�screen Free Week Essay

Without our digital devices, do you think we would last a day without being bored to death? The answer would probably be a “No”. The reason being that we depend too much on our devices. Technologies is very seductive, especially when what it has to offer meets our human vulnerabilities. We, as human beings, are very lonely and network is very seductive. Our network life allows us to hide from those we do not wish to see. We are increasingly demanding and expecting more from technology while demanding less from those around us, like our family, friends, and colleagues. While technologies does help us explore who we are, the world around us and makes us more knowledgeable, it is taking away what we once called interaction. In the book, Alone

Have you ever gotten lost in the Internet, swallowed by the constant updates on Twitter and Facebook for hours, when you only meant to be on for a few minutes? This is a constant battle in our society and technology changes and our use of it increases. It is becoming a bigger issue every day, and now it affects one of our basics psychological needs: sleep. Though I concede with Brooke Gladstone, author of “The Influencing Machines” that we can adapt to technology as it grows, I still insist that some issues that arise with technology are bigger than Gladstone portrays and we need to find solutions for some of the bigger problems that technology creates, especially when it disturbs a basic psychological need.

Did you know “according to Diana zelikman there are 271 million mobile subscribers within the United States alone and the numbers are quickly growing?” Shut down your screen week is when the school doesn’t use technology and student doesn’t use technology at home. We should not shut down screen week because it will affect teachers planning, it will also affect student learning, and in case of an emergency the school wouldn’t be able to contact a family member.

Firstly, I noticed how much media speeds up our everyday lives. Essentially everyone is multitasking; it is a way of life in our society. I noticed multitasking at its finest when I went to the library later that day. People are researching online, writing papers, Facebook stalking, instant messaging and listening to their iPods all instantaneously. The instant access to everything has formed our culture. I find myself running on autopilot when it comes to using media. It took the full 24 hour fast for me to realize how dependent I really am on media to make it though the day. The stress I was feeling without the security of my phone or ability to communicate whenever I wanted to left me feeling helpless. Media not only speeds up daily activities, but it has given

I’ve been thinking about sleep ever since reading Maria Konnikova’s fascinating, three-part series for The New Yorker on sleep. And then my wife, Crystal, read the series, which got us both thinking about it, and talking about it, and experimenting with it.

“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.

The rate of childhood obesity has raised over the years with the current breakthrough in entertainment technology. The rise in childhood obesity cases has been linked to the over usage of entertainment technologies. There was a study done by the CDC showing that children aged 12 to 15 years whom play and or watch 4 or more hours of television or playing video games a lot of which were obese. Very few children that were over that threshold of obesity only 20% of which limited their screen time to 2 hours a day rather than 31% of their regular weight friends.

“shut down your screen week”. is a proposal from a group of parents and teachers, who believe that shutting down your screens for the week would be a good idea for multiple reasons. The teachers have decided to ask students about their opinion on this topic.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping makes up one third of a person’s lifetime. Despite that fact, people do not get nearly enough sleep to be productive.

Technology has only recently become apart of life and it is continuously growing and evolving. Generations have become dependent on electronic devices, it is used in everyday life. Though it is not a bad thing unlike commonly believed. The school should not participate in “Shut Down Your Screen Week” because the technological database offers many learning opportunities and has the ability to make students smarter.

What is technology to you? For some people, it's a lifeline they can't go without it. If you were a gamer, how would you feel about not being able to play for a whole week? What about music junkies? Not being able to match a song to each of your feelings for a whole 168 hours. Possibilities are endless but participating in “Shut Down Your Screen Week” is not one of them. For instance, being plugged into social media allows you to look over and receive news, and look at the diversity of the world. Also, the internet contains so many astonishing materials. Although, screens provide us with many convenient things it is also addicting.

Generation Z is addicted to social media because it is the first thing they worry when they wake up. They pick up their phones to see what people posted in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. Dr. Helen Driver, a somnologist (with means the study of sleep), explains, “The explosion of social media and people staying on devices for longer – and taking them to bed with them – is a huge problem”. Social media has effected Generation Z’s by sleep because the light is from the electronics which interferes with sleep. Not only does social media affect the quality of sleep but, the quantity of sleep too. The next morning, they only got a few hours of sleep and they do not feel well both physically and mentally. If someone has issues with turning off their electronic devices in the evening, then they should dim the lights or and turn the power off.

Many do not believe that we have a technology problem in today’s society. But, ninety-five percent of people use technology an hour before they go to sleep (How Technology Affects Sleep). This is an alarming amount of people who use technology before they go to sleep. You do not have to be looking directly at the technology to trigger the pineal gland to stop releasing melatonin (Kim). Many also believe that lack of sleep due to technology does not affect how they do their daily jobs. Seventy-five percent of those over 30 that reported not getting enough sleep said that when they were tired that their sleepiness effected their daily work (Tarkan). For a school age kid ten hours of sleep is needed. Teenagers also need about nine to ten

Research indicates that America’s sleep problems have increased and might be the number one health problem. The average amount of sleep that people get per night can range anywhere from three to twelve hours. According to Dr. David Dinges at the University of Pennsylvania, it is a fact that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep a night do not live as long as people who get seven hours or more. Most people do not realize the importance of sleep or even realize that it is needed to survive. Many people experience sleep deprivation; however it is commonly seen in college students. Irregular sleeping patterns tend to occur in students, which can later lead to long-term effects.

Today, most research done on technology’s effect on sleep has been focused on how technology makes sleeping more difficult. Technology can become a distraction and keep your brain active as a result of using it before going to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation even discovered through a poll that “nine of 10 Americans reported