Op-Ed student blog 5

 Is distraction self inflicted?

The process of reclaiming attention 


In today’s world, as a society we have been built on being reliant and comfortable within the hands of everything being easily accessible. Imagining day to day life without a phone in sight seems unrealistic and slightly comical. Too much of anything can’t be good, and this is shown in the overuse of technology, in teenagers lives. These effects trickle into necessary tasks that come with getting older and entering early adulthood. 

When the need for genuine human connection and conversation is taken away it become tricky to have a want for it anymore. There are key fundamental skills in having a face to face interaction, such as social cues, the practice of expressing emotions, and gaining opportunities through active listening. These skills are stripped away from upcoming generations, teenagers, and young adults. The distraction from real world problems is now enhanced!! 

Addicted to distraction by Tony Schwartz executes why to much technology for teens and young adults becomes dangerous. “The net is designed to be an interruption system, machine geared to dividing attention”, Schwartz states. When put into such words as these, the shock of how I actively put something into my everyday life that is set up with negative intentions surely sinks in. The intention behind videos that have the least amount of benefit, but draw you in the most is what teenagers and young adults encounter almost everyday. There is heavy intake on false mis spread information or memes. There is little intake on things that are interactive and informative, such as political commentary.

By default, teenagers naturally gravitate towards following what is surrounding them and what they choose to surround themselves with. This does not stop once teenagers years come to an end. 

“Terns in being tethered to their phones and social media” by PBS NewsHour provides teenagers perspectives on technology and the heavy usage of it. There was an explanation provided from almost all of the teenagers that smaller and Instagram are the most loved apps, and the ones being used the most. Subconsciously the repetition of going onto the same apps everyday trains our minds to focus on what comes out of these apps, such as notifications. The focus on this takes away from the focus that should be put into things like school and beneficial fulfilling tasks. The distraction that stems from lack of focus can create anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Ur is a never ending rabbit hole of consequences and side effects. 

After checking my screen time, I came to the realization I spend roughly about 7 hours on my phone, everyday 7 days out of the week. Calculated throughout the week, those 49 hours are NECESSARY time being wasted, at my age of growth. My social skills are something that won’t be impaired, but my focus is something that is actively being taken away from me. I watch and realize that I become more figity every hour that is added onto my screen time. I have a heavy resignation with the statement  “One evening early this summer, I opened a book and found myself reading the same paragraph over and over, a half dozen times before concluding that it was hopeless to continue. I simply couldn’t marshal the necessary focus.”, stated by Schwartz. Mustering up the ability to focus on necessary tasks is harder than it’s been been, creating scenarios from what is being read or written is brutal, and staying on topic is always strayed. “I simply couldn’t marshal the necessary focus” This statement is shown in the surrounding actions being taken on by upcoming generations, teenagers, and young adults. 

The realization that we are heavily effected by technology is a hard pill to swallow, but the realization needs to be placed. I’ve talked about every hour that goes by I see an effect, but every hour I spend without the surrounding of technology I feel more and more fulfilled. Taking on a technology detox can reverse negative outcomes of technology. Technology detox, the need for a better upcoming of generations.







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