Anuradha Singh                                          October13th
Teen Ink Feedback
                             I Hate the Internet

      Teen Ink reaches out to millions of teens worldwide and contains many pieces of literature that numerous readers can relate to. Teen Ink also has different organized sections based on different topics. There are even pieces of literature like reality writing and points of view which had brought to my attention the article “I Hate the Internet.”  In the article “I Hate the Internet” by Evan Bogotá there had been several points of view made that not even us humans have time to think about because most people spend the majority of their time on brain consuming technologies like phones and other electronics. This particular article had caught my eye because of the bold words, “It divides us more than it brings us together,” and in reality this is so true. When was the last time we just went outside with friends for fun without having your phone with you or when you are in the car on your way to grandma’s and you just look at the window appreciating the beautiful nature and not looking down on your phone? There are so many things that we are missing out on just because we are so consumed in technology and that our world revolves around it. I got my phone at age 14. Some may say that’s early to receive a phone and some may say the opposite, but the point is that I was able to appreciate my surroundings within those years when I didn’t have that technology to rely on and not having a phone gave me the capacity to just think.                                                                                                                                      
Besides the problem of people not appreciating or being aware of their surroundings due to technology, there are innumerable parents complaining about their children being addicted to their phones and not paying attention or not caring to just look up to see what is going on. They are caught up in their own world when they are on cellphones. This affects your social life between friends and family just simply because you won’t pay attention. Instead of trying to make friends on social media try making friends with people in your community. Apart from that, think about all of the harmful things that technology could do to you. According to the article it says “…where users have escalated from debating religion with strangers to insulting each other with slurs and pointing out grammatical mistakes,” this is something serious to consider, there are people that cyber bully others and the victim could feel insecure, scared, and depressed. And according to statistics 42% of teenagers with tech access report being cyber bullied over the past year and 4500 kids commit suicide. 
    The internet is also very great and useful for us towards knowledge but now we are taking advantage and abusing the power of the internet. Maybe spending some time without using the internet and putting your time for good use with people you care about would make you feel better than wasting your time and determining “whether or not Yeezus was a good album.” Do something better than making people feel miserable and posting mean comments online. The internet is also “so polarizing because it promotes a culture where everything is black and white: Everyone who agrees with me is my friend; anyone who doesn’t is my enemy.” This also separates society into different opinions which could lead to arguments and that does not bring people together at all. This article had inspired me to do something important that can impact my life positively. And remember that the internet may last forever and you can spend hours building up your social status, but your friends and families won’t be there forever, so live in the moment and be more alert. Thanks to Mr. Bogotá and his article, it opened my eyes and made me acknowledge reality and that I can make a change in my habits to something more meaningful in my life.