As I walk through campus, I see the same scene every day: everyone staring at their phone. Although I am guilty of doing this myself, I find that I no longer have authentic conversations due to the distraction of my phone. I would like to have one conversation with my friends or family members without having to check my phone every 10 seconds. Therefore, I am no longer going to have my cellphone out while having a conversation with someone. I am going to focus on the face-to-face conversation I am having instead of worrying about how many likes I am getting on my newest Instagram picture. I admit that I am addicted to looking at my phone, so this will be a challenge. However, I want this challenge to change the way I communicate with people and the amount of attention I give to the person I am talking to.
I came up with this challenge for myself when I walked through campus this morning and saw everyone looking at their phone instead of at the person they were talking to. Then, I walked into class and saw the same situation: everyone starting at their phones. Although I love technology, I find that the constant distraction of phones takes away from legitimate conversations in relationships. I want to have a conversation where I look at the person I am talking to, instead of my cellphone.
Not only am I challenging myself to not look at my cellphone while I am having a conversation, but also looking at it less overall. Instead of looking at my phone when walking to class, watching television, or doing homework, I want to focus what I am doing and finish what I need to get done. I find myself constantly checking Instagram or Snapchat, despite the fact that nothing important was happening five minutes ago. Instead of focusing on what the Kardashians or the people I never talk to are doing, I need to focus on myself and the people in front of me. I also want to break the habit of waking up every day and checking all of the social media apps on my phone.
The world around us is constantly focused on technology and the newest invention, but I want to go back to the time where none of that was a distraction. I want to call my friends or talk to them in person instead of simply communicating over text. Texting and technology almost makes it too easy to have a conversation. We can text anyone at any time and expect them to reply with an answer instantaneously, but real conversations take more work. I want to call my friends and have a real conversation about how their day was or what struggles they are currently facing. Also, emotion is more easily conveyed when you can actually hear a person's voice or see their face instead of looking at the emoji they just sent.
Since the holidays are approaching, I challenge everyone to put down their cellphones during family gatherings and talk to their loved ones. I recently lost my great uncle due to cancer, and I wish that I had paid more attention to our conversations instead of looking at my cellphone. After losing him, I realized that I need to focus on the people in front of me because I should not take our conversations for granted. That is why I am putting down my cellphone.
