With new tech capabilities constantly on the rise, there’s little we can’t do without electricity, a wifi connection, and a few simple swipes of a finger. Technology has improved the way we live our lives in a myriad of way, yet we would be remiss to ignore the wealth of problems it has brought along with it.

Technology makes our lives easier as it allows us to stay uninterruptedly connected to the world around us. Yet, with its advancement continuously evolving, our engagement with our smartphones, laptops, fitness trackers, and other home devices is evolving as well. 

The new Apple Vision Pro looks much different than the somewhat revolutionary iPod Touch, introduced by Apple in 2010 as a touchscreen-controlled user interface. This was a pivotal moment in time for Apple, as they sold over 100 million units by May of 2013, with newer models evolving to this day. 

Released just 14 years following the iPod Touch, this spendy gadget offers an experience far from your, now average smartphone. Apple calls this experience, “spatial computing,” as this VR-like headset allows you to sit in your own world while looking at a digital one, says CNBC News. 

Although, Apple’s advancements wouldn’t be the only changes made in daily-devices. According to Emily Rose Barr, an author for No Sidebar, even devices as simple as thermostats look a lot different than they did 10 years ago. 

Although the internet’s invention can be traced back to 1969, the web as we know it today was first introduced in the 1980’s, making it a new commodity that gradually became accessible for personal use and business matters, according to DiscoverTec. Once prominent phone lines were eliminated (or at least severely reduced, replaced by broadband lines) and the internet as a whole took off, providing faster connections and allowing people to enjoy the birth of websites, blogs, music, and especially communication. 

Today, the ability to be personable in an online environment is doable, there’s an app for almost everything – including the one you may use to peep at guests through your doorbell camera. 

You might also see major changes in teaching dynamics and access to education because of technology. According to Purdue University, accessible books were rare in medieval times which only the elite could obtain, along with educational opportunities. Today, a surplus of information is available to anyone through the internet.

Formal, online learning is widely conducted in the classroom, essentially changing the roles of teachers and students. Traditionally, “the teacher is the primary source of information,” while students are unquestionably compliant, says Purdue. However, technology has enabled such immense access to learning it has shifted students towards a more asynchronous learning environment.

From “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side,” it’s normal for teachers to take a backseat approach while students take more responsibility for their learning – as it’s practically in their own hands on a more personal level. 

At this point, the evolution of technology seems never ending. It allows us to connect with loved ones across the world, and makes it possible for us to secure our homes, pay the bills, learn new recipes, and create art. It’s easy to have an attachment to our devices because they simply make our lives easier.

Even so, that attachment can quickly become dependence – a sense of reliability on things that don’t always need to hold the answers we’re searching for. According to Citizen Advocates, the use of technology has shown to be associated with a range of mental issues, “including anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.”

Although social media was designed to bring us together, in most cases, it has the opposite effect on face-to-face relationships. While the bombardment of notifications on phone screens increases the pressure on us to stay connected, the more we shy away from real, true connections outside of the digital realm.  

This cycle can easily result in a desire for isolation, spending more time with the media and less time investing in “in-person connections,” says Citizen Advocates. 

The point is that the more time we spend with technology, a gateway to an intense amount of information, the more we’re prone to isolation and disconnection from the physical world. 

It’s comforting to know that we can instantly connect with friends and family through the internet whenever we want. But that simply isn’t always the case. Negative social interactions, such as cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, and identity theft are almost equally as accessible as liking a friend’s post or commenting a few emojis. 

The authors of a 2016 systematic review found that those who had more positive interactions online appeared to have lower levels of depression and anxiety. According to Medical News Today, the reverse was also true; those who perceived their interactions to be more negative experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety. 

The authors also began to find an emerging pattern: both groups linked to a sense of togetherness, purpose, or life-satisfaction in spite of their interactions, concluding that our attachment to technology is unique to our experiences, yet nonetheless an unhealthy addiction. 

Finding a balance between utilizing technology and abusing it can be striking. Essentially, it boils down to the manner in which we use it, the ways we approach these devices without perceiving them as a part of us. 

According to Barr, it’s important for us to evaluate the relationship between us and technology, considering it ultimately “pervades each of our lives.” 

With new devices developing at a constant rate, technology keeps us in a “catch-up loop,” says Barr. As soon as you make the decision to purchase the trendiest, and undoubtedly most expensive, piece of technology, the next development might just be revealed the next day. 

In order to break this “catch-up loop” cycle, Barr suggests to consider your motivations first, “Are you feeling pressured to keep up with those around you? Are you an impulse buyer? Are you trying to fill a void?” 

While it’s no doubt we rely on technology for almost everything, according to the American Psychological Association, it is crucial to maintain a better balance between use and overuse. In doing this, we learn how to defend our sleep, manage expectations, be present, and use social media wisely.

Because most of your digital screens produce blue-light, researchers believe that it interferes with the production of melatonin, a basic hormone condoning sleep. 

This eye-aching trance combined with the overstimulation of a text or a tweet can make your head spin around for hours. So it might be best to turn notifications off and tend to them at a time when your brain is awake enough to plow through them. 

Managing other people’s expectations when it comes to communication can be a pressure on its own. It’s impossible to enjoy time alone disconnected from your phone if you have roaring emails from your boss, spam texts from your friends, or check-ups from your mom. Keep in mind that communicating you’ll be away for awhile is just as easy as replying back. 

We can each benefit from choosing to be more intentional when putting technology to use. Dinner time doesn’t have to look like zoning out into a screen while mindlessly chewing your food, nor does doom-scrolling have to be your go-to strategy for waking up in the morning.

Making the decision to set boundaries between you and technology is key to unlocking that equal balance. You’ll find that this one simple step can lead to an increase in staying present, a motivation for other hobbies, and a decrease in self-isolation and disconnection.