COLUMN: Social overload
Social networking is currently ruining my academic life, but rocking my social one.
The other night, my women's history book, that was once propped up on my desk, slid further and further down to the floor as the means of social media pushed its way to being my number-one priority.
I found myself texting, Facebook chatting and Skyping all in one continuous motion. Then I tweeted about it.
With so many outlets for communication, it's hard to stick to only one source. Especially when your friends on each site have the power to all text, Facebook, Skype and tweet you at the same time.
Four sources of communication and throwing a women's history exam in there can make for one major headache. Not to mention having enough tabs open to give my laptop a headache, too.
But my need to put down every form of technology is an option I cannot face.
Without the constant communication with friends, I might not have to cram for an exam. What would I do from midnight to 8 a.m. the night before the test? Scary thoughts.
When I got my first cell phone in ninth grade, it was a flip phone with physical keys I had to push. I had a limit of 50 text messages per month and that counted the ones I received as well.
Now, I override that 50 text limit in 50 minutes.
Since upgrading to 200 messages and then finally unlimited, I've become glued to my phone. Things got even worse when I caved for an iPhone.
Walking from class to class should be a time to take in the fresh air and break from my technology-filled day.
Those glorious 10 minutes of walking from Powers Hall to Moore Hall leaves me just enough time to get through two songs, respond to texts and listen to voice mails.
Although it's great to have friends that talk to me, it might be time to put them on pause and pick back up on my history lesson.
But then again, when the future is practically already established on Facebook and Twitter as it happens, who really has time to care about history anyway?
