HOMEGROWN: Tech Trapped

I entered a crowded restaurant and noticed a table of eight sitting with bowed heads. I thought, “How sweet, they are saying grace.” As I walked by, I saw they were all praying to their cell phones. Three generations riveted to technology.

I have lived long but still carry memories of my grandmother and mother when their lives were “simple.” I wonder now what that really means, because even when I try to live simply, technology finds its way into my life.

They taught me how to cook using a recipe book or index cards, to scrub pots, do laundry, pick and can berries, use a dustpan. It was all hands-on. If any of us needed help, we went to a neighbor for advice or a cup of sugar.

Once upon a time, I had a wall calendar, a clock over the sink, a dial phone, a camera, scrap paper and pencil for grocery lists, a thermometer in the window, a 3-minute sand timer by the stove. All of those tools are now in my phone — everything I need for daily tasks in my pocket.

If I have aging yogurt in my refrigerator, I ask Siri for a recipe to use it up as a substitute. I can find out if the sun will come out tomorrow (probably not!). If I wanted, I could order groceries or dinner to arrive at my door. I don’t, but my neighbors do. Seems like a good idea on occasion. It saves time and fossil fuel.

If you have read some of my other ramblings, you know I am frugal, worried about planet warming, plastics, waste and on and on. Convenience is tempting, but it also makes me ask what is being spent somewhere else.

When I do dishes, I use a bucket to capture the cold water before it warms up. I use the water in my garden. It’s not big deal and makes a small contribution. Sadly, that contribution is (literally) a “drop in the ocean,” which comes from the Bible. Who knew the significance of a “drop” thousands of years ago?

Now we have information to inform us beyond measure — facts about our devices make that drop feel even more significant: construction of my phone used 32 gallons of water. Google data centers consumed over 5 billion gallons of water in 2023. Three bottles of water were used when I asked ChatGPT if it is wise for seniors to use AI.

Some have the courage and imagination to give up technology. I am not ready, but I’m worried — I used more water today fact-checking this column online than I saved in my bucket this morning.

Julie Fulkerson lives in Eureka and loves to share rhubarb cake with her neighbors. Full disclosure: she downloaded the recipe from the NYT!