As a college student, being away from home more months out of the year than not, I heavily rely on technology and the social changes that have developed over the years. Out of all my classmates in middle school, I was one of the last to get a cell phone or iPod. My parents never saw a need for it at such an early age. As I got older, the need for one increased. Using my cell phone for texting, checking social media, setting an alarm, and calling has become part of my everyday life. I do not go anywhere without it and it has become a part of my daily routine. When my previous cell phone took a nose dive and stopped working in the middle of my semester, I was at a loss. I had no way to contact any of my friends as well as my family to tell them that my phone was broken. Looking back, I did not realize how dependent I was on something until it prevented me from continuing with my normal everyday routine.
Often times when I am in a lecture hall or class that seems to be boring, it is quite easy to pull out my cell phone during a break or pause in the lecture. Many times, I will be so encroached in what I am checking on some sort of social media that I do not realize the lecturer has started teaching again. This has caused me to miss sections of notes that were presented on the screen as well as important points in the curriculum. It is easy to say that you’ll only look down for a minute and then that “minute” turns into more time lost.
Being away from home, communication through a mobile device is key when needing to speak to someone. It is very difficult to get a hold of someone should you not have their cell phone number or as a friend on Facebook. First semester right before finals, I become extremely sick and needed to take a trip to the Emergency Room. Without a means of communication, I would not have been able to get a hold of my parents to tell them what was wrong. In this specific situation, my cell phone communication was vital.
There are a multitude of pros and cons that