By Sara Ward
Associate editor
One morning this week, I was waiting outside Paladino House to walk to class with my friend. As I rested against the red brick wall, I glanced around me, taking in the bright sky and wind rustling the grass across the street. After about a couple minutes, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone, eager to check into FaceBook and scroll through my Instagram feed, despite the fact that I had done so minutes before as I got ready in my townhouse. I noticed a few people pass by on the trail, but I never looked up once, my sole attention on the tiny screen in my hands.
I will readily admit I’m addicted to my cell phone, and that’s something comedian Louis C.K. has a serious issue with.
“I think these things are toxic, especially for kids,” C.K. explained on the Sept. 19 episode of “Conan.” “It’s bad. They don’t look at people when they’re talking to them, they don’t build empathy.”
He went on to say that phones distract people from necessary feelings of isolation and sadness.
Although it’s embarrassing to admit that I’m obsessed with my phone, I completely understand where C.K. is coming from. I can’t imagine life without my iPhone securely in my hand, but I do believe we have become too focused on technology.
I have observed this just on my daily walk between the Reilly Center and Plassmann Hall. There have been many instances where people have almost run into each other because their heads were down looking at their phones. There are some who talk to each other while they’re walking in between classes, but there is a noticeable silence on the sidewalks on campus, mostly because people are either texting, uploading pictures to Instagram or attempting to come up with a witty status worthy of an infinite amount of likes on Facebook.
It’s depressing how much devotion is placed in the small devices we carry with us. As a clumsy person who is constantly dropping things, I experience an intense fear and sadness every time my iPhone falls to the ground. It’s almost like my life is flashing before my eyes as I watch the fragile phone sail toward the carpet.
I could be doing so many other things like reading a book or having a good conversation with someone I haven’t talked to in a while. Even just taking a minute to sit down and think about things would be beneficial.
“You need to build an ability to just be yourself and not be doing something, that’s what the phones are taking away — the ability to just sit there,” C.K. said during his appearance.
As a society, we have become a population that needs to be doing things all the time. The smartphone has only fulfilled our need to be focused on something 24/7, and in the end it has harmed us because we cannot just stand still and not do anything. We feel like there are other things we need to be doing in the social media world instead of taking a minute to rest.
While I’m sure C.K.’s message won’t cause everyone to ditch their cell phones, it should serve as a reminder to everyone that we do have the ability to live without our phones in hand constantly.
Leaving our cell phones behind every once in a while won’t kill us. Who knows, we may just discover something great about the world and ourselves without our technological security blankets by our side.
