What is Mindful Technology?

In the past 20 years technology has risen to one of the most important elements in our personal and professional lives. The United States sits at the top of the list of countries who spend the most time online. Recent polls show Americans spending close to two and a half hours on social media each day, adding up to 6 years in a full lifetime. No one can dispute that technology brings benefits. How it has changed the work force is exponential: increasing efficiency, speed, creativity, communication, and overall productivity. It has also become a go-to for entertainment and even relaxation. What is also undeniable is that the amount of time we spend online can impact our health.

Addiction to social media can lead to an excessive amount of time spent online, lack of sleep, and a neglect of friends, family, and self-care. Psychiatrist Judson Brewer, a leading researcher on technology addiction speaks to how we can work with the addiction in this ted talk: Judson Brewer: A simple way to break a bad habit | TED Talk. Being mindful does not mean going cold turkey from technology all together. What is important is to reflect on our relationship with technology, exploring our experience of being distracted, setting balanced boundaries, and making conscious choices. Using technology mindfully means making purposeful online choices. If each of us commits to more conscious, compassionate, and balanced use of technology, we can make online use a mindfulness practice and bring humanity to the digital age.