The perils of upgrading a phone

old telephone exchange

This awesome vintage photograph was sourced from the State Library of Victoria’s digital image library.

I had been battling on with my iPhone 4s for a while. I remember when it was all shiny and new. One of the few 4s in captivity in Brisbane at the time. Ah, the perks of being in IT and friendly with our Telco rep. But gradually, over time, it faded and gradually crumbled. I mean that literally. This is how my phone looked in its last days:

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What is social media doing to our hearts, minds and imaginations?

What is social media doing to our Hearts Minds Imaginations

 

A few years back, I picked up a book called In the Shallows. I had read Nicholas Carr’s article Is Google Making Us Stupid?, and the author’s concerns mirrored my own. Was I losing my attention span? Was I finding it hard to consume information unless it was cut up into bite sized pieces? Was I craving validation through social media? Was I becoming a slave to the little device with the blinking light?

To be very clear, I love the internet and I think it’s more positive than negative. I also think that it needs to be managed carefully. I think it’s something we need to think about, talk to our kids about and I know I need to be more mindful of my use.  Here are some of my concerns and observations about the way social media and the broader internet is changing our hearts, minds and imaginations.

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What my old blog can teach my new blog

New Blog Old Blog

This is a blog post about blogging and blogging with heart. If you aren’t a blogger you might not relate to this post but I’d really love you to stick around. You might like to have a Monday laugh about the secret beauty & fashion life of mothers.

Still here? How lovely.

When Sarah and I launched this blog late last year, I considered myself a newbie. New to words reaching beyond family and friends. New to blogging communities. New to schedules and editorial calendars, optimised images, social media promotion and SEO. New to blogging courses, blogging super-stars and blogging competitions. But not new to actually writing a blog. When my middle son died suddenly and unexpectedly as a baby, I found solace in words. When my youngest son was born, I felt confident enough to place those words online. I created a blog called Chasing His Sunshine. I wrote and write that blog for the primary purpose of mothering my middle son. I wasn’t a part of any blogging communities when I started that blog – I didn’t know they existed. The blog was a visible and creative space for him in my life. Visitors to that space are always welcome, but they don’t validate the words. I have been thinking about the way I write at that blog, the way I write at this blog and the things I am in danger of losing sight of. Here are the lessons my old blog can teach my new blog.

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Healthy Social Media Habits + a Plan + Free Printables

This month I am focussing on the thing I spend a lot of time worrying about and not enough time doing something about: my social media and phone use. I love social media but I need to introduce healthy social media habits. My favourite social media is Instagram and my friend recently told me that you can buy real Instagram likes so I might check that out!!

Do you remember when mobile phones were just phones? And that was amazing? I remember those early models, big as shoe, clunky as hell and more status symbol than anything else. I remember when we used to regard those early adopters with suspicion – wanker phones we used to call them. Then we all got our own: indestructible brightly coloured Nokia bricks, with nothing more than a primitive game of snake to keep us entertained at bus stops. Smart phones happened and within a few short years the mobile phone that could access the internet became ubiquitous. Every man, woman and increasingly younger child has one. We are always on, always available, always plugged in. And I have to wonder if that’s such a great thing. Read more