In 2022, everyone is fully immersed in the world of technology. Villanova’s campus is no exception. 

During my walk to class, all I see are students with their heads down in their phones or with headphones on, completely disengaged from where they are.

They would rather focus on something that is not real than what is right in front of them. I am not saying that I do not go on my phone or listen to music when walking, but when I see 80% of students looking down at their phones, it rubs me the wrong way.

It is rare to find a student just walking with no earbuds or not looking at their phone. 

I always imagine how someone from the 1980s would react looking around campus. They would be amazed at how everyone is tied down to their devices. 

The technology that rubs me the worst way is the electric scooters I see some athletes riding. First of all, the farthest walk on campus is 15 minutes, so they are not necessary. Second, they are athletes. They should welcome the opportunity to get exercise.

Technology has advanced at an incredibly fast rate, and Villanova students are falling victim to its grasp. 

What should we do? We must become aware that consuming mass amounts of content on social media does not serve our own lives in any way. It only provides a distraction from our progress. 

With apps like Instagram, TikTok and now BeReal, students have become addicted to the limitless content available to them at the tip of their fingers. 

Villanova students need to turn off their phones and be truly present in the moment instead of looking to a small screen for entertainment and gratification. 

Everyone needs to stop focusing on everyone else and start focusing on themselves and how to improve their own lives.

If students really want to make use of their phones, they would start creating instead of consuming. If one thinks that they are insightful, they should make advice videos on TikTok. If one thinks they are funny, they should make a comedy account on Instagram. 

Students do not realize that content creators today are just like them. They just decided to create instead of consume. 

How does looking at what other people are doing benefit one’s own life in any way? The answer is it does not. Most people are aware of this answer, yet they continue to subject themselves to the experiences of others, get stuck in comparisons and end up sad for the rest of the day.

Humans were not meant to consume the large quantities of content that students do on a daily basis. Humans were meant to be 100% focused on what they have going on. Now, students are giving mental energy toward other people and getting angry or sad before their feet even touch the ground in the morning. 

We cannot allow technology to so easily invade our minds. We must utilize it but not be controlled by it. Only then will we truly be free from its grasp.