MarKeting McKenna

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Have you ever found yourself in a doom-scroll? Or maybe reviewed your screen time for the week and thought to yourself, how did I spend that much time on my phone? I know I have been there, but does technology make us more alone? I would love to share a personal experience.

During the pandemic in 2020, we weren’t allowed to be within five feet of others, going into multiple lockdowns, and not being able to see my friends and family as much. Although I did work at a grocery store and a retail store during this time, this in person interaction wasn’t the same. I am so grateful for FaceTime, texting, and connecting with my friends on social media, but I found myself resorting to technology a little too much, which ruined my sleep schedule, going outside, and less physical activity, and so on. Now a lot of this was due to my own choices, but as I resorted to technology more, I started to feel less and fell into a state of depression. There was a moment when I realized that this wasn’t okay, and I decided to make changes for myself. I remember it was a Sunday morning, and my screen time popped up for the week. I had spent about ten hours each day on my phone. I remember thinking to myself how disgusted I felt seeing that number and that I needed to make a change. I began finding other things to do, such as going for walks, writing in my journal, reading articles, spending time with my family at home, and timing my screen time so I wouldn’t spend too much time on my phone, as well as social media.

I share this story with you because I do believe that technology does make us more alone when it is  used in an excessive amount. There are many positive and great things about technology, but it is obvious that when there is no moderation, you can become depressed and too reliant on technology for your happiness. There is so much going on around us, and social media, video games, and television can make it worse. Now, I am not saying that these things aren’t okay or that you can’t enjoy watching a show with your family, playing video games with your friends, or catching up on social media. You can most definitely enjoy these things; it’s part of life. But it isn’t all of life. I would strongly encourage you to take the time to re-evaluate yourself and see how much time you do spend doing these things, and improve on them. Look at your goals and accomplish them, or pick up a hobby with a friend. Trust me, I do this a lot to make sure that I don’t fall into that state I was in back in 2020. Let me know what your technology-free goals are in the comments below.

Date Written: January 27, 2026