Author: John Mosley, C’14
Each morning, as I stand in the shower or eat breakfast, I mentally schedule out my day of work and school. I know that from 9 to 5 I will either be attending class or doing my Work-Study at the Sweeten Alumni House. Usually, at 5 PM, I eat dinner. Every day, I tell myself that after dinner, I will work more diligently than ever before on studying and getting homework done. And, once the meal is over, I pace confidently to my room, knowing that the unprecedented amount of work about to be done will consequently make my life easier in the future. I open my door with purpose to find my laptop computer sitting innocuously on my desk. I know that this will be an important tool in typing my essays and printing out articles to study for my classes. Little do I know how many distractions await me on this machine.
…Ok, I lied. I know how many distractions are on my computer. I know about YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, and all the innumerable other websites that will keep me busy for hours on end while my schoolbooks collect dust in my book bag. But I just can’t help it! That is the biggest problem with students of my generation. We have all been spoiled with the greatest and most entertaining technologies the world has ever known for our entire lives, and now, not even college can break our addiction. So, within 30 seconds, my resolve is gone and my homework is relegated to the late hours of the night, shearing off hours of much-needed sleep.
After an hour or so on the Internet, I often decide that my behavior is unacceptable. I decide to sit on my bed, where my laptop cannot seduce me and I can get some real, honest-to-goodness work done. Just as I open a textbook, a thought occurs to me: I should really text my mom and let her know about my day. She probably misses me. Then, taking my phone out, I realize how many great games I have on it! I could spend hours smashing things and outrunning enemies on my phone! This seems like a great way to spend some time. After all, I’ve had a long day of classes and work, so I’ve earned this. I’ll talk to mom tomorrow, anyway.
See what happened there? I’m surrounded. Technology dictates my actions in my free time. Yes, I always get my work done on time, but at what cost? Hours of sleep are lost because of my lack of focus, and I know for a fact that I am in the majority of college students. Technological advances in entertainment have destroyed our focus and work ethic. This is our eternal struggle. Seems trivial in a world full of real problems…
Frankly Penn 