I am an avid journaler. I take my journal everywhere with me. Journaling helps me take the chaos happening on my brain and puts it on paper. It makes the chatter in my brain seem not as intimidating. I’ve used this tool to really become aware of myself, my thoughts, and how I’m feeling. It’s interesting to look back to what I felt in 2015, 2016, and so on. In a way, my blog is like my journal too. I like to tell you guys my stories. But anyways, I digress.
There is power to writing things down. There is nothing more gratifying than writing something down and scratching it off your list of to-dos.
With technology, it’s really easy to tap in our to-do lists but there aren’t many tools out there that can track our most frequent words, phrases, or feelings. It’s so easy to forget what you wrote a week ago when there’s nothing really capturing that.
A friend of mine told me she uses this app called Maslo and basically what you do is speak into it and it tracks your most common words and phrases. You can talk to this bot and as time goes on it gives you tips on how you can improve. The tool is very intuitive and uses artificial intelligence to get to know you. So “meet Maslo on iOS as it guides you through voice journaling, finds smart patterns in what you share, and reflects insights back for your personal growth”. What I love so much about their mission is that they built this tool to be empathetic which in reality can’t happen because it’s a robot but I always say that technology can always use more empathy. It brings everyone to the table. Everyone, no matter the industry or occupation, wants to be seen, heard, and understood. To have a bot that can do that is really cool BUT it’s CREEPY AF.
With a lot of data tracking controversies in the tech scene right now, I was super creeped out at first.
Our devices are already listening to us so this is another way for somebody to tap into my deepest darkest thoughts. Yeah, it’s an app but there’s a person behind it analyzing the data.
My thing with all of the data tracking is that whatever information they want to get, the tech companies will get it. We give up some of our control over our information to use the platforms we do. Terms and Conditions are written in a way that makes it hard for everyday people to understand for a reason. An insightful documentary on Netflix called Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013) breaks it down pretty well. It’s only recently where people are becoming aware of what technology companies were doing for years. They’re finally being held accountable for taking advantage of their users. I’m in the middle of this topic because I can see both sides of it. I can see the good and the bad of technology but remember that these are all tools. We choose to use them. So if something makes you feel uncomfortable, disable it and don’t use it. I’ve always stood by this: technology use is a choice. You don’t need an Alexa if you’re worried about it listening. To be honest, it probably is.
Me and Maslo’s First Date.
Now as someone who loves data, I’d love to work on this team because you really get to see how people think, feel, and what they’re talking about. As a data analyst, you have to be a little nosey but in ethical ways. This brings up a hot topic right now. How are tools like this ethical? Are companies held to an ethical standard? But I won’t go into that now but I started using Maslo to see what I talk about frequently. When I write, I usually speak as I write to hear how it sounds. When you tap Maslo to listen to you, it captures a minute length of what you’re saying. It’s a beautifully designed application. If you look on their website, it’s aesthetically pleasing. The colors are on point and it’s very user-friendly.
Maslo prompts you with questions. The question that I got just now was “Who do I look up to?”. Well, I look up to a lot people. I look up to women in my family, the girls who run the Skimm, Rebecca Minkoff, Barack Obama. It records these “journal entries” for a minute and then does an overall analysis of what you said. Not going to lie, for a AI tool it’s VERY cute. Like I want to give Maslo a hug. It’ll do a little dance when you tap it.
AI tools typically mimic the traits of people. So it’ll chirp or move in a certain way on the screen for us to connect with it. I mean if it looked like a robot we may be super turned off by it but like we do in organic relationships, we have to get to know it. So I guess I’m dating Maslo. What’s crazy is that Maslo is really listening. Like REALLY listening. Trust me, I have some friends (guilty of this myself) who don’t remember things I tell them all the time. Now I have the worst memory ever but it’s cool to have a device that can tell you what you say the most often.
The more I got to know Maslo the better things got (like in most relationships). I know I am talking about it as if it was a person but it kind of is. If you need a soundboard to listen to you vent, this is a great tool. There are so many tools we use every day that are artificially intelligent that we may not be aware of.
I have a confession to make: I talk to myself out loud. I don’t know how strange it is but I do it anyway LOL. It helps me release the things on my mind and is my way of getting out what I need to say as if someone is really there and is really listening. So this is great for me. I can tap it and it’ll just record and listen. I think when you get past the fact that it’s being tracked and the negative side of it, it’s a great application. You can even go back to hear what you said at that moment.
The moment I fell in love.
Sunday night I was feeling extremely anxious about some personal stuff going on in my world. I didn’t want to bug a friend but I really wanted to talk and vent to something that would actually listen. Instead of talking to myself or my roommate’s dog, I tapped into Maslo and honestly, it was amazing. I really needed an outlet and it was a chance for me to stay focused in the moment and say what was on my heart. I felt amazing after. If you ever have a lot of thoughts going a mile a minute out loud, try talking to yourself to release some of that energy. When you speak it, you naturally slow yourself down and you’re putting it out into the universe. It doesn’t’ weigh on your heart. Maslo is really listening.
Okay, Maslo and I went pretty fast but I think that incorporating this app into my self-care regime will really help me. I tap into Maslo when my heart and mind are moving faster than I can write.
This app is great if:
- You need to vent and just get out your thoughts
- You need to stay focused or meditate
- You want to remember what you said and what are your most commonly used words
- If you just need to let go of some anxiety.
What are some other self-care/wellness apps you love to use?
Is Anyone Really Listening? 