Cruising 39,000 feet above the ground, I recline my seat and listen to the captain’s announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. You may now turn on your electronic devices, such as laptops, iPads and smartphones that have been properly switched to airplane mode. This aircraft has been equipped with Wi-Fi for your in-flight entertainment.”
How is it that the web of technology that carpets our world has come to ensnare us even when we are flying high above its tallest peak? Anyone who owns a smartphone is subject to a continuous flow of e-mails and text messages. The age we live in expects people to be reachable regardless of what they are doing or where they are. Text messages are constantly being sent and received, distracting people from what is going on right in front of them. Thanks to the invention of Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and other forms of social media, the desire to document every event that takes place hangs over our generation. If a businessperson receives an email from their boss, they are expected to respond regardless to if their workday is over or not. In my opinion, it is not that smartphones are inherently bad in and of themselves, but rather, I fear for the way that they are becoming inseparable from their owners.
Recently, I was walking through the grocery store and saw a mother pushing young twins in a stroller. Expecting them to be happily babbling and gurgling half-formed sentences to each other, I was surprised to see them silent and unengaged. Each was holding a smartphone, completely transfixed by the small, glowing screen. They were no older than 3 years of age. By having unregulated access to a smartphone at such a young age, I fear that younger generations will grow up with a dependency on handheld devices that is even stronger than that of my own generation. Screens are everywhere now. Laptop computers, televisions, video games, iPads, smartphones: The list goes on. As a part of the first generation to grow up with the Internet, my childhood was rife with technology, as well. However, the amount to which children are using it today seems to have increased exponentially. In the future, I hope that initiatives to promote children playing outside and doing physical activities in general continue to gain traction. Technology is a wonderful thing, but like everything else in life, it must be used in moderation.
Of course, there are many positive aspects of smartphones. They make a wealth of information accessible at the touch of a finger. Heart rate monitors, calculators, cameras and more can now just be carried around in one small device rather than having to carry a cumbersome load of gadgets around. People halfway across the world can keep in contact with each other and see each other face to face. Many readers are likely viewing this website via a smartphone right now. As I stated before, moderation is key. If we as a society can find a way to use smart-phones responsibly, there is no need for worry.
Unfortunately, I think we are far from that target here at Lehigh. Look around any given lecture hall, and you are guaranteed to see people with their phones out. Regardless of the fact that lecture takes only a few hours, people just cannot rip themselves away from their connections outside of the classroom for even 50 minutes. Only a small fraction of the world’s population has the opportunity to attend college, and the entire student body is very fortunate to study here. Lehigh students pay a high tuition in order to learn and research here, so why is it that so many choose to browse Yik Yak during class rather than get their money’s worth on their education?
Cell phone usage is embedded into the culture here at Lehigh. The minute your battery percentage falls below 10 percent, panic ensues. Functioning without a cell phone seems nearly impossible for many. We forget that something funny can take place without the need for it to be documented and posted to various social media accounts. Whether it’s finding out what’s going on at night or sending a last-minute email to your TA for an appointment, our campus life thrives on instant communication. The beauty of living in the moment is often interrupted by the buzz of cell phone ringing. Therefore, I challenge those reading this article to power off that cell phone right now and look at the world around you with a fresh pair of eyes, unclouded by the glow of an LED screen.
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