Technology has created less free time, rather than more!

Thinking about your downtime/free time... Often, you switch on the computer in order to send an email and ultimately (in the end), you find yourself on a social networking site, for instance Facebook or Twitter, looking at pictures and reading the things your contacts have published.

To start with, I think that technology and mainly the social networks, have made people dependent on computers and mobiles phones. Nowadays, you can't live without technology. For example, your phone or computer. Besides, before we had access to the internet just through/via our computers and Internet, but now we can access the internet in everywhere!

This is exactly the reason why I left Facebook! And the fact that I found it so difficult to delete my profile, confirmed in my mind that it was absolutely the right thing to do, because I was addicted to it, and what's more, my contacts were definitely not real friends, and yes, it was definitely robbing my of my free time! It's a real vanity parade!

However, technology is just a tool! Ultimately, it is people that become addicts and waste time, through their own choices. It's not the internet or Facebook's fault (although, admittedly, they do try and keep us on there for as long as possible, with many different applications and features etc !). So we need to wake up and take responsibility for our lives, and what we do with our time.

But I definitely think that children should not have unlimited access to social networks, that time on computers should be limited, and that authentic social interaction and hobbies and sports activities away from computer screens should be more greatly encouraged.

Finally, I also think that parents should educate children about the transparency of the internet, so that they learn what they should and shouldn't post, for example intimate information.. or simply that not every event, holiday, photo, thought etc. has to be put on FB or Twitter! Social media can not validate or replace your life!

OK! :D Rant over! haha What do you think about my comments?

Thanks for the discussion topic anyway, and all the best for your English studies!

Let me know if you'd like to do a Skype exchange one day at 11am or 8pm Spanish time.

Peace!
Zé