My iPhone. My iPod. My Macbook. iPads. Facebook. Twitter. Texting. Pinterest. Tumblr. Instagram.
Technology is all around us. Technology consumes our lives. I am writing this on my laptop, while I have Facebook and Twitter open. My cellphone is 5 inches away from me, and I keep glancing at it to see who has texted me. Sound familiar? We are caught in a technology world and we are technology girls, fellow collegiettes™. Have you ever really thought about how obsessed we are with always trying to stay connected via technology? I’m sure I’m not the only one to walk around campus, see something happen, and instantly tweet about it. I may even whip out my phone, snap a picture, and upload it to Instagram. Instantly. Is this obsession getting out of control?
Of course, technology has allowed our society to make huge strides in all parts of life; I am not denying this, nor am I against this…but what about genuine human interaction? What about being able to appreciate the moment? Instead, we are so focused on how our lives sound and look that we forget that life is meant to be lived. It is not something we experience so that we can make a status update or a funny tweet. We cannot actually appreciate the beautiful Amherst sunset that we are uploading to Instagram if we don’t take the time to really look at it (haven’t we all done this?). We can’t console a friend through a text or send them a heart emoji if what they really need is a hug. We can’t learn about the cute quirks of that new crush by constantly stalking him on Facebook. We can’t truly bond at girls night if no one gets off their damn phone.
In order to live life to the fullest, we must be present in all moments. Learn to stop and smell the roses instead of tweeting about how pretty they look. Take life for what it is, not what it can look like on Instagram. Get to know that girl you just met in calculus class by making plans instead of simply “friending” her on Facebook. One day your life is going to flash before your eyes; don’t you want to remember everything that you’ve experienced…the smells, the sights, the feelings? Or would you just rather scroll through your timeline to see how your life has panned out? Do yourself a favor and put the phone down.