Who Could That Be Ringing on My Phone?

Recently I saw a segment of a stand up routine in which comedian Sebastian Maniscalco talks about having someone show up at your front door. I'll post the video below so you can take it in in all of its glory, but in a nutshell:
We used to be excited when someone showed up at our door, but now if someone just shows up unexpected it is a truly terrifying experience. Similarly, we feel the same way about phone calls. I remember being younger, before texting, and getting really excited when someone would call me. But now your phone rings and you just stare....
Why is this person calling me? They could have just texted me! WHY? WHY? WHY?!?!?!
You see what I'm saying? Sebastian Maniscalco got me thinking. How have we gotten to a point where a phone call or a surprise visitor is unwelcome and unwanted? Is it social media? Our ability to communicate in the blink of an eye? I think it's odd. Let's bring back showing up at a friend or relatives door because we were "in the neighborhood." How about we start calling each other instead of just texting?

The Smartphone from the Black Lagoon

So I'm sitting in class, minding my own business, when my teacher, Dr. Steve, brings up the topic of the day....social media.
Ok...I'm here. I get social media, I understand it. Then he starts asking us questions.

Dr. Steve: How many times do you visit a social media site a day?

I shamefully hang my head. I think "gosh, I must go on about 5-10 times a day, depending on the day." Then someone raises their hand.

"30-50"

....THIRTY TO FIFTY TIMES A DAY?! I was embarrassed before, but after hearing that I'm just confused. How does one have the time to go onto social media that many times a day? How are the Facebook posts and Instagram photos so interesting that they can take up that much time in our lives? Some students leave Facebook open on their computer all day, most everyone in the class is on social media while they are walking....that's when I realized, I have to blog about this.

Is social media nice, yes it is. I'm glad it's in the world. I've utilized it since high school and have been thoroughly addicted ever since. But I thought that I was using social media to much in my regular day life. I've been trying to downsize the amount of time I spend on it. I took Facebook off my phone in order to cut off my access from it while I'm out with my friends. But now that I know that my class finds the norm of time spent on social media to be so high I don't know what I think. Am I just an oddity in my generation or should my generation be spending more time with their heads out of their social media...especially when moving in the streets!

David and Goliath - SMART PHONE EDITION!

In this corner, the tiny little pocket screen that we carry with us at all times...better known as SMARTPHONE. In the opposing corner, the big large champion of the movies...some know him as "The Silver Screen"..... He is THE MOVIE THEATER!
                                                  FIGHT! 

Recently AMC theaters considered creating smartphone friendly theaters, sort of like how restaurants used to have smoking sections. Why, well the idea was that millennials will be more likely to go to the theater if they will be allowed to pull out their cell phone without being told to please turn their phone off. However, many have taken to Twitter and attacked AMC for their texting friendly theaters. Some went as far to say that they would stop going to their theaters if they were to do this. AMC has since ditched the idea of creating these smartphone friendly theaters.
Honestly, bad idea AMC. Some people believe that our addiction to technology has caused our attention span to shorten. It makes us far less likely to sit still for more then a few minutes. Inviting us to be able to have our phones out in theaters is just going to help support our need to be wedded to our gadgets. We NEED to learn to put them down from time to time. I'm very glad they have trashed this idea. It would have done far more harm to society and would completely neglect the purpose of the movies.

Big Brother? But I'm an only child....

Social media is a great place for us to express who we are, the things we like, and for us to joke around with our peers. We trust that we can be ourselves on the internet or on our social media pages. But this is simply not so. With employers and schools checking your social media pages in order to deem you a worth candidate for their attention is completely irrational. My private life should be just that....PRIVATE!
When I was in high school I remember my parents, counselors, and teachers advising us on watching what we post on social media if we have any intention of going to a good school or getting a well paying job. But social media is supposed to be a part of my private life, so why should what I do socially effect my job status.
The theory that was taught to me was that if you are reckless in your social life then you will also be reckless in your work/school environment. This just isn't true and if anything just proves that we now live in a world where we aren't able to escape our jobs and relax. I don't want to have to always be on edge that I might get fired for going out and having a good time at a bar or a party. Andrews makes a very sound claim in restricting organizational use of our social media pages. I have a private life from my school and work and frankly I intend to keep it that way!

Ad-heavily sticking to My Life

I may be a little young to say this phrase, but here I go....
BACK IN MY DAY...that's right.... back in my day there weren't ads on YouTube. I remember when YouTube first popped its beautifully addictive head out of the corners of the Internet. I was young and when I was bored I would take to YouTube. As it grew more popular so did those posting on the Internet and once YouTube became popular it began. I will never forget the first time I had to WAIT to watch my video. I was young, in high school, and Google/the wonders of the Internet had made me very impatient!
I stared dumb founded at what was happening in front of me. I wasn't wasting my time watching TV, I was on YouTube. I shouldn't have to deal with commercials or ads. This was an abomination! But now they are common and they are everywhere.
Why rant about this?
Well, back in my day YouTube and some other internet fanominon was just a place to go to blow of steam. Now every web page (YouTube, Google, blogs, the list goes on) is now a business. It's just one more way that work finds its way into my home and into my life.
I certainly don't mean to knock those who make their living being a "YouTube sensation." But, to me, it's just a shame that I can't escape to the Internet without getting pitch-slapped.

Memes.com

Oo-googleing into our lives

Google plays such an important role in all our lives. We've come to a point where many of us are unable to get by without it. I myself am guilty of using the internet for research even when teachers ask that we "try" to use the library. Why? We are a little lazy and a wee bit entitled. When you grow up with the comfortability of the internet and the treasure trove it holds its easy to neglect the outside world. But in my opinion Google is just an extension of our gadgets. The ones we all, but especially my generation, are glued too. Now that we have the ability to take Google everywhere we go it makes it much more possible for Google to take a good hold of our lives. They know what we like and dislike. Where we go and with who. Is it possible to stop this take over? Yes. Put down the phone, the tablet, the laptop and read a book, a real book not an e-book. Go out with friends and leave your phone at home. Believe it or not you can get by without the phone in your back pocket. Turn off the gaming system and play a board game with friends. Google has a portal to our lives thought every electronic we have, and if we spend more time out of the technology and in the real world we can claim the lives that Google claims to know so much about.

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson - Parks and Recreation