Sitting down and trying to do my work has been increasingly difficult as my life progresses. Especially since I started using technology to do it. Let's take Microsoft Word, for example, because a sheet of paper and a pen was hard enough let alone the freakin' dictionary. Now, all I have to do is open up another tab. Maybe it's technology or maybe it’s my complete lack of self-control, but the inability to concentrate is magnified through technology's availability to entertainment, constant socialization, and instant gratification.
I am watching Netflix right now as I write this. Perhaps, I could open up YouTube and watch interviews of the actors and writers of this show. In case you were wondering, I’m watching “Grey’s Anatomy.” How could I possibly focus on trying to figure out what “x" is when Dr. Sheppard is performing brain surgery on his pregnant co-worker’s husband on the same floor that the love of his life is holding an unexploded bazooka inside of a living body? Wait... what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, distraction. If Netflix wasn't around, or YouTube didn’t exist, I would know that “x” equals 1,523. Although, it’s even difficult for me to utter the words “if Netflix wasn’t around.”
First there was Facebook, and then came Twitter and then Instagram. Then the one and only iPhone popped up and now I have access to everyone I know in my pocket. No, this is not an ad for Apple, but when that phone goes off so do I. This means someone super-liked me on Tinder, started a new conversation or is continuing a previous one that we had to put on hold to attend to reality real quick. Ugh reality... it can be such a hassle sometimes.
The evolution of human interaction went something like this... Talking to one another, the town crier, letters, telephones, texting, FaceTime, Snapchat and then emojis... only emojis. Texting one person at a time wasn’t enough so group messages formed. Now, I can have a conversation with nine people forever. I can take a shower, eat a sandwich, read and watch the entire Harry Potter series, sleep for 11 days and still be able to look at that phone to see this group chat is still churning out messages like I never left. Alng with that, many computers connect with phones now. So even in class, the group message notifications continue to pop up uncontrollably and I answer them... every last one of them. Despite the overwhelming sarcasm I fall under all of these scenarios. Do not be fooled, I am a sucker to the system.
With the Internet being so easily accessible, we have information on any topic imaginable all the time. Though this is a good thing, it has flaws. Relying on my mind to figure out this math problem is just too much work, so I search Yahoo Answers. I also don’t have the time or attention span to read this chapter so Sparknotes is a fast way to kind of achieve this goal. Why try and advance my reading ability, right?
Taking a step away from academics, I look to YouTube to help me with everything else. I hate to admit it but, I once searched on YouTube “how to make coffee in an old fashioned coffee machine” because I couldn’t figure it out on my own and I really only tried for about 45 seconds before giving up. Also, I say “old fashioned” meaning that it was made in 2008. How sad. I find myself saying, “Ugh that’s so much work” more than usual.
Multitasking is a big factor in distraction but also this generation’s obsession. We love doing everything at once. It is not enough that Netflix, Twitter, Instagram, and Sparknotes are significantly distracting separately. We as people think we can do them all at once. For example, I can watch six episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" while failing my math course, keeping an input in the group message, looking up how to curl my hair and monitoring the likes I’m getting on a tweet about how my dog absolutely just winked at me.
I may just be the single worst example of distraction when it comes to social media, but I’d like to think this is relatable.
Dear God, I hope it’s relatable or I seriously need to seek help.
Maybe I'll Google it.
