Nowadays, people have real anxiety over the virtual connection. We absolutely need to stay alert, we need to stay connected and available for contact anytime and anywhere. This certainly can affect our lives in a positive way, giving us the chance to work remotely in an attempt to control our own schedules and juggle the housework and family life at the same time. And even if you don’t get the required reception to do that, there are devices to come to your aid. You can purchase a mobile phone repeater with super-powerful antennas, ready to fetch the slightest glimpse of a signal, in order to make your life more comfortable. But is this connectivity a blessing or a curse? Let’s take a look at both sides of the scale, by listing some statements.
- Connectivity saves time. You don’t need a lengthy meeting with colleagues when you can convey any important information via e-mail. Or, let’s take a more mundane situation when you want to meet a friend for a pint, but he can’t make it. Well, now he can inform you about it before you get to the pub, which equals practical time management. The phrase “time is money” took on a whole new value since smartphones came along. Carrying the world in our pockets, we prefer to call, rather than meet, and text, rather than call. Just because it’s less time-consuming.
- It allows us to work more efficiently. All of us have experienced office day-to-day life when the total of work hours differs from the official 8 and in reality, is only about 4. So why go to the office, when you can do the same work at home in your jammies? This is, naturally, not an option that works for everyone, but is certainly great for those of us who struggle with juggling many activities, trying to fit them effectively into a 24 hour day. With connectivity thriving all through the last decade, remote work is becoming more and more desirable, giving people control over their lives and more opportunities for effective time management.
- Connection with your loved ones. Many of us live away from our elderly parents or go on frequent business trips without our families. Isn’t it wonderful to video chat with your children, when you are in a hotel room so far away from home? Of course! Being able to call your dad even when you are out fishing on a boat? Naturally! Many of us have friends that we mostly keep in touch via social media, as they live on the other end of the world.
- High anxiety levels. Next to everything we have discussed so far, this seems quite depressing, but it’s still true. Many more people suffer from severe anxiety disorders than ever before. And the demographic has changed as well. Nowadays teenagers suffer from this disorder severely, and there are numbers to prove it. Naturally, they have so many things to deal with already, but connectivity puts an additional strain on the situation. It’s so dreadful, that every mistake you make at the age of 14 can now be potentially recorded and documented and put on the web to float out there forever for everyone to see. Can you imagine that? Every angry text, every fight you win or lose, every written word. It’s overwhelming enough for an adult to deal with, and can certainly be too much for a teenager to handle.
In short, like every great idea through human history, global connectivity can be used as a great tool to serve your needs and a curse that causes you pain and discomfort. So the only way forward is to be smart about this. Keep the balance. Giving your children a basic phone to be able to connect with them, is a good idea. But you might want to rethink that 11th phonecall, for making sure your son successfully put the dishes away or washed his hands before lunch. Teenagers need some privacy too. Working remotely from home is great, and you can get to work at 11 pm if you want to, but on the other hand, you have to allow yourself to rest, and be sure to fit that rest into the jam-packed schedule. Now rest means putting your phone away and having some quiet time, without staring at the screen. Keep the balance between the crazy rhythm of life and your own sanity, not to lose either one of them.
