According to a survey from 2019, the average American adult spends roughly 12 hours in front of a screen. (Fisher) Those numbers may seem like a lot at first glance, but when I look back on my daily routine, it does not seem as crazy. In my daily routine, I probably use more. With four online classes and an obsession with Hulu, my day is eaten up with technology.In the morning, I wake up to that dreaded sound of Apple’s “radar” alarm. Granted that I’ve hit snooze at least 4 times. The first thing I do is pick up my phone and check my Instagram. I scroll until it is time for my 9 am online class. After class, I normally try to do some work. Notice how I said try. Nine out of ten times, it ends with me back in bed watching America’s Next Top Model. At 1 pm, I have to attend another zoom meeting. I sign out at about 2 and if you have not noticed I’ve already used up 6 hours of my day on technology. 

After I am finished with school, I normally meet up with my roommate and get lunch. Make a note of my first hour without media for the day. During this time, I really couldn’t tell you how much I check my social media, but I can assume it’s every time it dings. While we are out buying groceries or running errands, we always listen to music. When I get back to my dorm, it always seems like I never am finished with my schoolwork so I crack open my computer again and spend more time in front of that screen. I usually end my day by watching a couple of episodes of whatever my roommate and I are watching at the time. 

Ever since Apple has added the Screen Time feature I’ve been very insecure about the number of times I pick up my phone. That is until I saw my little sister's daily average. Last week, I spent an average of 5 hours and 25 minutes on my phone a day. My total screen time was 37 hours and 59 minutes. Please stop, I can feel you judging me. Social media consumed 17 hours and 38 minutes of that time. I spent 5 hours and 24 minutes on Safari. Doing what? I couldn’t tell you. Probably looking up the definition of words I should definitely know. The rest was taken up by Entertainment, Productivity, and Education. 

Earlier, I brought up my little sister and her phone usage. She goes to school online and if I had to be completely honest she probably spends more time using media than me. So, if you ever need an update on any famous TikToker she is the one to go to. My roommate though is very in touch with her mother nature side. She spends a lot of her time outdoors. So if I had to estimate, she more than likely spends less time using technology than me and my sister. 

Maybe I’m in denial, but I don’t think technology has had such a bad impact on me. My mom will beg to differ, but I know in good faith that what I am reading and watching on my phone or computer is not rotting my brain. In my academic lifestyle, technology is an essential. I literally couldn’t do my work, go to class, or maintain access to resources without it. It has been very necessary for my success in school. In my personal life, I use media to benefit myself. That’s what all the brainwashed teenagers say, isn’t it? I watch things that make me happy. I listen to music that makes me happy. Most importantly, I google weird questions I have at 2 am when I need an answer.

The article written by Nicole Fisher “ How Much Time Americans Spend In Front of Screens Will Terrify You,” did not terrify me. What did terrify me is all the negative side effects of using so much technology. Obesity, poor sleeping habits, and higher rates of depression in teens. Of all these scary things technology is supposedly responsible for, the part that stood out to me in the article was “adults are consuming five times more information every day than their counterpart 50 years ago.” Maybe it’s just me, but that sounds awesome. My phone holds so much information. Technology connects us and teaches us more than we ever could have imagined. And I think that is an amazing thing.

At the end of the day, I can definitely see why people are worried about the negative effects produced by technology. But I do not understand why people are not using media and the internet to explore and engage with the world around them more often. When used efficiently and safely, the internet can be a great resource for learning things that someone is not normally taught in a conventional classroom. My world has become technology-dependent and I have no intention of changing it. Media will always be an important part of my life, even if my mom thinks otherwise.