Something extraordinary and significant happened to young adults and technology fanatics Wednesday

Yes everyone, Apple did it again. The iOS 7 update came out for the iPhone.

To be honest, I believe Apple has made a huge impact on society and technology itself.  This can be good and bad.

The other day my roommates and I were sitting in our living room hanging out and talking. A few minutes later, the talking stopped and we were all on our phones probably responding to text messages or posting on a social network.

Mostly likely, the text message or social network post was not in need of an urgent response.

It’s just in our nature to check text messages when they pop. I mean, we – college students – are the digital natives.

I’m just as guilty as the next young adult when it comes to checking my phone as much as possible and it’s sad to say that it can be tiring.

Sometimes I just want to turn my phone off and forget about an email I’m waiting on or what tragic update my New York Times app will send me, but I can’t.

It’s hard for us to sit there and forget about important things going on in our lives. It’s rare you say, “I’m going to give myself a free day where I don’t think about anything school- or work-related,” because I know, I end up responding to an email or writing something down that I think of.

Are we just programmed not to stop? Are we born without an on/off button?

This brings me to something my classmates were discussing in our Philosophy of God class. America is a workaday world, meaning all us Americans do is work.

We don’t allow ourselves to think because we’re constantly doing other things.

If we just took the time to sit and relax every so often instead of working or thinking about work, I think we would appreciate life a little more.

We work to make money because money gets us almost everything we need in life and some things we think we “need” in life aren’t truly essential.

We don’t need that new iOS 7 update – although it’s free – or the seven for $26 panties deal at Victoria Secret – ladies, we’re all guilty of going because it’s an awesome deal – or that new video game just because it’s the new version.

I don’t think we necessarily need any of that stuff, but we’re a product of our own environment.

Using technology a lot isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s our main source for a lot of things – school work, movies, music and contact information.

Finding a medium in technology is not a bad thing. It’s being consumed by it.

Take a step back, look at life, enjoy it, enjoy what you have and give yourself some space.

COLLEEN LANGHAM

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