Frosted Mini Tweets

Technology has become such a widely used application, that people in general have become so codependent on technology that we are almost incapable of being away from our computers or phones for a short period of time. Personally, I’m always on my smartphone, whether it’s to use social media, play on a gaming app, or to simply text my dad to tell him I am going to be home late. My iPhone is on me at all times, and I feel almost incomplete without knowing that it is in my pocket or in my hands. I will use my phone to the verge of it KOing itself and I’m left just standing there feeling completely vulnerable to the people around me.

I admit that I do have an addiction to using both my smartphone and social media. It has become such a necessity in my own life, I can only imagine that the people around me are dealing with the same situation. I’m always at the mall and I see people walking around on their phones, checking social media, messaging their friends who aren’t with them, or playing a game and ignoring everyone around them. But, I can’t judge them because I’m doing the same exact thing. I’ll be out with friends, either eating out with them or just hanging out in general, and I’ll be on my phone 90% of the time. The problem is, they are doing the exact same thing. I think this is what David Eggers is trying to portray in his novel, The Circle.

David Eggers’ The Circle is a science fiction novel which shows a world where most of society praises technology and can’t wait for the next new thing to happen. The plot itself follows the life of a woman named Mae Holland as she works for The Circle, a company who has practically taken over social media. In the beginning, she seems like an ‘average’ person. Visiting her parents, interested in kayaking, and maybe a little awkward and anxious about small things. Over time, and with a little help from the cops, she decides that she should livestream her day-to-day actions and overall life with the world, which gives her a ‘PartiRank’ based on how active she is online. Anyone who has a Circle account can watch as Mae has casual conversations with people, and even watch her sleep.

There is, however, one person who tries to reason with Mae practically though the whole novel. Kalden, who would probably be dubbed as her ‘secret lover’, tries to explain how the Circle being fully complete will practically bring the end of the world, but Mae isn’t buying any of it. She throws him under the bus and tells everyone if his super secret plan to stop the Circle from gaining an infinite amount of knowledge. His punishment for it? A demotion that puts a limit on the amount of people he is allowed to see and talk to.

Mae craves the knowledge she can obtain from using the Circle as a search engine. Sadly, like her, many people in today’s society face the same issue. According to Mike Elgan, a technology journalist who has written for various publications including Forbes and Datamations, “the addictive aspect of social networking is associated with FOMO — fear of missing out.” In other words, since everyone you are friends with, or are following, is posting 24/7, the user is constantly refreshing and trying to keep up with all of the new statuses, shares, and reposts. It’s almost as if people are yearning to know what their friends are doing at all times, and makes you wonder if they’re just posting for the likes or if the post is actually true. It kind of reminds me of this creepy story by a Reddit user that I actually found through a Tumblr blog called Sixpenceee.

According to a report published by Julia M. Hormes, Brianna Kearns, and C. Alix Timko, social media is used as a way to “[escape] reality and [cope] with stress, depression and worry.” The report continues, saying that social media can aid in the feeling of loneliness, sadness or anxiety. At the California State University, professors in both the communications and psychology departments researched how social media websites can become harmful to the people that use them. They define an addict as someone who is able to experience withdrawal symptoms, health problems, and problems with time management when away from social media for a period of time. The symptoms could range from agitation, depression, anger, and anxiety. The physical symptoms could be a rapid heartbeat, tense shoulders, or a shortness of breath. In The Circle, Mae also starts experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which cause her to stay at work until 2 in the morning to answer some customer queries, posting on her Zing feed, and trying to get her PartiRank higher and higher. “No obstacle to recovery is greater than the infinite capacity to rationalize our compulsive behaviors,” says Tony Schwartz, the founder of The Energy Project and writer for the New York Times, as he shares his struggles with his addiction. He grew accustom to eating unhealthy food and drinking too much diet soda, and his attention span shortened because of how much time he was using the Internet. He says that he had the need to send an urgent e-mail, he wouldn’t go online. Just send the e-mail.

What I failed to take into account was that new emails would download into my inbox while I wrote my own. None of them required an immediate reply, and yet I found it impossible to resist peeking at the first new message that carried an enticing subject line. And the second. And the third.

It’s obvious in this generation of teenagers and young adults that social media addiction is an issue. As more advanced technology reaches the younger generations, the more they will adapt to it and use it in their everyday lives. According to an article posted by Dominic Basulto, a contributor to The Washington Post, 420 million people are addicted to the Internet, which is about 6 percent of the world’s population. While 6 percent doesn’t seem like a large amount, it is enough to shape the way the other 94% might live.

However, there are websites that are trying to combat social media and Internet addiction, There are websites like the UNICEF Tap Project that will donate water depending on how long you don’t touch your phone in one sitting. The campaign itself is a way to provide fresh, clean water to children who don’t have that luxury. However, the challenge is only available using a mobile browser, so you can’t just open you laptop and accept the challenge. Personally, I love this website, and I accept the challenge whenever I’m in class. I have a bad habit of opening the Facebook or Tumblr app on my phone when I’m supposed to be listening to a lecture.