Facilitating Joy (part 2)

The second thing I like about approaching technology as a facilitator of larger processes: it helps me think about what technology is best for a given process I want to participate in. Sometimes what technology you can choose from is simply pragmatic: how much does it cost? can you get it where you live? how much maintenance does it require? But, those questions can be put inside a larger frame work that balances how well a given technology can facilitate a process against the ways that it does not.

As I talked about a couple posts ago, I am trying to get some distance from my cellphone. When trying to think about why I have a phone and whether or not I want to keep it, I keep coming back to two questions. What does the phone facilitate? What other technology can facilitate those things?

I use my phone for a few main activities: checking e-mail, sending and receiving text messages, making phone calls, reading the news, listening to music, and playing Angry Birds or KenKen. But, none of those things is directly a process that I am trying to participate in. The e-mail, messages, making calls--all of these are about communication for work and with loved ones. Reading the news is part of staying informed and feeling connected to my multiple communities. Music and games are part of being entertained and distracted.

There are two questions to ask: Do I want to be valuing those processes? Is my phone the best facilitator if I do want?

I still hold that perspective that you can make a god out of most anything, and so it is important to question what you spend most of your time on. In my case, that means learning a distinction between just entertainment and things that are both good and entertaining. I don't think playing Angry Birds really enriches my life in a meaningful way, so that's an entertaining process I can probably give up. However, feeling connected to the world at large, but especially to my loved ones, is a process that is like worship for me. I have rituals of staying connected through reading, writing, calling, etc.

So, is my phone a good facilitator of those processes that I want to continue to value in my life? I think my phone does a pretty good job, but it comes with a lot of unintended consequences. Having it on 24/7 doesn't just mean that I have 24/7 access to that deep feeling of love and connection  that I am seeking. It does mean, however, that I am 24/7 accessible to work. There are a lot of great things about the ease of communication in my work (especially since it is all remote working), but that constant work connection can become part of my disconnection from the  more important processes of connection to my loved ones and even myself. My phone also keeps me connected to those processes that I don't value.