Technological takeover

Photo byBiswarup Ganguly via Wikimedia

Stephanie Piedrahita/ Staff Writer

We’re at that point in human history where we say “we can’t live without our cell phones.”

Some will say that they aren’t dependent on technology at all but I beg to differ.

It isn’t uncommon to see students on campus walking around with their eyes glued to their cellphone in order to feel in touch with the world around them. It’s gotten to the point where we’ll have panic attacks if we don’t feel our phones in our pockets and we’ll be willing to dish out serious money to have it replaced within the next few days.

While it’s nice to know about what’s on the minds of your friends at all times, you might miss out on life itself. The technology we have now is meant to be used as a tool, not a crutch. Moderation is key and we’re sitting at a buffet of information we actually don’t need to consume.

Disconnecting from the virtual world will indeed put you in touch with the real world but of course there’s a fine balance between the two. Re-evaluate how much time you spend on your cellphone or on the web — is it affecting how much time you study?

Does your battery get drained by the end of the day? Do you find yourself checking your Twitter/Facebook/Instagram feed while you’re out with your friends? If you’ve answered yes or have done this before, then you are an addict.

To get rid of this dependency, we should  remember how we lived our lives before we had this abundance of technology. I’ve learned to turn off my cellphone during times I don’t really need it like during class, while you’re in a meeting, at work and at social events. Granted, we might want to take a quick picture every now and then but there is no reason to have your phone on to look at pictures of silly cats during a lecture.

Use your phone for what it’s actually meant for! Phone calls when you need to make them and texts when you need to send a quick message. You can save the small talk for when you see someone in person. If you really feel the need to distract yourself from daily stresses, at least be productive when you do.  Reading articles about global issues or about things that actually concern you are far more interesting than seeing someone complain about their day on social media.

We need to stop finding excuses to be on our phones all the time and realize actual human interaction is far more valuable than liking a few pictures. So go put down your cell phone, walk outside and see how high definition your life is.