Put Your Phone Down
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Lifestyle

Put Your Phone Down

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Put Your Phone Down

Smartphones define our generation and allow us to be more social than ever before, yet they can  become the most anti-social item in our possession. 

We live in a technology dominated world with touch screens and iPhones and all kinds of crazy communication technology that is designed to make our lives simpler and more complicated at the same time. Fifty years ago, televisions were not found in every household, and a remote control was a revolutionary idea. As I type this, I am sitting on the couch with 12 tabs open on my laptop while flipping between multiple channels on the television and glancing at my phone to see Tahni tell me that my tweets are stupid in The Odyssey group text. I do this every day. Our generation has grown accustomed to this fast-paced social connectivity, but in my opinion, a smartphone is the most antisocial item in the room.

When you are in a crowded bar and you are waiting for your friends and alone, what do you do? If you are walking down the sidewalk and you do not want to make eye contact with someone, what do you pull out of your pocket and look at? I can’t make it through a boring lecture without flipping through at least 15 apps on my phone. A device created with communication in mind has become our go to for ignoring people. 

There are few things more annoying than having a conversation with someone and realizing they have not heard a word you said because they were playing flappy bird. It is downright rude and anti-social. This problem became very apparent when we were having our pregame festivities for a Valentine's Day formal. We were all in my living room watching music videos and socializing and taking cute pictures. Said pictures were immediately Instagrammed. Festivities proceeded, and we realized that a certain Tri-delta, whose name will be omitted, but rhymes with Shistina Shim, was keeping to herself, and constantly refreshing her Instagram feed to see if she got any new likes. 

We all have friends like this, and I have some advice. Just as we have been doing, when you are in a social setting, place your phones in a pile in the center of the table, or pass around a phone bucket during a Super Bowl party. Just put the damn thing down and communicate with your friends in the room, in the now, and with you.

You will have plenty of time to lament on social media when you have graduated and are living alone in a random city wishing you were back in college.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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