Are you too digitally connected? Listen to this
Source: William Powers
How tethered are you to your computer and smartphone? Has technology begun to rule your life?
For Lydia Kulbida, the key is balance. In a typical day, The WTEN-10 news anchor will check her Twitter account, update her Facebook status, send text messages to family, friends and colleagues at work, and maybe write on her blog. There are days she loses her balance.
"I call what I do logrolling," said Kulbida, "Sometimes my feet roll the log too quickly one way, then I quickly reverse course. When I catch myself watching television with the laptop on and smart phone in hand, it's time to turn something off."
Kulbida will share "logrolling" experiences during "Tethered 24/7: Staying Human with Today's Technology," a panel discussion on the role that mobile technology and social networking plays in our lives. The event, sponsored by The College of Saint Rose and the Times Union, is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Lally Building, 1009 Madison Ave., Albany.
Along with Kulbida, panelists include Saint Rose professor Cailin Brown, Times Union Arts and Entertainment Editor Michael Janairo, college student Ashley Young and Dr. Rudy Nydegger, chief of psychology at Ellis Hospital and professor of management and psychology at Union Graduate College and Union College.
Stephanie Snyder, a local blogger ― http://blog.timesunion.com/aprofessorswife ― and recent transplant to the Capital Region, plans to attend. Snyder is never more than an arm's length away from her iPhone and she regularly checks her accounts in Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Flickr. In a recent blog about her "social media addiction," Snyder acknowledged its benefits and costs. While on the train from New York City to Rensselaer, she Skyped (a form of video chat) with her mother in West Virginia. "Technology has eased the anxiety and emptiness that often comes with being away from loved ones," Snyder wrote. However, she countered, at the same time, "Technology has zapped much of the time that my husband and I used to spend looking into each other's eyes."
Brown, one of the panelists, agrees. While she maintains a distance from Facebook, she still faces the challenge of balance. "Technology has helped me better communicate with my students, but it's left little down time in my life," said Brown.
William Powers, author of "Hamlet's BlackBerry: Building a Good Age in the Digital Age," calls it the "conundrum of connectedness." An early adopter of new technologies, Powers uses Twitter and Facebook, and while he appreciates the benefits of social media and online connectivity, he sets boundaries. "It's up to each of us to make our own rules and design our own lives. We shouldn't give in to the impulse (to always be online)."
How does he find that balance? He goes offline on weekends. He turns off his modem. No Internet and no emails. "It's a mini-vacation from the crowd. I come back on Monday with a kind of calm."
Wednesday's discussion at St. Rose is free, but registration is required at www.timesunion.com/tethered247
mhuber@timesunion.com • 518-454-5069
Panel discussion
What: Tethered 24/7: Staying Human with Today's Technology
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21
Where: Lally Building, College of Saint Rose, 1009 Madison Avenue in Albany.
Cost: Event is free, but registration is required.
To register: www.timesunion.com/tethered247
Panel discussion
What: Tethered 24/7: Staying Human with Today's Technology
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Lally Building, College of Saint Rose, 1009 Madison Ave., Albany.
Cost: Event is free, but registration is required.
To register: www.timesunion.com/tethered247/
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