Assignment 2- Tom Polites

I may not realize it all the time, but technology maintains a constant presence in my life. Although I am grateful to have the capability to instantly communicate with my friends whenever needed, I do not like the feeling of being dependent on my phone, which I experienced this summer.

My iPhone, which had served me well for two years, finally succumbed to excessive usage and wear and tear. I was out of town in Chicago for a long weekend, and the inability to text my friends or check twitter left me feeling disconnected from the world, as if I had gone completely off the grid. This only lasted a few days because I got a new phone once I returned to Lexington, but the situation made me realize how big a role technology, especially my phone, plays in my life.

This is one of the ways that technology has affected me negatively. The fact that a small rectangle can have such a large impact on the way I feel is worrisome to me, and makes me question whether or not I should be focusing on more important things instead of how many retweets my last tweet got.

In addition to my dependence on technology, it also significantly increases my procrastination. When a GroupMe is "popping" and hundreds of messages are being sent, I find it nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand and become completely immersed within the group chat. Although this has never caused me to receive a poor grade on an assignment, I would likely be more diligent and complete my assignments earlier than the night before they are due.

I don't want it to sound like I am saying that technology is a terrible evil that has only had a negative impact on my life, because this is certainly not the case. Technology has made my life a lot easier, and also helps me connect to my friends even when we aren't together. I am happy to have technology in my life, but even though it has created many positives in my life, it is not without its drawbacks.