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Transcript

It’s go time! A monster’s in your house and has your loved ones in some sort of mind control,

manipulating their thoughts and emotions. There it is!

Its battery may be down to 12% , but it's still dangerous.

Quick! Grab it before it reaches the charging cable. You’ve done it! Saved your loved ones against the horrible dangers of...

Well, let's be realistic. Even some adults find technology a struggle. So what do we do when it feels like technology is controlling our lives and we feel more disconnected than connected?

First, we recognize that it's not a monster with a mind of its own. It's an amazing tool that gives us access to the world's collective knowledge and fits right in our pocket.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses the same technology to communicate to a global membership, spread the gospel, and find millions of ancestors for temple ordinances. But there is a cost to everything, even good things.

A big price we pay is our time and attention.

The more a creator can keep our attention, the more they are paid, which motivates them to engineer techniques to hold our attention longer and maximize their profit. This is not new.

The food industry has engineered products to reach the “bliss point,”

which can send our sensory receptors into a happy dance.

Is it your fault that you want just one more?

Well, yes and no, because the food was engineered so that we'd always want more.

Technology has its own bliss point and guides our emotions, body chemicals, and neurotransmitters to sustain it.

Think of it like panning for gold.

There's an excitement and compulsion to keep searching for more.

So we dig and dig and dig until... Jackpot!

We found the mother lode—the unicorn sweatshirt of our dreams.

And it’s 50% off! Those feelings are triggered by chemical sensors in our brains that give our bodies a moment of bliss, so we want to stick around and keep digging to sustain that feeling.

Are you broken if you find it hard to stop using technology? Are you just spiritually weak? What it means is that you’re ... totally normal.

For many, it can be a legitimate struggle.

We're up against science, brain chemicals, powerful industries competing for our attention, and those darling cat videos.

It's not a fair fight. But Heavenly Father understands.

He loves us through our struggles and our Savior knows how we feel.

As we use technology with a purpose, develop a plan, and choose to pause, We can learn that we control our use of technology. It doesn't control you.

You determine the degree of positivity and peace you bring into your life.

Taking Charge of Technology: The Challenge

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Taking Charge of Technology: The Challenge - Technology can be challenging for all of us.
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