In the back of my head a little voice has been consistently nagging me to backup my computer hard drive. Did I listen? Of course not. Instead, I just keep putting it off with my "I'll do it later" trademark attitude. As you may of guessed, I got what was coming, a Sunday night computer crash the night before midterm week started.
I'll spare you the details of my high-stress freak out and fast-forward to my point. I seriously cannot believe how completely lost I feel without my laptop. It feels so odd to come home and not have the computer on and readily accessible. This led me to wonder, how dependent are we on this technology?
No one can deny the conveniences of living in a "digital world." Academically, computers are no longer a luxury but an undeniable necessity. Just look at our computer-focused library. However, computer dependence can stretch beyond school need and infect social lives.
I will chat with friends via e-mail or instant messenger that live thousands of miles away or just in the neighboring apartment complex. It's kind of sad. I feel like face-to-face interaction and phone conversations are often replaced with "LOLs" and smiley faces. It's time to take our social lives and free time off-line.
Usually, my online socializing occurs when I'm procrastinating. I'm going to assume this is fairly standard, because as I gaze around the John P. Raynor, S.J. Memorial Library — my new study location since I've gone computer-less — I see many screens with instant messenger boxes and Facebook windows opened.
I'll admit that I've overdosed on the Web. If I could get back all the hours I spent in front of a computer, not doing school-related work, then maybe I wouldn't always feel so time-crunched.
There are definitely benefits to spending a moderate amount of free time online. You can read the latest news, get your opinion in the conversational realm through Weblogs, and have endless amounts of knowledge at your fingertips.
However, you can very easily waste many hours at the computer — between online games, random searches, message boards, instant messenger and personal Web sites. Studies have even linked obsessive Internet use to depression. Sometimes we get wrapped up in this fast-moving, pressure world and writing e-mails is more convenient way of communicating and getting enthralled with the Internet is simple.
With summer on the horizon wouldn't it be nice to spend sometime away from the computer? The "winter blues" of cold weather, snow in March and lack of sun light are coming to a much needed end. Many of us will be turning off the televisions and computers for a relaxing and fun spring break.
Instead of coming back and falling into the same old routine, why not spend more time out enjoying the city, your friends and life in general. Trust me, it's really starting to hit me that in less then three months my college lifestyle will abruptly end. College does fly by; don't miss a second of it.
