Technology: Friend or enemy?

Does the young generation rely too much on technology and their cell phones? Since last Saturday, the night that I dropped my phone in a toilet at a party, I have been asking myself this question.

 When my cell phone stopped working, I was devastated and I was almost in tears. It literally felt like the whole world was coming to an end. I felt depressed, alone and disconnected from the world, which was ironic due to the fact that I could easily contact whomever I needed to talk to via Facebook. What was I going to do? How was I going to get in touch with people? These are the questions that ran through my head.

Now I would actually have to pay attention in class and listen during my entire four hour lecture. My phone was my way of escaping out of reality and into the cyber world of Twitter and Facebook when I got bored with my professors. This was now not an option for me, at least for now until I got my phone working again.

I am writing this with only one day going without a phone and I am still alive and managing to survive just fine. It actually has been a liberating experience for me. Today during my first class, I was actually listening to my teachers and what people in the class had to say. I was tuned in, and I was really enjoying my class and connecting with what the professor was saying.

If I had had my phone, I would have been doing what I normally do first thing in my morning class: scrolling through Facebook statuses, checking my e-mail and playing my turns in my Words with Friends games.

For once, I did not have the distractions that I normally had. I also noticed myself being more productive at home with my schoolwork. I was connecting more with people in my life and myself and it was such a good feeling.

I have been working at a phone accessory store in the mall for three months now, and the amount of time people take to pick out a cover for their smart phones kills me. I stand there and watch them for sometimes 30 minutes as they ponder on whether to buy a $10 piece of rubber to put around their iPhone. It's literally a life or death decision for some, and they act as if they are about to purchase a $300,000 sports car.

Now don't get me wrong, technology is a wonderful thing and is so convenient for everyone. It has changed the world in so many ways, but it is also hurting our relationships with the people around us. When we're having a meal at a restaurant, some people can't even carry a conversation with others because they are so sucked into their iPhones and iPads.

I encourage all the readers out there to try turning off your phone for a day or even an hour and see if you can do it. It might be hard at first, but it will be a liberating and beneficial experience for everyone. You will find yourself finding peace and relaxation within your self and you might even be able to figure out who you are, or who you want to become.

We are not living anyone else's lives but our own, and scrolling through pictures and statuses online of people that we could care less about will never give us the opportunity to grow and change or make an impact in the world.