Connection

Today in class we talked about being connected 24/7. We are connected to our phones, laptops, iPods, etc. that allow us to communicate with others at any given moment. This is somewhat scary to know that most of us can’t go a few minutes without one of these things but also amazing to see how far technology has come.

I will admit that if I have my iPod with me, I will be listening to music or browsing Facebook, Twitter, or any other sites I regularly visit. I was on campus all day today and any short break I had consisted of me staring at a tiny iPod screen trying to read the latest updates about the day. I took the time to eat lunch and do homework, but why did I feel the need to go right back to that screen after I was finished? Was it a habit or part of my daily routine? When I wake up in the morning, I always go on the computer to check my email, Facebook, Twitter, and other blogs. When the professor says “face time” or “close your laptops” to us in class, we are all hesitant to do so. We simply do not want to lose that connection we have with others for a few minutes. We step outside of that comfort zone of the familiar and into the “real life.” It sounds silly to say this because we’ve all managed to go years without that constant connection to technology. Growing up in the 90s, the only thing I did on the computer was play games on AOL, Oregon Trail, or draw stuff on Paint. I was outside constantly playing soccer, basketball, going to the beach, etc. - having fun being a typical kid. Life was simple; it was easy. Now, we have Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, e-mail, iTunes, and so many other useless programs that we feel the need to check all the time. Everything is digitalized.

I think we all need to disconnect from technology for a little bit and enjoy talking to people face to face – real human interaction. It will be refreshing to experience life like we all did before smart phones were invented and Apple ruled the world.