours I spent on my device, I have made huge improvements on how I approach technology. I use to have “issues” with my control over technology, but now I function as a civil human being because of my new found priorities.