Each morning, before I walk out my door, I have a small (sometimes
unconscious) routine of patting my pockets.
o
Wallet? *Pats my right butt cheek* Check.
o
Keys? *Pats my left front pocket* Check.
o
Cigarettes and lighter? *Pats my outermost backpack pocket* Check.
o
Phone? *Pats my right pocket*
Wait! Where is my phone?! Crap, I have to leave in
2 minutes. Cue the destruction of my entire bedroom. I had to leave that
somewhere. Maybe I could call it? Oh, wait… I don’t have a phone. Should I just
go to class without it? No, I have too much going on today I’m not gonna be
back at my apartment until later tonight. I can’t go that long without my
phone. What if there is a natural disaster? What if a close friend dies? Or
worse! What if my mom tries to call me? That shit will not fly!
Okay, so maybe I have a problem with being attached
to my phone. But so does everyone else my age. Right? In fact, I’m gonna google
that right now. (And no, I didn’t google it on my phone.) Okay, so the facts
show in an article by USA
Today that teens are becoming more and more dependent on their phones. So
much so, that their heart rate can lower when they are away from their phone.
These teens feel under stimulated when they don’t have something to constantly
avert their attention from certain tasks like chores, homework, or you know…
making eye contact with someone else.
So I guess the question is, is that a bad thing? I
mean, technology is a big part of our lives. And quite frankly, technology is
probably not going anywhere. If there were a time in the future that humans
didn’t use technology, I would guess there was some kind of apocalypse. So why
is a dependence on technology necessarily bad?
In my opinion, it’s not the dependence on smart
phones that is necessarily bad, but the affects can be overwhelming. Studies
have shown that people with smartphones’ memory are not nearly as proficient as
those who do not depend on a smartphone. Studies have also seen patterns of children
not developing proper social skills if too dependent on smart phones or other
technologies. So what can we do in order to make sure we can have smart phones and smart people?
I’m not gonna sit here and act like I’m able to
provide an answer to that question. But sometimes when someone has too much of
something the answer can be simple: cut back. Why do you need your phone to
tell you how to find the building two blocks away? Why browse Facebook when you
might actually make a friend at that party? Sometimes, limiting your data use
can be nice for your sanity (and your bank account). So next time you are
feeling a little lost (even when you might actually be three doors down from
where you’re supposed to be) just go ahead and ask that random stranger for
directions. You might be surprised what can happen when you step outside of
your comfort zone. After all, we’ve seen that computer mediated communication
might not always be the best anyway.
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