Sitting in my classes, I cannot help notice that everyone is constantly on their phones. They rarely pay attention to the professor. Some people are texting, some are on Instagram, and some are just aimlessly scrolling through their phone.
Then I realized that everyone is always on their phone whether they are walking to class, standing in line at the Husky, at the library and even when they are with their friends eating food at the Commons! But then I realized that I am addicted to my phone, too. I am constantly scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, you name it! Our generation is way too dependent on our cell phones and technology.
Take a look around campus sometime and observe all the people who are literally glued to their phones. It is unreal. Most people cannot go 15 minutes without sneaking a peak to see if someone texted them or what’s new on their social media. It is the worst when you are hanging with friends and everyone is just absorbed into their phones. Can we not just hang out with our friends and be entertained by just their company? Instead our faces are hidden into our screen, looking at what everyone else is doing on social media.
I will admit I am 100% guilty of the technology addiction. I am constantly on my phone and I am starting to notice how addicted I am. I always have my phone in my hand and I am extremely guilty of aimlessly scrolling through my phone whenever I am sitting in class or hanging in my apartment.
So why are we so attached to our phones? Is it because we are bored or need to pass the time? Is it because our phones have so many applications that keeps us so entertained and occupied? I honestly believe there are many reasons to why we are addicted to our phones but no matter the reason, it has to stop.
We need to put down our phones down and try not to pick it back up every 10 minutes. We need to enjoy our personal time with our friends and resist the urge to be on it constantly. I know it could be hard to not look at your screen for longer than 10 minutes but self control is the key here. There is no reason to be on our phones all the time and some say it is ruining our generation. It is making us not able to have conversations with people, making us unsocial and inattentive to our family, friends and life!
So I challenge you to put down the display and pay more attention to the people you are around. Take baby steps; maybe try leaving your phone at home when you go out to dinner so you are not tempted. I also hide my phone in backpack and put it on do not disturb during class so I am not constantly hearing my phone go off. Give yourself a break from your phone and learn to observe all the little things in your life like a beautiful walk home. We all need to take a step away from our phones and resist being ruled by our technology.