Blog Post Week 5

Judy Wajcman – Finding Time in a Digital Age

Technology, whilst useful in terms of productivity is increasing working hours, rather than decreasing them. This is mainly due to the nature of the services it provides. Emails and text messages are instant and everyone now has grown accustomed to being able to contact someone at anytime and gain an immediate response. Meaning we are all constantly connected to work and to eachother. This ultimately makes it harder for the worker to escape from work after their allocated hours for the week.

Constant connection and delivery is not just limited to your working life, but also to your life as a consumer. Most companies now allow you to shop online and some deliver same day, meaning that you can order a box of books from Amazon on the train on the way to work and they will be at your house waiting for you when you get home.

This chaotic lifestyle caused by instant information and communication serenaded by beeping notifications has brought on a trend of ‘slow’ living. This includes a Slow Food movement and Slow Cities.

I personally don’t think we should all start jumping aboard the slow lifestyle train. Information technology is still new and very much a novelty. Hence, why I believe people are overusing it. There is no reason to ignore it all together, the best option is to embrace it but try and integrate it into your lifestyle in a balanced way where it does not take over. I may be hypocritical because I am very much guilty of working ridiculously long hours and overloading my schedule, however, finding a balance is very important to remain happy and healthy, both mentally and physically.