How much tech is too much tech?

I've had enough! I am officially done with this tech nonsense. Everyone reaches a point where too much is simply too much. From now on, I will leave my fit-bit at home. Welcome to my Ted-talk. 

I’ve seen gaming devices that take photos, tablets that can be used to communicate, phones that can be used as music players, step-counters that can be used as watches, and any possible combination of these elements.

Or, of course, you can spend a lot of money and have all of that into one device that you’ll love for one year, until the upgraded version comes around.

A bit pessimistic perhaps, but we both know you didn’t think this was goodnews.com, did you?

I truly enjoyed having a fit-bit, I did! Until it started becoming way too passive-aggressive for my liking. Finding the inner motivation to workout is hard enough even without the constant need to check if I got another virtual medal, or if the end-of-workout animation told me I’ve gone ‘above and beyond’ or if the end result of my activity was merely ‘nice’.

I am sure we’ve all heard what follows, if not said it ourselves trying to be edgy:

‘If I’m not wearing my fit-bit, all these steps don’t count.’

Or the self-indulging version:

‘I’ve hit my steps, that’s it for me.’

These sentences are the second most disappointing behaviour I started showing. If someone close to me said those things, I would have rolled my eyes so hard a typhoon would have started in Hawaii. Yet, I caught myself saying those very words.

And let me tell you something, just because you can do it, it doesn’t mean you should.

This can be applied to so many aspects of life, from using lamington cakes instead of buns in a burger, to nominate yourself as a presidential candidate.

It can also be applied to tracking your sleep, which would bring you to wear your fit-bit the whole day, to track what, until now, you had no need nor desire to track. It’s not that wearing a chunky piece of plastic around your wrist would make your sleep any better or tell you how to improve it.

Back at it with the self-scrutiny and external reinforcement.

So, I flung my hands dramatically in the air frowning and I said, mostly to myself: Enough with all this! I already gave up a camera because my phone can do both, then I gave up my engraved watch because the fit-bit could do more. What’s next?

Giving up my ipod?

I reflected on the idea of having a very expensive device that does all of the things, compared to having multiple tech items on you at all times. From a marketing perspective, I can see the attractiveness of selling five things instead of one.

I am calling it: in a very near future, we’ll go back to one device per activity. Prepare your pockets because that means:

Phone for calls

Camera for photos

Tablet for emails

Music player for music

Watch for time

Step counter for steps

Computer for websites

A map, or a TomTom, remember those? for maps

Gaming devices for entertainment

I already took a few steps in this direction by removing my fit-bit, resurrecting my ipod, and acquiring a Tamagotchi.

Thank you Ted, I’ll see you all on the other side!



Image: via