Summer Time Or Screen Time Research

Have a question regarding President Obama? Google it. Don’t know if the pizza place around the corner is good? Yelp it. The quick access to the internet, contacts, apps, and social media all at your fingertips is remarkable! Yet, it’s also destroying human connection and friendships. Now, I will be the first to admit, technology has made my life easier in every possible way. There is no longer a need to spend several hours reading books for a research paper, to pull out the phone book to search for someone’s contact information, or to spend time calling someone. For that, I am truly grateful—yet, I have noticed my self being confused in every day situation when I don’t have my phone with me. For example, in my hometown, I went driving alone and ended up lost—without my phone. My dad, being the genius he is, made sure to equip my car with a few maps in case anything were to happen. I, being the smartphone dependent teen that I am, had no idea how to use a map. Needless to say, I spent hours driving around aimlessly until I caught sight of familiar signs. To this day, I am still unable to use a map correctly.

As much as I regret to admit it, I’m attached to my phone. I’m constantly reaching into my pocket to check the time, make sure I haven’t gotten a new update, or to send a message. I do this even when I’m not talking to anyone! It’s become an addiction, having to make sure I’m not missing anything, and I'm not the only one who has this problem. Seventy-five percent of the world population has a cell phone, and that number will only increase. With the creation of new technology portions of life have become easier. Technology has changed the way we go through life. It’s made talking to people easier, as well as keeping up with the lives of others. However, the effects have affected the aspects of our lives that don’t include technology.

Can you imagine life without your cell phone? Does the thought give you anxiety? These days, technology plays a huge role in our everyday lives. You can do just about anything on the web and a smart phone provides instant access. In her article “Growing up Tethered,” author and founder of MIT Initiative on Technology and the Self Sherry Turkle discusses the attachments people have with their cell phones, the web, social media, and technology all together. Turkle speaks with numerous high school students about the relationship they have with their phone and the issues that arise from being tethered to it. We learn that communicating through mobile devices and the web takes the personal emotion out of the conversation, and real life interactions

“Turn off the phone(and the Tension)” is an article written in 2012 by Jenna Wortham. On a summer day, Wortham and a friend decided to take a trip to their local pool. Upon their arrival, they noticed a sign stating that all electronics were to be kept in lockers. Flabbergasted, Wortham did as instructed and put her phone away. She spent a while lingering by her locker, desperate for social media and for the feeling of typing underneath her fingers. However, she soon got over her need for electronics. Wortham realized how technology impacts one’s life, she could barely go a day without her phone. As the author said, our phones have become our lifelines. When the majority of society has a smartphone and can’t take their hands off it, we know that our lives are run by our phones. We, as a society, suffer from the Fear of Missing Out, FOMO, we are afraid that we might miss a tweet from our favorite singer, actor, or role model and that will drive many insane. The day at the pool relaxed Wortham and she realized that not everything needs to be recorded, photographed, or snapchatted. Wortham’s article proves that we as a society cannot properly function without access to social media, technology, messages, emails, and phone calls.

In 'Kids and screen time: What does the research say?' Juana Summers explains the negative effect on children spending so much time in front of T.V screens. In doing so knocks down their ability to recognize emotions in accordance to the new research from the University of California Angeles. She mentioned that the study published in the journal 'Computers in human behavior' spoke about how five days without exposure to technology sixth graders were more likely to read human emotions then the children who had access to different means of technology. The difference between kids who are not regularly around technology seem to be more intuitive then those who are to wrapped up in electronic devices. Although I lean towards children without, the question really is are children really better off with, or without and what are the downfalls and benefits?

Technology has impacted and influenced how people function and devote their time immensely. With the creation of smartphones, computers, and social networks, people have adopted them into their lives and use them daily, which creates a dependence on these devices. An immoderate dependence upon technology is a state that humanity has come to in today’s age that permits people to believe that they essentially cannot function without it. The fear of not having one’s cellphone or being in a position where one’s cellphone cannot be used, whether it be because of a dead battery or having no signal, is known as nomophobia. This phobia can be described as a cell phone separation anxiety. Even though technology

A few years ago, the New York Times published a moving piece rightly called, Turn Off the Phone (and the Tension) by Jenna Wortham. Wortham called on many who had spoken on the topic of technology creating a successful piece urging people to put down the technology and embrace the world around them. Wortham opens with a personal anecdote about a time she went without her phone using it to drive her fist big point that for many smartphones and their counterpart social media act like “appendages they are rarely without” Wortham continues explaining the impacts they have on us “swaying our moods, decisions and feelings. Wortham then empathizes the tension this can cause users but encourages the reader that it is “possible to move beyond the angst that social media can provoke – and to be glad that we’ve done so.” Wortham then uses this as a seamless transition to bring up two very different phenomenon’s “Joy of Missing Out” (JOMO) and “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO). JOMO or “Joy of Missing Out” is a phenomenon explained by Anil Dash this is the idea of moving past technology and being happy about it. FOMO or Fear of missing out is the opposite of the tension we feel from technology because technology and social media show all people are

Picture this, it is a quiet evening, you are at home with your family, there are no appointments or sports games to run off to, what are you and your family doing together? Did you find yourself visualizing playing a game together, maybe having a nice dinner, or talking about everyone’s day all the while there is laughter filling the air. Well, it just so happens that a similar circumstance transpired in my own home a while back, however, instead of interacting with family, there I sat curled up on the couch scrolling through my phone as if it was the only thing that mattered. Meanwhile, my family was doing the same thing, caught up with the stimulating imagines flashing before their eyes every once in a while, perking up to announce to the room, “Hey, you got to see this.” This reality made me realized how much I missed the time before smartphones, touchpads, any of those “personal” electronic devices that seem to be consuming more of our time.

First, a cell phone should not be permitted at summer camp since it can inhibit a teen’s social interaction. According to journalist Regan McMahon, she states that “You've sent your son or daughter off for a new experience, and for a reason. Having your kids spend time with their fellow campers rather than texting friends back home will ensure a more valuable camp experience” (Common Sense). Furthermore, when a teen brings a cell phone to summer camp, they risk missing out on group activities and making new friends. Louis Bordman, senior director of the Eisner Camp

In the article “Who says smart phone addiction is a bad thing? The case for constant connectivity.” (Toronto Life, 2012), Jesse Brown breaks down his reasons and beliefs on the negativity surrounding smart phones that perceived as an addiction. Correspondingly, Brown states that notification sounds and buzzing from our devices tells us, we are important and wanted, however we fear that we won’t be able to live without this constant stream of reassuring stimulation. Moreover, Brown tries to convey that smartphones are not the problem, we’re the problem. We reply on smartphones for everything way more than we need to. Furthermore, we make checking our smartphones our top priority by immediately jumping when we hear sounds that indicate notifications. Accordingly, we are on high alert because of these notifications, which could be anything from an important work update or a friend’s text.

Some of the main things most people like to use are our phones, tablets, computers, etc. If I had to choose my favorite of them all, it would be my phone. The reason why is because my phone is something I use daily, when I’m in school, when I’m at home, and when I’m in the car when my family and I are going somewhere. Not having my phone with me makes me feel strange and uncomfortable because I wouldn’t know what to do with my time.

For 11 weeks during this past summer, I worked as a cabin counselor, lifeguard, and swim coach at Camp Seafarer in North Carolina. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t allowed to use my phone during the day. From the moment my campers woke up at 7 am, to the time they fell asleep around 11 pm, I was without screens or media. I’m no mathematician, but that works out to 16 hours a day, six days a week, for three straight months. Although it was difficult at first, by not using my phone, I ensured that my campers were having the best experience possible. Equally important is the fact that I met my best friend while at camp. She is unequivocally the best friend that I’ve ever had, and I believe that our friendship is so strong because we were never distracted by our phones when we were together. This past weekend, I visited her at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and decided to channel my inner-camp-counselor by going screen-free for 24 hours so that I could give her my undivided attention.

It all starts with you coming back from work or maybe an excellent party. Coming home from boredom not knowing what to do next, you pick up that device right next to you.I hate to do this, but admit it, you have phone anxiety. Weather picking up the phone waiting for a text, a call, or maybe just a video game notification, we all experience this. Not being on your smart device can sometimes make you feel like you are under pressure, make you feel as if someone was judging you, make you feel compressed with social awkwardness, and just make you feel as if you are bullying yourself. That constant battle if you should be on your smart devices depends on the person, where they are at, or just if they feel comfortable in their own skin. They feel as if they were being pressured by some force of nature, but in reality behind those devices people are getting depressed, drowsy, suicidal, bullied, health problems would even worsen, etc. Everything's not ok, the world we know is changing upside down, things that were once alright aren’t anymore, because of one simple thing, Technology.

To find an answer I chose to make a commitment to disconnect from social media and texting for two entire days. I had made friends, colleagues, and my parents aware of the decision I had made. And the responses I got were differed from each individual. A few friends sort of questioned my reasoning behind my action and as they became more informed they were more understanding. My mom on the other hand told me “how are you going to do it”, her comment was the most shocking to me. I had figured she of all people would be completely understanding and okay with me going without a phone. When she was my age she didn’t rely on technology, her means of

If I were to ask each of you if you were able to go an entire day without your mobile device, very few can say they`d be able to do so. In fact, in a recent TIME Magazine Mobility Poll, 84% out of 5000 people surveyed in 8 different countires, admitted that they couldn’t go a single day without their phones and a third of respondents admitted that being without their mobile device for even short periods of time leaves them feeling anxious. It is clear that whenever we`re waiting for those last five minutes before the bell rings to every class, our automatic impulse is to reach for our phone. Do you really need to check anything that important? The sad truth is that we have become far too dependent on our phones. The fear that we might miss the latest gossip, or the most recent updates on all of our social webesites seems more like an addiction than anything else. We`ve clouded our vision as to what is really important, and that is-quality human interaction.