Technology has made a revolutionary change in the world. Almost everything is done online these days and we rely heavily on our smartphones, tablets and laptops. Social media has become the most popular platform for communication and opens up an interactive atmosphere online. Although social media can be very beneficial, it also comes with some disadvantages.

We live in a society where our curiosity runs wild and we resort to social media to satisfy it. This happens virtually everywhere we are — in class, on the bus, at work or crossing the road. It becomes a distraction and limits the effectiveness of our attention span.

I joined Twitter when I was still in boarding school in Nigeria. I was not that active in the beginning but once most of my friends joined, I always wanted to know what they were doing. I used to tweet about every single thing I was doing or who I was with. This included when I was about to take a shower, what I was eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and any other little detail people do not usually care about.

This became a problem because I became a Twitter addict. I also had other social media apps such as BBM, WhatsApp and Facebook. The possession of electronic devices was prohibited at my boarding school. I knew I was in trouble when I went to school and it bothered me that I was not tweeting or seeing what others were tweeting about. During my free time and between classes, I would rush to the computer room and sign in to Twitter and tweet about how disastrous it was that I did not have my phone to tweet constantly.

During visiting days, I would beg my dad to bring my phone and I would be on it all day until he left. I did not even pay attention to the fact that this was one of the two times during the school term when I would get to see him and have a decent conversation like normal people did in the past.

Things got bad when my grades started dropping because I obviously did not have sensible priorities.

I went home for the holidays and my family and I took a trip to the U.S. I was excited because I was reunited with my BlackBerry phone. Throughout the trip, my life revolved around my online friends.

My dad got so frustrated that he took away my phone. It felt like my life was over … well my social life at least.

Almost a year later, my dad still had my phone. During that period, I realized how much I was missing out on. I forgot what it meant to have meaningful conversations with people. I forgot about what was and what should be relevant to me and others. Social media became a distraction and I was isolated from the real world. I was not able to focus on the more important things that were happening around me.

It is no secret that many students are always on their phones at Iowa State. Some do not even look up from their devices when they are crossing the road, and people put their lives in danger because they are too busy trying to satisfy their curiosity through social media or simple texts that can be replied to later.

In a study by the Pew Research Center, about 78 percent of American teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 own a cell phone and half of them — about 47 percent — own smartphones.

The study also reported that 74 percent of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 say they occasionally access the Internet on cell phones, tablets and other electronic devices.

When people get bored in classes they turn to their phones or laptops to keep them busy. In reality, posting things on Facebook or looking at your Twitter feed are not ways to keep you busy. They are ways to reduce your attention span.

People always look at their phones at bus stops, even when they have friends around. So much can be learned from the people around you by starting a simple conversation as you wait for the bus.

In Gary Turk’s poetic message “Look Up,” he says, “Being alone isn’t the problem… if you read a book, paint a picture, or do some exercise you are being productive and present, not reserved or recluse. You’re being awake and attentive and putting your time to good use.”

A lot of things posted on the Internet are not reliable because they do not come from credible sources. Also, people post the most irrelevant things online sometimes and it diverts peoples’ focus away from things they should really pay attention to.

Social media has a lot of benefits because it keeps people connected and provides an effective platform for communication. A lot of good things have come from social media such as effective campaigns and movements, and raising awareness. It is a really effective tool when it comes to these things.

Sometimes, however, social media is anything but social. It strips us of the opportunity to have meaningful, direct interactions with others. We rely on it too much as a last resort for escape when we are around unfamiliar people or when there is nothing to say.

I am very guilty of using social media as a distraction but I have recognized this and I try and change my habits as much as I can. I know I am not as bad as I used to be when my BlackBerry was my best friend.

“So when you’re in public and you start to feel alone, put your hands behind your head and step away from the phone. You don’t need to stare at your menu or at your contact list; just talk to one another and learn to co-exist,” Turk said. 

Doing things online makes things easier but we have to remember to concentrate on the important things and not use social media as a meaningless distraction from the dynamics and significance of real life experiences.