Devilish Devices

Three things in my life are extremely annoying: canker sores, my little sister, and electronic devices.
I love my computer probably more than is healthy. I use it several hours a day for writing, schoolwork, and occasionally pleasure. I started saving up for my first computer when I was ten years old--not so I could play on it, although I did a bit of that too--but so I could write on it. I didn't want to go through the hassle of writing a book in a notebook then erasing every single word I wanted to change. And if you wanted to add a sentence or a scene in the middle of a page, what did you do?
I didn't get internet access on that first laptop--a purple HP purchased by my late grandmother--until I was twelve or so. Then, I could use it to research. I could look up any useless fact I needed to in a matter of seconds, rather than waiting until the next time Mom took me to the library, then forgetting what I needed to research and ending up with a Boxcar Children mystery instead of an herb book.
That's about where the usefulness of electronic devices ends.

First up, tech wastes time. Sure, they shorten a few tasks--typing is faster than handwriting, and emailing might take less time than a phone call--but having your brain kidnapped by Pinterest can lead to three hours of mindless scrolling through cat memes and How to Train Your Dragon fanart. Three hours that could have been used to clean house, weed the garden, or do pretty much anything else productive. I'm guilty of this, too. Unless you're super-disciplined, it's far too easy to get sucked into the World Wide Web and only come out for snacks.
Screens themselves aren't the greatest for you. I wrote a paper on the use of technology in schools in my junior year of high school. I researched quite a bit and realized that staring at electronics isn't good for peoples' mental or physical health. Besides the obvious eye strain and headaches caused by the excessive use of technology, we also end up with bad posture, weight problems, and trouble sleeping. All of these things can, in turn, cause more problems. One of my sources even said that the mental effects of too much screen time could resemble a mental disorder.
I use an app blocker on my phone called Stay Focused. It limits how much time I can spend on each app and even shuts off certain apps during certain times of the day, meaning I can't watch YouTube or Google anything after 10:30 p.m., when I should be sleeping anyway. Technology is kind of like chocolate cake. It's good in moderation, but too much is more trouble than it's worth.
What's your favorite use of technology? Do you think it's too widely used in modern America? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!
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