From radio broadcasting to video conferencing, commercial air travel to GPS navigation systems, and the World Wide Web to artificial intelligence, we live in a time where virtually anything imaginable can be accomplished with the click of a button, well, more accurately, the touch of a screen. Technology has enriched our lives in countless ways, from a smartphone connecting us to friends across the country to a robotic arm performing spinal surgery, many of us have no idea what life must have been like before such developments.

At least, that is what my grandmother always said. Born in 1913, she experienced more technological advancements than anyone I know. She would tell stories about meeting my grandfather when their covered wagons crossed paths on a dirt road or buying their first Ford Model-T, often reminding me that I had “no idea what it was like.” And she was right. My grandmother witnessed everything from the television to FaceTime, which was the last way we communicated before she died.

Technology is amazing, and I certainly do not want to travel via covered wagons. However, we frequently overlook the tech industry’s underbelly, failing to realize that many platforms and devices are hard-wired not only for distraction but also for addiction. The rapid pace of development, especially since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, has pushed us to keep up without considering the overlooked (yet intended) consequences for the consumer.

In this spring issue of Focus on Artesia, we take an honest look at technology’s impact. We offer a challenge both individually and collectively, not to call for a ban on technology but simply to pause and consider its short- and long-term impacts. It is not lost on me that we publish this issue while typing on computers, send the pages electronically to a printer in a different state, share the content on our website, and promote it through social media. Technology is beneficial, but when used unchecked, it often leads to addiction that is not only seen as normal but worse, is socially acceptable. As our minds loop with what we might be missing online, we are actually missing life. We must carefully weigh the cost-benefit of electronic use, especially social media, and admit the global shift from a beneficial tool to a manipulative master.

With each new publication, I feel a renewed connection to and thankfulness for the Artesia community. Thank you, sponsors, contributors, and readers, who continue supporting Focus Community Magazines. We share this town—our churches, schools, businesses, medical facilities, coffee shops, and restaurants. We live life together daily as our paths cross in these common spaces. Therefore, we owe it to each other to resist the undercurrent pulling us downward in the palm of our hands and instead, look up to real, actual life. Let’s care for one another enough to put away our devices and link in real-time.

Because I cannot imagine a better way to connect.

Allyson Joy
Associate Publisher