You are currently reading this on your phone, laptop, iPad or other internet-connectable device. There are multiple different outlets you could be reading this on: The Odyssey website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or some other social media network. The internet is a vast, powerful tool and it grows every day.
I am an 18-year-old journalism student and it is important that I keep up with this evergrowing platform we call the Internet. When I first started my first semester of college, it blew my mind how much was done online. Pretty much everything except physically going to class is done on the internet. Even in every day life you have probably realized how internet use and access has increased significantly within the last decade or so. From Dial-Up to Wi-Fi, from bulky Nokia phones to sleek iPhones, we have come a long way.
Today it is as easy as reaching in your pocket and pulling out your phone to be connected with the rest of the world. Social media sites are great for keeping in contact with friends and family, Google allows us to research information easily, even streaming a live sporting event is something we can do on our phones now. Last night I ordered a pizza on my phone and had it delivered right to my door, what a time to be alive.
With all of this easy internet access, it's not hard to be consumed and spend too much time on our phones. I do spend a lot of pointless time on my phone that I could be doing something productive. I think, especially for kids my age, pulling our phones out and checking them is a natural instinct when we have even the slightest of down time. I was riding the PRT the other day and realized every single person was on their phone during the ride, myself included. I've noticed similar things happen in other situations too. My friends and I will go out to eat and as we wait on our food the automatic instinct is to pull out our phones. We'll all be sitting there in silence on our phones, instead of having conversations with one another. Chick-fil-A is offering a solution to this problem, called the "family challenge." While eating, the family must place all cell phones in a box until they are finished. If they last the whole meal without checking their phones they get free ice cream.
I'm probably starting to sound like your mom at this point, "You spend too much time on that phone." I think our moms might have a point though. Technology is awesome, but is it taking away from our every day interactions with one another? Instead of tweeting your friend happy birthday, send them a card, instead of sending a long heartfelt text, write them a letter, instead of being on your phone at dinner, start a conversation. Ironically you're reading this on the internet, which I just said we should spend less time on. So go outside, talk to people and do some non-technological stuff this week.
