Too Much Tech

Art+credits+to+Julia+Sun%21

Art credits to Julia Sun!

Sanjana Sharma '18

Munch Crunch Munch

Ordinary high school students mindlessly scoop another handful of salty, buttery popcorn into their mouths. They are sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to reach that highly anticipated moment in the sitcom they are so anxiously viewing while conveniently isolating themselves from the beautiful autumn day awaiting them outside.  Now, flashback to maybe 50 years ago, when no one had even thought of Instagram, and emojis were a completely foreign idea. How did the high school students in that era even survive without these “necessities?”

The answer is actually quite simple – maybe even too simple – when compared to the complex tech toys that have been designed to keep our youth “busy” and “happy” in their free time. Teenagers back then spent their free time taking advantage of the beautiful weather and pursuing their favorite pastimes, such as practicing sports and hanging out with their friends and family. But fast forward to the present, where the average high school student would much rather amuse themselves by binge watching a marathon of Grey’s Anatomy. Nowadays, too much technology use has been linked to a lack of physical activity. The consumption of snacks during this tech-filled time has also led to weight issues and the overall development of unhealthy lifestyle for a multitude of children.

Moreover, in the cinematic world of fictional scenarios with plot twists and unique characters, the people onscreen are bound to influence the behaviors of their audiences, for the best or for worse. For example, when comparing a young child who looks up to the sneaky, spoiled Regina George from the movie Mean Girls with a child who looks up to the hardy, heroic Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series, it is easy to predict the personalities that the children will grow into. Since technology is readily accessible, it can easily impact all age groups – particularly adolescents.

On the other hand, technology can also be viewed positively as a way to rest the mind and catch up on what is going on outside of the realm of assessments and textbooks.

When asked about how she likes to spend her free time, Christine Nelson ’18 states, “I enjoy listening to one of my favorite bands, One Direction, on my phone. I usually also check all of my social media and chat with my friends. It’s a nice way to de-stress after a long day of school.”

In summation, technology has had such a powerful impact on its users that we would rather watch season after season of a single TV show while obsessing over fictional characters than take a breath of fresh air and explore nature. Too much technology can actually be a distraction, whether positive or negative. Overuse can result in an unhealthy lifestyle, which would be a negative distraction. On the other hand, technology can be seen as a positive distraction, as it is a method of rejuvenation after the constant workload and stress that teenagers are bombarded with in their everyday lives. The reality is that we are all students of life, anxiously awaiting new technological inventions that we can critique or rejoice over.