Elizabeth Dardaine 1/2/19

Communication Studies

Reflective Piece

Michelle. Michelle!"

"Yes Ma," I look up from my phone to find my mom yelling at me. It seems as
though she is looking for an answer to something.

"Wah is di problem?" I asked.

"Did you not hear what I just asked you?"

No, I didn't. I didn't hear a word she said. I usually don't hear a word said to me
by anyone whether it is my mom or my friends. Why is that? Because I am fully
concentrated on the various things I can do on my phone with internet.

"What is so interesting on your phone?" my mom always asks me.

I never know how to answer that. That's because I spend so much time on social
media apps and on the internet doing numerous activities. I just cannot find an
answer to give her, if i did I probably would say the internet.

Imagine life without the internet. I absolutely cannot, because it seems that
everything I do is somehow connected to it. I think this is the major issue with
the internet, it has become so useful that it has taken over my life.

The first thing I do when I wake up is check all of my social media apps. I do
this before anything. I just enjoy all these activities that I can do via the internet.
If I want to write, watch music videos, learn, play games, communicate with
others, research, apply for schools, and more, I use the internet. Over the years,
especially with the advancements of the internet, I have come to use the internet
for even more. I rely heavily on the internet and it definitely made me a
different person.

I feel less sociable, sad or lonely when it is not there, and less likely to go out
and do an activity, because I rather know for sure that I have internet to do my
various activities.

Once I am at school, I make sure to connect all of my devices to the internet. So

that, anywhere I go whether it is in class, the cafeteria, or even the bathroom, I
can continue to enjoy my activities. The only time I am completely off of the
internet is when the current go or if it just stop working. When this take place
the I immediately start refreshing all my feeds or pages. I repeated this process
for at least five times,and when the page remains blank I finally realize what I
have known all along, there is no internet. Processing this leads to me having
little meltdown. I start to tremble anxiously and stare intensely at my stare at my
phone, laptop or whatever I am using at the time. In extreme cases I fling my
phone harshly onto my bed or bag.

I fear missing out on social media or my tv series. I fear not knowing what
everyone is talking about or not seeing what is being posted by friends or others
on Instagram. I also fear missing out on watching my tv series that come out
everyday of the week.

My mom thinks I have an addiction to my phone. Well, generally most adults

think everyone my age has an addiction to their electronic devices. However,
most of the world is hung up on the internet throughout their day. It can be
accessed via Many different electronic devices. The Internet is available in
some cafes,restaurants, and many other different places. Wherever I go, I see
people on their smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other devices seeking out
pages on the internet. So honestly, I would not say it is an addiction to devices.
It's an addiction to the internet and what the internet allows us to enjoy. It's an
addiction to be online or connected.

If I disconnect from the internet, there are many things I probably could do. I
will be able to interact with my family or friends face to face and join them on
little trips. I might be able to fall asleep at night earlier and wake up feeling
fully rested. Also, My mom might even be able to have a conversation with me
without yelling at me for being on my phone.

However, The world is now revolved around the internet for many different
purposes, like education or entertainment. I know I have to set limits, or else I
will remain consumed by the internet. I just become so engrossed in
notifications, news, and the various update for my social media apps. The time I
spend with my families and friends are often tasks for me, as I cannot wait to
get back to the internet, or I feel a pull to the internet during interactions with
people.

After all of this thinking, I can fully accept that I am addicted to the internet and
have been for a long time now, and it has change me and not for the better. I
have become less social, less able to appreciate moments, less sensitive to
feelings, and and less attentive. I do not see myself changing my ways anytime
soon, however, I hope I will eventually.