-browsed through facebook
-received and sent six text messages total
-emailed my grandma
-received 2 phone calls
It is clear that I am a victim of the social networking world that we live in.
To be completely honest, if I weren’t working on this assignment, I would not have thought twice about the amount of time I spend being distracted by social networking devices. What’s wrong with emailing my grandma, texting a classmate, chatting with a friend, and facebook creepin’ on my high school’s homecoming? The average person my age would say nothing, and normally I would agree. Social networking makes it easier for us to communicate, keep in contact, and even provides us with leisurely activities and relaxation. Lock yourself out of the room while your roommate is in class? Not to worry, send her a text and she’ll be right out with it. Lost in the middle of no where? Just whip out your iPhone and GPS will take you where you need to go. It is clear that much of social networking is beneficial and convenient for society; my only concern is that we become too reliant on it.
At times, I do worry about effects of living in such a fast paced society. It seems our generation is becoming accustomed to instant gratification and constant communication. We are constantly surrounded by social networking devices no matter where we go. It’s difficult for me to come to the library and isolate myself in my studies because I am so distracted and so used to being in constant communication with others. Even when I am alone, I’m not really because I never really stop communicating with other via texts and what not. I’ve had to make a conscious effort to put my phone on silent and close the facebook tab on my internet browser. Realizing how truly affected I am by technology makes me want to be be like Thoreau and just go into the wild for awhile.
It is clear that isolation is something that no one really seeks anymore. Even when people are alone, websites like facebook make it easy for them to share “whats on their mind” with the public. I worry that people my age are losing the ability to fully live in the present moment. Social networking provides us with the opportunity to be distracted and lose sight of reality. People become overly concerned with posting pictures of epic beer pong games on facebook and changing the privacy setting to hide it from their relatives on facebook, but my concern is what did they miss out on in real life when they were busy posting those pictures? Our generation is becoming defined by technology and the way we avidly pursue it.
Believe it or not, I’ve enjoyed the time I spent in the library this evening. For once, completely alone.
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ReplyDeleteYou're right. Social networking sites have prevented us from "disconnecting" from others and I don't mean this in a bad way. I personally believe that it is healthy to disconnect with others once in a while so that we can spend time with ourselves to reflect about life. In our fast-paced world, it is important to learn how to slow down. I actually opted out of social networking because of this and several other reasons. I figured that I only wanted to keep in touch with my closest friends, so text and email would do. For me, it was a waste of time to keep up with everybody.
ReplyDeleteAGREED jackie. I know exactly how you felt in the library- you sat down to do work and then an hour later you realize the only thing you've accomplished is facebook creeping and texting three friends. It's really hard to do work sometimes because of all the technological distractions that we sometimes can't escape from them. and when we do, mentally we wonder "has someone texted me?" "Do i have any new facebook notifications?" Even when we are detached, at least I, sometimes find my mind to wonder back to technology and it still distracts me.
ReplyDeletep.s. please don't go into the wild for awhile haha
I completely agree, sometimes you don't even realize it but you really are immersed in this digital/virtual world 24/7. If you're not on facebook you're texting or if you're not texting you're talking on the phone. We really are almost always in communication with someone. Going into the wild might be a little extreme but the concept of taking a step back from this world is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog post Jackie! I loved your comment about how we are never alone because various forms of communication via the media are constantly surrounding us. I find myself feeling anxious when I leave my phone at home and have to go a couple of hours without it. I constantly wonder who is trying to contact me and what they are saying. When I am alone in a public place I find myself turning to my phone to relieve the anxiety of being alone. I feel comforted knowing I have contact with the people in my phonebook and on facebook. In California, they had to make laws inhibiting people from using their cell phones while driving because people were choosing communicating with friends and family over their safety and others. I have even read articles about cell phone rehab center because cell phone tendencies have made peoples lives difficult to endure. During exam week I have to deactivate my facebook because I cannot stand to know that people are trying to communicate with me. I have to remove myself from the facebook world so I will not even receive emails saying that someone posted a picture of me or commented on my wall. This raises the question if we are all emerged in a media addicted society and what consequences will this bring. I do not feel ashamed of my tendencies because I see my peers having the same behaviors but it is scary to think about how the media really does run our lives.
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