I don’t know if many of you stayed on campus during Hurricane Matthew, but it was not a pleasant experience. I guess you could say I underestimated how powerful the storm would be. The winds were ferocious, and tree after tree fell down. Not too long after the storm, the power went out. I mentally prepared myself to be without power for a little while, but I did not expect the power to be out for more than a day or two. Being without electricity was definitely a struggle, in more ways than one. Food began to spoil, people could not keep in contact with one another and also the storm brought about sewage in the water supply.

Being without my phone, TV and computer was rough, but given the fact that I was with friends, I didn’t even think about what was happening on social media or what my other friends were doing who weren’t on campus. However, once the power came back on, I began to notice how everyone got absorbed into their technology yet again, and yes, I did the same. Some people react differently than others when they have to go without technology for long periods of time. With our generation being more technologically advanced, people depend on having some form of it in their daily lives. Don’t get me wrong, technology can be a great thing. It has improved society in many ways and makes life a little bit better. But, people can sometimes be so absorbed in technology that it can have a negative effect. And, in most recent years, it has for some people.

Nowadays people don’t seem to know how to have normal conversations with each other face to face. It becomes an awkward ordeal. However, people seem to have more in-depth conversations with people when they’re not face to face. In a way, not being able to see the other person seems to put people at ease when they’re getting to know one another or just talking to them in general. Even in businesses, you aren’t even able to talk to a real person for the most part. Most of the time you get a machine, and in my case, they usually never help me with my problems.

A lot of people depend so much on their technology that they don’t know how to have normal relationships with other people. I’ve been in situations where people would be in the same room and they would text each other instead of just leaning over and talking to them. It’s not just cellphones; people can get absorbed in video games as well. A person can spend hours on end, playing the same game all day and completely forget the outside world.

Technology is very useful in today’s time; however, people can be completely consumed with it. It may come to a point where face-to-face interactions become obsolete in many situations, such as job interviews and classroom settings. It almost makes me have a little nostalgia for being a kid and just running around in my backyard with my dog. Those were the days where I wasn’t concerned about what was going on in the world around me; instead, I was just enjoying being in complete bliss.