Hey! Over here!
I've got your attention, but for how long?
Perhaps one of the biggest worries in relation to the texting and social media obsession of our society is that these mediums operating with instantaneous retrieval of information could be hurting our ability to pay attention. Don't believe me?
Think about this: You're sitting there, in class or in your room or at dinner or anywhere else. You're not particularly interested in what's going on around you. Your teacher's so boring that they could put an insomniac to sleep, and your roommate has been blubbering on about his or her new love interest for the past ten minutes. So, what do you do? Reach in the pocket, and there's your entertainment! The truth is, many of us rely on our phones to entertain us the moment we become bored or unstimulated by our surroundings. And since we have an option to pull out our electronic worlds at any given moment, we're likely to take advantage of this luxury... almost all the time.
It's awesome to be able to surf the internet at the tap of a finger, or check up on old friends with a few quick scrolls. But having all of this freedom at our fingertips might be hindering our ability to pay attention in the moment, or diminishing our patience.
Texting, surfing, and all other kinds of technology activities should be enjoyed as they are available, but it's important to make sure we don't get too reliant on these devices to keep us occupied. Reality isn't instantaneous, and it's dangerous to get used to this kind of communication when it's so different from the real, face-to-face world we live in.
ABC News. "Texting While Walking". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl0JojWH1rQ
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