Is it Time to Log Off? By Isabel Cook

Is it Time to Log Off?

By Isabel Cook

Young people today are doing less than ever before. We drink less, we go out less, we experience less. Making conversation can make you a weirdo, and I would go as far as saying that most of us are pretty self obsessed. We were groomed from a young age to perform. When there is always a chance that you are being recorded, watched, or judged, it makes it hard to build proper self esteem. 

With our phones glued to the palms of our hands, we watch sitcoms and imagine a life that is real and full of experience. A little over a year ago I became so sick of this constant looming presence that I went to Best Buy and bought a Trac phone with a new number. At first it was surreal, I was amazed by how many times I reached for nothing to do nothing. The

experience is not what I thought it would be, it actually made me sad. I felt like the only person still awake at a sleepover. I wanted to hang out with my friends, I had so much free time because I had done all of my schoolwork out of boredom. None of my friends were available, no one wanted to do anything, and it was very isolating. It is hard to think that the world we once had no longer exists. 

Our generational jealousy isn’t an empty envelope, though. We are human after all, and we crave connection. We are tired of living in a digital world where trends override uniqueness, and beauty and perfection are the standard—Tired of people talking to AI bots for advice instead of going through life with our friends' advice and unique perspectives. We want our own identities. It is now standard to ask people for their Instagram rather than their phone number for most means of connection. So, when I was backpacking in Europe, I was surprised when many of my hostel mates didn’t use social media, and I accumulated more phone numbers than I thought possible. It was refreshing to be able to text someone I had just met and not feel like I was breaking an unspoken social rule. I started to observe this even more when I got back to the United States. 

At a Phantogram concert I met two fashionable, fun, and energetic girls who don’t use social media, and we made quick friends. Human connection is the reason for everything. Why should we go to concerts and act like we don’t see anyone around us? Why should we go out just to take photos instead of dancing with our friends? I think that the rejection of digital addiction could be a starting point for real change in how we connect. I don’t think that social media

should be eliminated, but maybe it shouldn’t be our entire lives.