I guess for me I never realized just how much I rely on technology and new media in my everyday life. My phone is glued to my hand, my computer always in my backpack, the internet is attached to me at nearly every hour of the day. Now that we are talking about YouTube, Google and new media such as Twitter and Facebook I’m realizing how advanced the world has become just in my 21 years. I use the internet and this new media for everything every day. Sitting at the bus stop I’m scrolling through Twitter or Instagram seeing what current events are going on and which friends decided to share their opinion in 140 characters or less. Instead of doing my homework I sit on Facebook and scroll through three days worth of people sharing pictures, videos, buzzfeed articles and whatever else that black hole holds for me. Our friends joke around about being bored and that we’ve already “read the internet” today.

I actually spent a semester in the fall of 2014 in London and one of the coolest things about those four months was that I did not have a cell phone. An international plan was far too expensive and I was far too lazy to walk around the corner and buy a flip phone for $20. That being said, the four months with no Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, constant texting and staring at my phone all day was the most relaxing time ever. I find myself at school, whether bored in class, walking through campus or just sitting on my couch at home, having my phone in my hand reading the same thing I read two hours before. It’s a waste of time. Four months with no phone or connectivity to anyone other than FaceTime on my computer or emails that I would exchange with my family was amazing. It opens your eyes and makes you realize there’s a lot more out there than what sits on the 5 inch screen in your pocket.

Now that I’m back in Amherst, graduating with a job in the information technology sector, I know that I’ll never have that disconnectivity ever again, but God did I enjoy it. At the same time, I missed my Netflix while riding a bike at the gym, or scrolling through Amazon or Groupon looking at things that I can’t afford even at the discounts that they offer. I guess it’s good to be back.