How does each level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs relate to my experiences with technology? Below I have split up each level of need with examples on how it relates to my personal experiences with technology.
Physiological
Technology does not fulfill our basic life necessities like water, food, clothing, and shelter. However, technology has become a physiological need for most people. For me, when I wake up the first thing I do is check my phone for any messages from family or friends. As well as always making sure I have my phone on me. Without it I become anxious, I feel like I need to always have it on me in case a family member, or myself, has an emergency.
Security & Safety
Ensuring I take the proper security and online safety measures on all my devices is extremely important to me. If any of my devices ever got a virus, I would become very anxious and even a bit scared. I wouldn’t want any of my personal information or pictures to be exposed or even lost. I also always make sure I keep my devices in secure places. When I go out, I always keep my phone in my crossbody bag that has a zipper on it. I can’t imagine losing my phone and all the precious pictures of my son and loved ones.
Belongingness and Love Needs
I used to feel accomplished, like I belonged, and that people liked me when I would receive lots of likes and comments on my posts but as I got older, I realized it doesn’t really matter how many followers or likes you get. I don’t need social media to feel like I belong. I now just use social media to stay connected with my family and friends. Without staying connected through social media I wouldn’t be up to date on what was going on in their lives.
Self-esteem
For me, social media used to strongly influence my self-esteem. I’ve had social media since I was eleven years old (which isn’t good I don’t recommend younger kids to have social media unless it’s monitored daily) and social media used to ruin my confidence. At that time many people were posting “How to look pretty” and “How to lose weight to be pretty” on top of being severely bullied. Social media strongly influenced how I felt about myself for the longest time until I got to be about seventeen and realized it shouldn’t influence my feelings.
Self-actualization
Becoming more self-aware put me on the right path. It really helped pull me away from “standards” that influencers have and realize I can do anything I put my mind to and just because someone is doing one thing or further ahead in life doesn’t mean that I won’t get there or can’t do something. It helped me realize everyone is going through life at their own pace and I shouldn’t compare myself or my life to others on the internet.