Living in a time where people are so immersed in the digital world can have its disadvantages. The majority of people are always on their phones catching up, and looking for new things. While this can be entertaining, having to do this many times a day can be tiring.
My father asked me one time if I knew how many times per day I unlocked my phone to check my emails, text messages, and social media, and I could not answer that question because I check my phone a lot. According to an article from Time, an average person looks at his or her phone 46 times per day. Wowza.
Even though I check my phone so many times a day, I cannot help but feel exhausted from doing so. I grew up in an environment that was so involved with the Internet that I became a prey of it. There is not a day, not even an hour, that passes without me checking my phone.
When I was in high school, my school organized trips to explore places of my country, the Dominican Republic. I loved these not only because I learned different things of the country that I call my home, but also because I always left my phone at my house, and always enjoyed not having to constantly look at it to know the latest news, or see what my following posted on Instagram. These trips showed me that having some days without the Internet, or a phone, made me feel really great. At first, I felt like a lost puppy because my friends brought their phones with them and were on them always, but after some time, I felt really good about my decision.
I have to admit that I have found myself browsing through my social media for hours just to see what my friends and acquaintances have been up to, for no reason! just because I want to be in the know.
Going out with friends means spending most of our time taking pictures or checking other people’s accounts. To be honest, thinking of this, makes me sad because it makes me realize how we just get together to do the same things that we do on our own.
People get so involved with the digital world that they forget how to be a normal human being without it. We forget how to interact with each other. I personally have become so involved with the digital world that a day does not pass that I did not say “Did you hear what happened to (insert famous person name)?” or “Did you see the picture that “so and so” uploaded?”.
I believe that there should be a middle ground between checking our phones or laptops and being able to stop using them. Our daily life should not be consumed by the digital world. Saying this, I think that it is really important to find some time in a day to just stop. Look outside, read a book, write in a journal, find a new hobby, smell the fresh air, and feel good without your phone.
Thanks for reading!
Virginia Rodriguez 