Technology. You see it everywhere you go. Around every corner you turn, there is no doubt that you will see some form of technology. Our generation grew up in a world consumed by instant messaging and lives that were posted all over the internet. Now, the technology of social media has blown up into something we cannot stop. Almost everybody has some type of social media account. We use these accounts everyday and some people even post their entire lives on those sites.
We have become consumed by the power that social media holds. We follow trends that appear, we check for how many “likes” we’re able to get, and how many followers we have. These sites have just become a part of our life. But, can their effect be deleterious? If we’ve become so consumed by these sites, then, are our lives at school being affected?
I’ve asked some students around the halls of McClatchy how their school lives are affected by social media accounts. Ian Curtis (’17) states, “I have one social media account. I use it almost everyday. It does make it harder to study and do homework.” He only has one social media account and even that is devouring his time. The effect of social media has such a powerful hold on us and definitely has a strong impact on our everyday lives. However, despite the fact that Ian may go on his account on a daily basis, he still says that he is not as distracted as most people are; however, “every now and then, I want to check what everyone else is doing.”
Scott Kumamoto’s (’16) life is also affected by social media, saying, “I have three different social media accounts: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.” He says that he uses Instagram the most and when asked if any of his accounts made it hard to do homework, he replied, “ Yes. Instagram makes it very hard.” So, social media does make his academic life more challenging; it offers more distractions. This only furthers the proof that social media is negatively affecting our school lives and shows the control it holds over our lives.
Overall, while some students are able to resist the attraction of social media, others are not and have become consumed by it. It has come to the point where we are so enveloped by it, that it is starting to affect our school lives and become a daily distraction. Whether it be because we want to check the number of “likes” we received on our most recent photo, or see what our friends are up to, these sites have become deeply embedded into our lives and serve as a constant distraction. Technology, in general, is advancing, whether we like it or not, and along with these advancements, social media will continue to have a huge effect on our lives.