There’s no denying that 21st century teenagers are technology-crazed. Walking to class, campus sidewalks are littered with texting fanatics who stare blankly at their screens, trying their hardest to avoid genuine interactions. The most contact they will have with anyone is when they slam into another fellow zombie focused on their device, exchanging annoyed eye rolls. Entering the classroom, phones remain in grasp and students pretend they are in their own world to avoid awkward socializing with their classmates. And if their phone is put down, it is only because they are replacing that void with their laptop instead. Aggressively pulling it from their backpacks, they throw it onto their desk, opening up tabs to online shop and stalk Facebook friends, giggling as their texts conveniently pop up on the bigger screen.
Slumped in their seat, they don’t even realize the professor has emerged, and when the professor begins to speak, they are still in their own world. This fixation on technology has gone too far. It’s bad enough to walk the streets aimlessly and avoid peers before class, but when these devices continue to be used throughout class, it is clear the obsession cannot get any worse.
Although technology was designed to enhance our abilities and increase intellectual capacities, the distractions our devices cause us are actually preventing us from becoming the most intelligent version of ourselves. In fact, they actually stop us from learning since we cannot take our eyes off our devices for even a minute to listen to lectures and take notes.
Sure, it may be more fun to scroll through Instagram selfies with meaningless song lyrics or to find out who is dating whom via Facebook than learning about derivatives and molecular biology, but that’s not why you’re paying to go to a university. If you think this superficial information is more important than true knowledge, is there really a point in you being here?
Drexel is one of the most expensive schools in the country, yet I am surrounded by peers who have become so attached to their iPhones and Macbooks that they cannot pay attention in their classes.
If you are paying to attend college, your main focus should be on what your professors are saying, not your virtual friends. Not everyone can afford such a great education and you should cherish each minute of each lecture and appreciate what many people in this world would kill for.
Besides, it is incredibly distracting to the few students who are actually trying to concentrate to make the most of their college education. I don’t want to watch you shopping for new boots or playing a useless game of Tetris and I could care less if you just received a funny text. If you can’t go a 50-minute class period without checking your phone for texts and Twitter updates, I’m insanely worried for you.
Sure, technology is great when used properly, but instead of allowing it to enhance our knowledge, we let it get in the way of our everyday lives to ultimately impair the way we learn. At such an expensive university, students should appreciate their education just a little bit more.
You can text your boyfriend back later and that shirt will still be on sale in an hour, but you cannot get back the hours of lectures you missed because you were on your device. So, put the phone down, shut the laptop and make the most of your education.