As millennials, our generation is constantly being criticized for our addiction to our phones. My daily life is filled with obsessively checking my phone for new posts on social media or new texts from my friends. This distraction isn’t strictly due to a love for technology like many people assume. Instead, it’s because of my need to be connected with my peers at all times. I realized this need in class this week when I went to check the time on my phone. I quickly glanced at my phone to see what time it is, and noticed I had 25 unread texts. I wasn’t about to start reading texts on my phone during a class that is revolved around distraction, but having to wait a whole hour to see what people were saying to me sounded torturous. Although I put my phone away in my backpack, the distraction remained in my head. I couldn’t stop wondering if I was missing out on some important news or funny conversation. I zoned out of class discussion for a couple minutes while I was stressing out about why I could possibly have gotten 25 texts. Once class was over, I quickly pulled out my phone while I left the classroom to catch up on my missed messages. I didn’t grab my phone because of a physical need to be holding it, or because I felt uncomfortable without it. I simply felt out of the loop because I was disconnected from my peers for 2 hours during my class period. To put it in simpler words, I understand that I experience “FOMO”, or “fear of missing out”, anytime I’m not with my friends or on my phone. Is it only my generation that has a constant desire to be connected to the world all times? Or has this new technology fueled this desire for all people?
April 28, 2015 at 3:27 pm
I totally feel this.. FOMO is so real for me and I almost never stay home because of it. Social media has made it very hard to want to be alone, and honestly we truly never are. Constant notifications that bring up distractions also affect the way we act when we are alone. Can many young age people say that you ever take a break from technology and just sit down and read a book? Probably not, I personally know I spend endless hours on my phone… Doing what? Some say “communicating” but I say distracting us from reality of ourselves.