Distracting Necessities

Carr mentions, in his book, the distractions that the internet and technology creates for us. There so many information gateways online that tempt users and lead them away from their original reasons for being online. The internet’s influence has become so great that it even tempts people who are not online. As some of the previous blog entries mentioned, people feel the need to log onto Facebook to check their news feed, or log into their email, multiple times a day. Due to the recent advances in technology people have even more access to the internet, fueling their need to ‘surf the web.’

                The influence the internet has and the distractions it offers is a real problem for students. When I’m on my computer, trying to write a paper or doing my calculus homework, I find my attention constantly being pulled in the direction of Facebook and all the other websites out there. Somehow Facebook, Tumblr, or even just the internet in general becomes so much more interesting to me when I actually have work to concentrate on. In order to work efficiently I have to close all the tabs that could be distracting and even then I find myself opening up a new tab to check my Facebook, or checking it using my phone. The internet is like an addiction.

                As we discussed in class the internet has become almost a necessity for most people. For those of us who have smart phones the internet is always at our fingertips, ready and waiting for us to use them. I don’t know about other smartphone owners but I know that if I have a question I can’t just forget about it or wait to get back to where my laptop is to know the answer. I take out my phone, go online, and Google it. Since getting my iPhone I no longer have the patience to wait for an answer. I need to know right then and there.

When I don’t have my phone on me I feel disconnected. Not because I can’t text people, but because I can’t check my email. What if class is canceled and I don’t know because I couldn’t check my phone? Technology hasn’t just become a necessity for teenagers who text their friends from sun up to sun down or check their Facebook every five minutes. It has become a necessity in everyday life. Some employers require their employees to have phones with quality data plans and email access so that they can receive emails quickly and efficiently, at work and outside of work. The company that my friend’s mother works for even gives their employees a phone allowance to help pay for the best phones and their data plans.

Technology and the internet, like most things, have their good qualities and their bad. On one hand technology allows people to stay connected which is a very good thing if their job requires them to be on the go a lot and they need to stay in the loop. On the other hand technology, like the internet, creates distractions that often get in the way of what needs to be done. The internet is great if you need to quickly search for information for a project or buy something you can’t get at a store, but people rely on it to heavily, and sometimes the information is false, since anyone can post something online.

Jessica King