Technology has always been at the tip of my fingers. I have access to the Internet at all times. One might say that because of this, I live my life through a screen. Iv’e come so accustom to always having my phone on me that I now feel lost without it. Although technology has many positive benefits such as being able to communicate with family or friends that may live in a different state or far away, I feel that technology for the most part, has had a negative impact on my life.

When I was in the fourth grade I received my first cell phone. This made it extremely easy to contact my friends or parents whenever I wanted. Soon after that, I took to social media. In fifth grade I made a Facebook and from there I soon evolved into Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. With all of these social media accounts I quickly became addicted to my cell phone. I was constantly refreshing my Instagram to see of any new posts and Snapchating my friends all day, every day.

I admit that technology, specifically the social media aspect, has taken over my life. It pulls me away from living in the moment and enjoying time with family and friends because I tend to engage with my cell phone more than them.

When I was a junior in high school I became very good friends with this girl, Morgan. Over Spring break, I spent the week at her beach house. The first night that we were there we ate dinner with her parents. While at dinner I reached for my phone and started texting. Before I realized it, her dad grabbed my phone from my hands. At first, I was sure that it was just a joke. However, I soon realized that he indeed was not messing around. He went on to explain that dinner was a time to interact with each other and phones were banned from the table.

Thinking about what had just happened, I found it very strange. Not many families or people have rules like this. When you walk into a restaurant and gaze around, most everyone eating at tables have their eyes glued to their screens. However, at the end of that dinner I realized why it was so important to him. Engaging in conversation and showing interest in each other’s day brings you closer together. From that day forward, I made a point to myself to not pick up my phone while eating meals with others. My full attention would be directed to them.

It is important for us to realize that we shouldn’t live our lives through a screen. When we are with family or friends we should actually be there with them. We should live in the moment and not feel the need to document everything that we do online for the whole world to be a part of. Living more in the moment will allow us to connect better to those around us and in general will allow us to live a happier life.