Have you ever noticed how the world is in the palm of your hand in the shape of a cell phone? We constantly depend on our phones to navigate us through our lives, whether that be literally directing us to our next destination, or simply telling us what we like and don’t like and what we should be interested in. Our phones are our go-to comfort objects in a world full of discomfort.
Do you have a few extra minutes before you need to be somewhere? Pull out your phone and scroll through social media.
Are you waiting for someone to meet up with? Pull out your phone so you don’t look like you’re standing all alone.
Our phones rule our lives.
I find myself scrolling through Snapchat’s Discovery page instead of reading a homework assignment I’ve been avoiding more often than not. I find myself scrolling through Facebook every time I have a few extra minutes before class. I most commonly find myself listening to music to fill the empty void of silent sounds.
Our phones are our constant companions that can almost literally get us through any awkward situation, but phones are not the only technology we depend on.
We couldn’t live our lives without some form of computer. Imagine writing a 10-page paper by hand? We rely on our TVs to tell us the news more than we rely on a handy dandy old newspaper. We rely on our computers for Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.
Now, I’m not saying technology is a bad thing, but we as humans rely on it too much. Our world is oversaturated with new and existing forms of technology, and what it can provide for us. We feel the need to rely on it to properly live our lives when, in fact, we miss out on a lot while we’re looking at a five-inch screen.
We miss out on precious moments with our friends and family by taking the 30-seconds to Snapchat our food to our stories or quickly answering back a text message at dinner. As much as technology does the world good, it also hurts the world. As a society, we need to take a step back and let the notifications go unnoticed. We need to live in the moment more often than not. But when you’re lost and can’t find your way, let that good old phone do its job and guide you back, but enjoy the moments without the screen lit up.
We need to be more conscious of our reliance on technology and try to live in the real world a little more often.