Your Attention Please!
Hi. I’m Kyle. I’m 21 which makes me a millennial, I guess. While technically I am apart of that group, it’s weird for me to associate with a generation who are now living in the most connected world humans have ever seen because, in reality (and by reality I mean actual reality, not the reality of the “Twitter-verse” or Virtual or whatever is next) I have never felt more disconnected from people. What sparked this feeling? I’m still unsure. Maybe its just me, or a weird phase I am going through, but my hunch is that there are plenty of “millennials” out there that feel the same exact way. So what does this connection look like? How did I come to the point where I thought it was important enough to discuss with the world? Well, here we go.
Much of my life since graduating High School has been spent interacting with “the next generation”. What does that mean? From the time I was no longer required to go to class, I have spent my “free time” working, interacting and sharing my life with High School students. This has come in a variety of outlets, but it has been fascinating for me to watch the interaction, or lack thereof, of people aged 14–17. The transformation of this dynamic has been interesting because it was so freakin’ fast. I can remember being 14 years old, a freshman in High School and my phone was a Blackberry Curve. This thing wasn’t touchscreen and forget about internet or Facebook, not to mention the fact that I owned about 12 of these dinosaurs over the course of a year because they broke easier than a Kit Kat Bar. Now, just 7 years later the primary function of the thing that is in my pocket doesn’t even match its name. It’s not a “cell phone” anymore, its a ‘mobile device’, a handheld computer that can accomplish nearly any task your laptop or PC can and often times, better.
With the advent of the ‘smart phone’ came a storm of outlets for us humans to interact and “connect”. But are we really? Or are we faking it? Sure, you now know what your mom is doing while you are in class or what your best friend’s boyfriend’s cousin’s dog’s name is, but what does that mean? What does that really mean? My hunch is this question seems silly to you. Of course it does! Because you are probably reading this on your iPhone 6s with Facebook running in the background and a Snapchat notification just slid down from the top of that 4-inch screen. That is the world we live in! Which is amazing! How cool is it that within 60 seconds we can be updated about literally ANYTHING and ANYONE ALL. THE. TIME.?! Insane, right? But… what if we used that insane technology in a meaningful way?
Now, before you start thinking I am anti-smartphone or anti-social media please understand that it is just the opposite. I love my Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram (@KyleRohrmann) more than most 21 year olds, and that is exactly why I think there is value in being aware of what is happening and sharing it. My hope is not for you or me or anyone to delete their Facebook profile or trade in their Galaxy Note 12 for a Razr flip phone. My hope is that we, as a generation begin to understand the impact that these outlets CAN and WILL have on our lives and take control of them before the opposite happens. But how do we do that? Its simple, pay attention.
Our attention is an extension of our time. Where we choose to give our attention is how we choose to spend our time. You don’t need me to tell you that your time is valuable and shouldn’t be wasted, but just consider this: IF you have goals, dreams, aspirations and a vision for your life, are you giving your attention (spending your time) to things that get you there? This concept of changing where we deploy our attention is one that is crucial to putting meaning behind what we do. For example, the next time you are out with your friends at a restaurant, take a look around and count the number of people within your sightline that are looking at their phone. Then, look at the people they are with. Those people are where this idea of attention matters and here is why: The person sitting across from the guy or girl on their phone is GUARANTEED doing one of two things. Most likely they are on their phone, too. OR they are staring off into space. Why is that important? Here’s why. The conversations and moments we share with people in person may only happen once. Wasting them for the internet, where everything is forever and always accessible is not a valuable way to deploy your attention, or use your time. So, next time you are sitting across from someone, let your Tweet wait and be in the conversation, I promise it will bring more meaning to your interactions in ways we are not used to.
But what about our attention in the digital world? After all, we spend a majority of our time interacting with people who are in our network more than our physical space. How can we make our attention and time spent on these platforms meaningful? Well, its simple really. Let’s share events, stories and experiences that make us smile. There is too much hate in the world, far too much cynicism and nowhere near enough positivity. That’s what this blog is for. That’s how I am going to deploy my attention. Social media is a powerful tool and I believe that if we all use it in a positive way then maybe, just maybe, we can make this world a better place to live. So follow along! I don’t know everything and I will never claim to, but I do know this: We only have one shot at this thing called life — ours is unique because of this thing called the internet — and we can make others’ better by spreading these things called smiles.
Thoughts? I’d love to hear them. Please leave them below or reach out to me via other outlets (also below!)
