Maslow’s hierarchy of needs starts with physiological needs at the bottom. I can totally relate to this because I had a real reaction when I lost my phone once while I was in Korea. I started freaking out, trying to remember where I’d left it. I was worried about how I’d get around the country without a phone. I was panicking.

The next level is safety needs. I can relate to this from when I lost access to an account I used to play games on. Once I realized someone had hacked my account and I couldn’t get into it anymore, I started feeling paranoid. If they could steal that, what else could they get into?

Then there’s belongingness and love needs. Honestly, I don’t really relate to this one because I don’t use social media or care about it much. I’m not really interested in online connections or the whole social media validation thing.

For esteem needs, I use the app Strava to track my activity. When I see that I’m the most active person in a certain area, it gives me a little confidence boost and makes me feel good about myself.

Lastly, there’s self-actualization needs. I don’t really use tech for personal growth, but I guess taking online college courses would kind of fit into that category. It’s a way for me to learn and improve myself.