Week in Review | 05
How much tech is too much tech? Thoughts on being constantly connected, what it means to be our authentic selves, 3 jacket styles I'm loving for spring & more...
Since accidentally becoming a social media influencer as a byproduct of marketing my jewelry business (and thus having a career that is very connected to life online), I’ve been very interested in anything and everything I can read about the pros and cons of our modern technology.
Social media and smartphones offer a lot of wonderful things — the ability to stay connected to friends and loved ones who don’t live nearby, apps that simplify our lives, ways to share our thoughts & ideas with the masses. But they also have some major drawbacks, which I am increasingly seeing as making us less and less human and less and less ourselves. They quite literally take us from where we are and put us elsewhere (mentally, that is). Sure, personal computers have always done that for us, but now our computers are in our pockets, and we are never without them. We are never alone, never far from them, always connected yet more alone than ever.
I am the furthest person from anti-tech (I love modern life! I love technology! Living off the grid is an actual personal nightmare for me!), but I also am someone who really does not like to be manipulated. I like to be present, I like to form my own opinions of things, I to be in control of myself and my actions, and most importantly I really value true, authentic in-person connections. And smartphones make that very difficult to do without some kind of boundaries in place.
I don’t have any conclusions here, just initial thoughts, and I think that’s just fine. We don’t always have to make a plan when we get ideas. We can just let the information sit and simmer for a while, and let new actions come to mine as we ponder it. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
One idea I have is to bust out my Light Phone II again and use it as my primary phone (moving my SIM from my iPhone over to it so I don’t have to change numbers). If I did that, I could still use my iPhone for work purposes, I’d just need it connected to WiFi. Not 100% sure on this yet, but it’s my most recent (and most realistic) idea so far. If any of you have found success with having a tech-focused career and a low-tech personal life, I’d love to hear how you’ve done it.
For anyone else pondering less attachment to devices and craving more time to think, process and experience life face-to-face, here are the books I’ve read (or am reading) on the topic that have my mind swirling with possibilities and admittedly kind of wishing I had been an adult in the 90s, before smartphones took over the world…
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--And How to Think Deeply Again by Johan Hari
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (highly recommend for parents!!)
Thought of the Week
“Take away what you wear and what you buy and what you consume. What’s left? What are your values? What do you stand for? Because I’m pretty sure back in the day when people described someone as being true to themselves, as authentic, they spoke of character. Decency of character. Someone who lived a life in line with their values; whose actions aligned with their words; who did the right thing without deceit. Now we’ve convinced a generation that their authentic self is the personality they built out of products or the self-esteem they borrowed from surgeries.” — Freya India, “You Can’t Buy An ‘Authentic Self’
3 Jacket Styles Carrying Me Through Spring
Blazers (my favorites are this, this and the one-of-a-kind ones from this brand)
Shackets! (I have this one, I have a similar one to this one, and I also love the look of this denim one. I ordered a patchwork denim one by Freda Salvador x Born to Roam and am really hoping it’s going to fit because it looks very cool)
What I Wore This Week
Over the past two weeks, what I thought was a random breakout developed into what I now know to be “perioral dermatitis” and let me say, it’s been humbling! After years of what I could honestly call the best skin of my life, it’s been a great opportunity to practice what I preach:
This look was my personal favorite from the week — really loving the vibe of an oversized button down, wide leg jeans and sandals lately:
Currently Reading (Plus 5 Great Posts I Read Recently)
I finally finished The Fury and Alone Together, and started reading Anna O by Matthew Blake this week. I’m going through it so quickly — it’s a great read so far and has a really fascinating plot.
I’ve also been reading a lot of Substack posts now that I’m publishing things on here — below are some that I enjoyed reading this week and thing you’ll enjoy as well!
How to Be Human | “How to be human is not only the most meaningful lens through which to see the world, it’s also the most accurate. I am fundamentally not a computer, I am a human, but when I see my device as an extension of me, I run the risk of conflating the two, and losing touch with the fundamental needs and realities of what it means to be human.”
It’s Okay to Be Curated | “That’s been a big critique about social media — that we’re only showing a curated part — but I actually think we could use more of that. Because who really deserves to know the best and worst parts of you and your life? Who gets to have access to those you love the most? Who can you trust with the most intimate details about yourself?”
You Should Be Dressing Uglier | A quick read that’s a great reminder of what personal style really is, and why it’s so important to take risks, experiment and have fun with it all.
How Our Phones Hack Our Brains | “In fact, our phones (or, more specifically, our most problematic apps) have been deliberately designed to mimic slot machines—which is why tech experts themselves often refer to our phones as slot machines that we keep in our pockets.”
Until next time!
xx
Natalie
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I’ve been feeling similar about my phone… I want the life of a “dumb” phone, but also I rely on the Garmin app to communicate with my elementary-age kids watches, I listen to audiobooks on Spotify, read in Kindle, etc. SO all this to say, I have moved all of my “problematic” apps to a super old iPad my kids no longer use. They’re not gone, they’re just less convenient (and the iPad is so old it requires old versions of apps, so they’re clunky and slow 😂). I’m only a few days into this experiment, but I think it has potential!
I've found the easiest way for me to still be connected but not constantly checking is Instagram on a computer vs phone. It is not an exciting or riveting experience on a computer! So it doesn't keep me lingering and mindlessly scrolling! If I have the app on my phone, try as I might, I open it constantly and 20 mins go by.