Technology is everywhere. Think about it. I’m writing this article on my Mac, with music coming out of Spotify, while video chatting with some friends on my iPhone. There is absolutely no way any student out there can survive in the 21st century without tech.
The rapid advances of technology has brought humanity to the future with innovations like wearable tech, autonomous vehicles and virtual reality. Devices that we, as kids thought were in the far future, are in the palms of our hands. Facebook creator and innovator Mark Zuckerberg, a man at the very forefront of the technology revolution, said that all this is primed for humans to become closer and connect and interact across the world. It is the young that are impacted the most, however, as we are the future. But for all the good being technologically advanced has done, it has hurt us a lot.
I am a prime example because as I sit here and complain, I myself am guilty of falling into the phenomenon of getting distracted by technology. I can’t really go five minutes without my phone. Facebook, Twitter and playing games on my phone are too important. And this brings me to my claim that accessibility to all the technology around us has a direct correlation to the increase in ADD / ADHD in all the lives of students. Students growing up in the 21st century know the pain of sitting in one setting and not being able to read a book or a textbook. It is hard because every little thing is a distraction. Let me walk you through a day in the life of a student (me in this case) doing homework and ask students if this applies to them and most will agree to this scenario. I open up a book and start reading, but my mind is racing. I am thinking of sports, of games and then my phone buzzes and it’s a text. Now, I need to check my phone. Oh, cool, and I reply, but now I have to check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. And now an hour has passed and I got no work done so I have to look up the book on SparkNotes. Did I really learn anything? No. Did I waste my time? Oh, yeah. It has become second nature and an obsession at this point. I have just described to you my four years of high school and my freshman year of college.
Having a phone is a blessing and a curse. It makes having personal relationships with other people easier because of easier connectivity but harder at the same time. It takes away so much of our time. Our lives are based on a 4.8-inch piece of glass, the average size of a smartphone screen. So think about it the next time you sit down to do work, to give it your full attention and not do anything until you are done. It is getting harder and harder to do and the only solution is to cut off the technology. Good luck getting any kid off their phone or laptop for an extended period of time, it has become our life.
