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Cell Phone Addiction | «« back | |
| by F. A. Pridgon (staff writer) | February 2009 | ||
I t seems almost ludicrous to entertain the thought that cell phones have addictive qualities, but as a student who walks the halls of CSN, I can understand that conception. During the hectic ten minute breaks between classes, you can almost always bet on seeing someone pull out, flip, or slide their phone (9 times out of 10 they’re texting). And if you’re lucky, you might be able to catch a group of students standing together, essentially ignoring each other while carrying on multiple conversations.They ’ve become commonplace in our society, an entity everyone seems to have in a world dominated by technology. So I’m convinced now that the convenient little pieces of plastic and circuitry have taken over, and will almost certainly never go away. But what is it that drives our obsessions?
During the first couple days of class, as each of my professors went over their respective syllabi, I noticed a common theme. Through the pages spelling out our tentative schedules there is always some kind of mention of cell phone conduct; simply put, don‘t use them. But something is keeping us from this rule as I‘ve noticed attempts at concealing the use of our phones during class (I’ve witnessed some half-assed efforts as well). One of my professors told of how she asked her earlier classes which of them, if any, had used their cell phones since entering the room. Anywhere from 3 to 8 students raised their hands (though there were probably more who didn’t admit it). Another of my professors said some students try to be slick and put their phones on the chair next to them, glancing down ever so slightly to steal answers. This was completely baffling to me seeing as how he can see every chair in the lecture hall. I’m pretty sure every student wants to get great grades, but according to an article from the New York Times our trusty little gadgets can get in the way. It states that the act of text messaging kills 10 IQ points. I wonder if the prospect of our synapses misfiring is enough deter students from text messaging. Probably not. But who knows? It might arouse the thought of lessening the habit. Even with this evidence, something has got our attention spans out of whack and our priorities mixed up. The balancing act of daily life that shifts the axis of necessity off kilter can make many individuals lose sight of what is actually important. It’s like we’re almost unable to function without our cell phones, a crutch of sorts, that is so central to our ability to function normally. |END
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