Where Do I Come In?

Social media is obviously something that is overwhelming society. So what can I personally do about it? One thing that can done is for me to set an example by not depending so much of my life on it. My sorority is an advocate for this as well. We have tried to get people less dependent on social media so we have removed our group Facebook page. While this might be an inconvenience at times, it allows for word to spread by physical interaction of our sisters, rather than with the use of technology.

I think that social media plays a very important role in our society, but when we overuse/misuse it, it defeats the original purpose of it. Social media is a means of communication. That being said, it should be used as such. We need to stray away from the bullying that arises from social media and the distraction it causes to ourselves and others. My anatomy class meets Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour and fifteen minutes. I find it impossible to make it through the class without checking my phone. Today my phone died right before class, so I was forced to pay attention the entire class. I can honestly say, without the use of my phone, I paid attention the entire class for the first time this semester.

Using and checking our phones/laptops/tablets every so often disrupts the brain's focus. It already takes awhile to become focused in on a topic, so when we check our social media cites when trying to learn, it's a struggle to get back into that momentum or groove of learning. If more people tried turning off their phones while in class, I guarantee test averages would be significantly higher. This not only goes for school, but at work as well. I know that when I had a "big girl" job this summer, working full-time in front of a computer Mon-Fri, I wanted to not work and check my social media at times. Staying focused is key, however, in being successful in school, work, and in life in general.

Bottom line is, this isn't going to be an overnight translation. People aren't just going to cut out social media completely, and I'm not asking for that either. What I am suggesting is that we monitor our use of it. If we learn to discipline ourselves of when to use it, and how we're using it, our society would be much more diligent with our time. I challenge you to try it. Whether at work or school, see if you can go that entire class without checking your phone, or that entire meeting without surfing the web. I guarantee your day will be MUCH more productive that you ever thought it could be if you try staying focused for the majority of the day.