What is happiness?
Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
What is the digital age?
The digital age, also known as the information age, is defined as the time period starting in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent technology introduced providing the ability to transfer information freely and quickly. It was a transition from traditional methods of working to working digitally.
How has the internet changed us?
The internet has changed the way people operate and conduct daily activities. Without the internet you wouldn’t be able to have vital business video call to connect parts of the company etc.
How does it affect my life?
I’m constantly using the internet and technology via my mobile phone. Without it I don’t know what I would do? For example I don’t remember what I did before I had the internet and my phone, maybe this is a sad notion?
What else could it do for us?
I think a lot more could be done with the internet in terms of connecting people but I also think that the internet needs to be used less. In some cases it’s good to search for things and find you are in a similar position to someone else which is comforting; however when you are trying to searching for what to expect when going to a concert for example you are missing the element of surprise and it’s good to not know everything all the time so you can live in the moment.
Collide of elements?
I want to start with the first element, happiness, what truely makes you happy? And I think for a lot of people it can be acknowledgement from your peers or anyone in general. Why would we spend time on social media documenting things if this weren’t the case. This is where the digital age comes in to play; as the internet and technology continues to grow it allows more opportunities for people to show their life through a screen. Often you find people videing an event or a life moment so that they can look back on or just to prove that it actually happened instead of living in the moment and living for now. I must say that I’m often in habit of filming things instead of just enjoying what is going on; sometimes I feel I should take a step back from technology and see how I cope. Now moving on to the notion of my future self, I think that in the future I will become even more involved in technology to try achieve happiness. As currently I use it to watch programs, to listen to music, to draw etc all things that entertain me and make me happy. I’m also a lover of food and the internet can even cater for that by ordering online. Therefore when I look to my future self I see myself using the internet and technology even more depending on the development of these.
In terms of what I want to achieve for my future self, I want to have a high reliable income that will allow me to do things I want to do whether it be by myself or with my future family. So although I would like to go in to a job in the design industry, if I can’t achieve this I will look for a job that will give me the high reliable income that I desire.
As a designer in the digital age it is important to have an online presence in order to be successful; to get the word out if you like. Therefore for my future self to have a successful future in the design industry I will need to have a presence online, whether it be on social media, blogging, a Linkedin profile etc.
