Distractions have become one of the many parts of life that society is accustomed to. We flirt with them from time to time as a means of avoiding doing something else. Today’s most popular interruption is the Internet. What makes this endless source of knowledge and nonsense different from other distractions is that it has become an addition that cannot be stopped. It stands in the way of accomplishing the task at hand.
Society is drawn to the web as a way to procrastinate largely because it is so easily accessible especially to college students. Web-accessible devices like computers or tablets consistently surround students making it near impossible for them to avoid being distracted Even if students are not around these devices, it is likely they have access to a smartphone. This literal at-hand accessibility to the web makes it a lot more difficult for students to get work done in a reasonable amount of time.
Even now, I started writing this article 45 minutes ago and since then have countlessly refreshed Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, checked my texts and emails and read three different Buzzfeed articles.
Brendan Goodwin / Equinox staff
Do any of these things help me with my writing? Absolutely not. If anything, they have made the writing process much slower. But even though I’m fully aware that doing these things is hindering my creative flow, I continue to do them anyway because checking these outlets has become an addiction. In an article for the New York Times, writer Tony Schwartz stated, “The brain’s craving for novelty, constant stimulation and immediate gratification creates something called a ‘compulsion loop.’ Like lab rats and drug addicts, we need more and more to get the same effect.”
It’s safe to say that society’s incessant need to surf the web has grown to the point of addiction. This notion holds especially true in young adults and even children, as they have grown up with the Internet.
By beginning Internet usage at a younger age, we become more reliant on it for almost everything. With technology becoming more and more prevalent in schools, it’s near impossible to tell your child that they cannot use the Internet.
Like with any addiction, reasoning rarely overcomes urges. Telling a student to complete the homework found online without logging onto any distracting sites would be like putting an alcoholic in a bar and telling him not to order a drink.
Society is quick to deny this addiction to the Internet because it is not often visibly harmful to users or those around them. It’s the norm – what we’re used to. But just because a thing is normal does not make it a non-problem. We must address the fact that our addiction to distractions and the Internet is real and then as individuals, figure out means to lessen the addiction in ways that work for us. After all, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.
Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@kscequinox.com
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