This isn't an article bashing the use of smart phones and social media. I enjoy the connections social media offers to its users and enjoy seeing and sharing pictures of my friends. Being a full-time student, I don't have time in the morning to sit down and watch the news so catching up on current events online helps keep me educated. But there is a difference between using your phone as a tool and using it every single second. I am not saying that I am perfect, I use my phone sometimes when I shouldn't. But knowing that I am doing wrong is a step closer than some people who have absolutely no idea.
Don't have your phone out during class.
I am the first person to admit that staying concentrated during a lecture is very hard ,and I sometimes turn my attention to my phone. When I'm finished scrolling through whatever I'm looking that, I am so behind in the conversation that it takes so much time to understand what is going on. Why distract yourself when you can simply keep your phone away?
Do not make personal calls in public.
Just don't. I'm sorry that your bank account is empty and that you missed your doctor's appointment and that you and your boyfriend are fighting, but do not put others around you in your business. I'm standing within ear shot of you and already know half of your life.
Put your phone away during dinner.
If you're out to eat or eating with your family, for god's sake put your phone away. This is quality time you should be spending with those around you talking. Yes, talking! People want to use this time to talk to you, not watch you on your phone.
Don't illustrate your whole day on social media.
Nobody, besides you, cares about what you do from the second you wake up till the second you go to sleep. Stop sharing it; your breakfast bagel is just as irrelevant as the jumbo slice of pizza your eating at night.
Take pictures with friends, and don't turn it into an obnoxious photo shoot.
We all like the perfect picture, but when your photoshoot becomes distracting to the people you're around, something is wrong.
Eye contact.
There is nothing more disrespectful than trying to have a conversation with someone who is mindlessly scrolling on their phone. Look at the person, and pay attention to them.
Yes. It is very possible to go out and not put it on snapchat.
If watching your snapchat story feels like I was actually at the party then you care way too much about the idea of going out and care less about the people you are with. You can take all the videos you want from a night, but the best memories you can make are when your enjoying it with your phone away.
Be present.
Our generation grew up with cell phones. The smartphone industry blew up as we were getting older and that is just how it worked out. They are great tools but if your phone is an extension of your hand then you should step back and learn to just put it down. Realizing all of these things will increase your quality of life more than you think. You can get so much more out of life when you spend it with those around you. Our time in this world is short, much shorter than we think. Don't store every single second on the cloud, enjoy them in the present moment.
