Don’t get me wrong; technology is great. I find it simply astounding that we have such quick access to so much information. We can also talk, text, tweet, and double tap right from our smartphones. But when does this appreciation for convenience a smartphone provides become an obsession? Look around campus and you will see hordes of students walking to class, eyes locked on their smartphones. Go to a social gathering and you are sure to find people scrolling through Instagram instead of enjoying the company of those they are with. Have we gone too far? I propose four reasons we should spend less time on our phones and more time enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
1. You’re not getting the sleep you need.
Your iPhone is wreaking havoc on your sleep patterns. Melatonin, the hormone that calms you and prepares you for sleep, is released in darkness. Scrolling through Twitter and watching Snapchat stories before you go to bed interrupts this pattern and makes it harder to fall asleep. In one study, people exposed to fluorescent lights produced 40% less melatonin and felt more awake an hour after lights were turned off (1). So next time you get into bed, put your phone away. Read a book or stretch instead; it will help you get a better night’s sleep and that funny tweet will still be there in the morning.
2. You’re missing out on better relationships.
My friends and I enjoying a phoneless dinner on spring break!
Think back to the last time a friend started to tell you a story that you had already heard about from some sort of social media. How much more would you have enjoyed the story if you heard it in person first? We are so connected with each other’s lives online that a funny story becomes old news the second it pops up on social media. We have also began to delve into people’s lives online before meeting them: how many times have you viewed someone’s profile before meeting them in person? We are missing out on forming organic, lasting connections with the people we meet.
3. You are harming your self-esteem.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is real, guys. But where does it come from? Pictures, posts, and snapchats of people having a fun night out can make you feel inferior if you’re not with them. Another person’s instagram picture with 400 likes may make you feel like you’re not pretty enough or funny enough to gain the same amount of attention.
My dad, who does not participate in a single form of social media, offered an interesting point as to why he doesn’t. People’s lives on social media are highlight reels. We all fall down at times, but this never gets posted online. Why? Because we would rather it appear that we are having the time of our lives, always succeeding and never failing. So the next time you check Snapchat or Instagram and feel lame for not going to that party, don’t. Instead, put down the phone and go hang out with your roommate or strike up a convo with the girl who lives down the hall. Those are the things you’ll remember.
4. You could be missing out on stuff like this.
If you haven’t already seen this video, please watch it ASAP. It’s hilarious. Some people stopped to laugh at the hilarity occurring on their walk to class, but some didn’t even bat an eye. Why? Because they were on their PHONES. A dude is literally prancing down Debart quad in his underwear and a bright red tutu and some people didn’t even notice because they were too obsessed with replying to a text or reading an email. C’mon people.
In short, put down your phone every once in a while! We’re all guilty of scrolling mindlessly when we’re bored or in an awkward situation. There is SO MUCH going on in the life of a college student that it’s hard to not want to be tuned in all the time. But does it really matter if that girl you went to high school with went to a frat party last night and posted twelve videos of it on snapchat? Is responding to that text so important that you would risk getting run over by a guy on a bike as you walk to class because you weren’t watching where you were going? Of course not!! So put down your phones, people. Say hi to your friends and classmates. Get some sleep. Enjoy yourself. Phones are cool, but they shouldn’t control every second of our lives.
HCND xoxo, Alex
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