For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life,
please press three.—alice k ahn1Of all my technologies, my smartphone probably
brings with it the most blessings. I am ever appreciative that its map applications
can guide me and my car to my destination with suggested routes if traffic piles up.
It streams whatever music I choose and pulls up e-mails so I can be productive even
at red lights. The apps, sites, and programs allow me to explore cities around the
world within seconds. It delivers to me online gifs and memes that make me laugh,
and I have even built meaningful professional relationships through its social
media platforms. In my classes, the collaborative, digital, and virtual
capabilities allow me and my students to transform our learning in innovative ways.
Sometimes I sit back in admiration and warmly think, thank you for being there,
right in my pocket, whenever I need you. But, as in some relationships, the burdens
—individual and social—become evident with time and reflection. I rely on my
smartphone and when things are not working, I get frustrated quickly, particularly
if a room full of students are waiting on me to fix the problem. At times, the array
of apps can be distracting when I am trying to listen to someone else, fall asleep
for the night, or read something longer than a tweet. The ways in which my
smartphone beeps at me can cause anxieties when I want calm. And, I know my
smartphone sends all my data to a variety of companies who then sell my information
off for a tidy profit. I also know that my smartphone was likely created at a
monstrous factory in Zhengzhou, C
