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I know that I am part of the generation that has grown in a world significantly dominated by the internet and an enormous number of cell phones. Also, I to a large extent use internet mostly in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn among others. I also know that I cannot stay for more than five minutes without checking my cell phone (Davison 214). Furthermore, my laptop is always connected to the internet and spends most of my time on it socializing. I also know others who are addicted to the internet and social network more than me. At school I witness thousands of students who spend much of their time texting, Facebook, emailing, twitting, Instagram, receiving phone calls from others.

One day while rushing to class I did wonder what we would do without cell phones, the internet and the social networks. Thus, I took the time to study people behavior at different places I being the big part of the study. I started to think what would I do while traveling on the train, while in a cafeteria, while at home during my free time and while in class. In that, what would I do instead of texting, emailing, and Facebook among others during these instances?

The story of my search

I want to know the answer to this question because I think the society has changed. I believe that the society has become less face to face socially. I know that I spend most of my time conversing with friends through the social networks. However, I think I am a less social person when it comes to face to face communication. It is hard for me to make new friends along the way or to engage in a conversation with a stranger. For this, I think I would blame technology for being part of it has made me be absorbed by the trend of social networks rather than the face to face communication.

I decided to discover how society mostly college students were technology dependent. I thought of a statement made by a significant lawyer one day that today’s lawyers do not compare to the old ones. Therefore, hoping to become an economist then I realize that I too would be not as good as those before me. It is true that I am more dependent on technology. It is because in any case of the study it requires one to have a good ability to communicate. It is important to identify that when all factors all put into consideration, I am a poor communicator. It is because it is hard for me to make new friends through face to face communication. It is unlike few decades ago where my grandmother was in college. She told me that back then they used to have sessions where people would meet to discuss various issues surrounding their life.

So, I decided that I would go four days without my cell phone. Thus, it meant going without checking my emails, messages, Facebook, Twitter, hence, without the internet altogether. I had duly noted that the internet mostly the social network had affected my life in many ways. On Monday night I turned my cell phone off and unplugged my Ethernet cord so that even my laptop could not be connected to the internet. I was willing to know what my routine would be without any of these gadgets.

It was not long before I ran into my first obstacle, every morning I set an alarm on my phone, and I have no other. At this instance, I was required to find another way of setting an alarm or getting up early to go to start my busy schedule. I went looking for my old watch to set my alarm and hoped that it would be loud enough to wake me up. To be honest, I did not sleep well since I feared that I would oversleep and late for work. Luckily it did work and my first day without technology began. I hurried to the bus station; however, I could not fail to notice the bare feeling without my phone. Seated in the bus, people were busy with their phone, no one was talking to the other/ I was the only odd one out, so I decided to great my neighbor. However, I found no more word to say to him except for a simple “hi.”

At the school things were the same. It was unlike the way I am used to checking my Facebook, poking friends and texting now I had to stay a different way. I could say that the day seemed very boring and quite. I thought of going to the library, and for the first time since joining college, I finished all my homework ahead of time. For the first time, I was searching for things to do to keep myself busy. I have never gone to the pitch to exercise and that day I went to the football ground. I met few people in the field whom we engaged in a game; this was a unique feeling that I had not experienced for a long time. I know that I usually have no time for news, but this day I passed by the television room watched the news. I did not stay long not only because I did not want to violate the code of no internet but because I did not like television.

What I discovered

It is important to note that I was required to meet some of the obligations. Thus, when I needed to do research I had to go to the library. Additionally, when I wanted to meet with a person, I had to find them instead of texting or making a call. For the first time in a long time, I had to write notes and letters to people who I could not find quickly. I realized that these activities were time-consuming; unlike the emailing and texting that were full of conveniences I associated technology to smooth and simple life that was subjecting us (Szewczak 112). In that, I realized that today’s technology played a significant role in communication even in the case of face to face, an email or a call had to be involved. The time I used to fulfill some of these talks was much long. Thus, I realized that businesses could not wait for replies on the bills and statements for the day; hence, technology eases this communication.

By the fourth day of my experiment, I had adopted a new way of life. Also, I had developed a new perception of people and technology. However, family and friends were annoyed that they could not get me when they tried to call. Even though I was okay, the people around me were not convinced. It struck me how impatient people were that I could not communicate with them for only four days. Identifying that, the use of phones, emails and internet contributes significantly to people lacking patience (Ha & Franklin 167). Hence, I could associate technology to the fast paced and demanding life’s that we live today. As I surveyed some of my peers, I saw that they could not stay without looking at their cell phones. On questioning some of them, they admitted spending more than an hour on the phone per day. The majority of the students said that they were on the phone for more than six hours per day. I also know that at times I concentrate more on my cell phone than the class work.

Reflection of my search

I could say that engaging in the study enabled me to agree strongly that communication has changed due to technology. For those days I stayed without technology, I had time to visit people, and I had face-to-face conversations. Therefore, in many ways, I am of the opinion that, I communicated better without technology. On the contrary, I am part of the generation that has become so much dependent of technology. The society has become very impatient since we want to live a comfortable and convenient life. Furthermore, the fact that friends and relatives were angry with me for turning away from technology indicates that one has to accept technology to be accepted by the society in general.

In conclusion, I identified that the culture has merged technology and communication. However, I wish that I could learn more about technology in the classroom. I would like to know whether technology is assisting or hindering college students from becoming more learned. Therefore, identifying the extent to which technology should be adopted in the school environment.

Work cited

Davison, Chris. Information Technology and Innovation in Language Education. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2005. Internet resource.

Ha, Louisa, and Franklin N. A. Yartey. "Smartphones and Self-Broadcasting Among College Students in an Age of Social Media." (2015). Print.

Szewczak, Edward. Selected Readings on the Human Side of Information Technology. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2009. Internet resource.