Here is somewhat what my daily routine looks like:

1. Wake up, get ready for school and check the news on my phone
2. Sit in class and try to look alive and awake
3. Check social media and text messages during lunch
4. Repeat number two
5. On the bus, listen to music from my phone and text my friends
6. Homework, mostly done on computer
7. Personal time (spent usually spent on my phone)
8. Sleep

Obviously many, or dare I say most, parts of my day involves technology. To me, there are two types of technology. Theres the technology that’s used for school and educational purposes that promotes learning and benefits students by providing information at their fingertips. At the same time, technology, phones for example, is  like a black hole that, with every day we spend with it, is ripping apart our connection with the real world ias we are gradually dragged into the world of our phones. I got a new laptop as a  Christmas present and I spend my afternoons with it. But if someone asked me if technology has more of a positive or negative affect on my life, I’d definitely say it has a negative affect. I am constantly distracted, I have become less active, I don’t communicate with my parents as much, and technology  wastes valuable and precious time. Even though I know how drastically my life has changed because of technology, there isn’t anything I, or anyone, can really do about it. No one can predict the future; however, I know for a fact that our futures include technology. It is the direction to which our generation and society has turned and there is no going back.

When I do my homework, I have my phone within reach. My mom constantly bugs me about leaving my phone in the kitchen with her, while I do my work in order to concentrate better. Although I always whine and complain when she demands to have my phone, I know that her intentions are for the better. Without my phone near me, the tendency to check my text messages and social media would be  temporarily eliminated. Usually with my phone, I am tempted to look at what new posts are on Instagram and such. Sadly, I am proud to say that while “doing homework,” I’ve wasted hours scrolling through Instagram and browsing the internet.

Speaking of concentration, I am definitely more easily distracted now that technology surrounds me. It takes so much willpower to stop myself from reaching for my phone when it buzzes. My priorities have been switched around because of technology. Sure, I get homework done faster and it is so convenient to communicate with teachers. However, I spend an unnecessary amount of time using  media. Even doing homework on the computer is extremely distracting. I could get caught up searching for  cute puppy pictures or stalking my celebrity crush. An example I’ve heard several times is about Youtube. You tell yourself that you’re only going to watch one video and go back to work, but after that one video, you click on the next and it just goes on and on. You never stop! I think this applies to  media and to our society in general. We got a little taste of technology and media and now it is impossible to let go of it because we don’t know how to live without it.

What amazes me most is that one of the reasons we use technology and media is to communicate better with others near and far. However, I think the purpose backfired and now people are becoming more single-minded and conservative. When friends hang out, they sometimes sit next to each other and instead of exchanging a conversation, their eyes are glued to their phones, not acknowledging the fact that there is another human being next to them. Sadly, this has happened to me more than once and I’ve become increasingly aware of how much we abuse the power of technology. I can only imagine how much worse it is going to get in the future. When I hang out with friends, we always end up bonding through the use of technology, whether it is sharing a funny post or  playing video games. My life is unequivocally integrated with technology. Just last weekend, I was sitting next to my friend while his dogs slept on our laps. We were both on our phones and his mom came over and asked, “What are you guys doing?” Of course we both  laughed because the answer was simple: nothing. We were doing absolutely nothing. Interesting conversations or unforgettable memories could be made; however, we chose to sit there and stare at little flat bricks that have weird buttons on them. Communication is how humans survive; it is how any living thing survives. With technology, I think we are transitioning into a world where we don’t need to communicate “normally,” whatever that means.

In addition, I have become less physically active since  media and technology practically controls my life. I could easily choose to stay in and listen to music rather than going outside for a run. Also, with such a busy schedule already, any leftover free time is taken away by technology, leaving no time to go outside for fresh air or any physical activity. Similar to the movie “Wall-E,” society, including me, is dangerously close to heading in that direction.

My goal is to limit my time with technology and convince myself that technology is not my priority. I have managed to let it control me; I need to set things right and spend my time with people and things that matter. I am not against technology at all. I think it has worked its wonders in our world and forever changed our lives. I have access to news, music and entertainment. At the same time, it has altered my priorities and hypnotized me. Everyone and every thing has a limit. Has technology reached its limit yet? I think it definitely has and if we are so intelligent to be able to invent the things we’ve invented, it should not be difficult to tell when to know when enough is enough.