Over spring break, like many others, I went to Florida to stay at a friend’s beach house with an assortment of college kids, some from Wash. U. and some Florida natives as well. There were many, many highlights, including the spectacular house we were staying in, the beautiful beach that we were a mere two-minute walk from and, of course, enjoying not having any class or other commitments by drinking a beer with breakfast (at one in the afternoon). But after I sat down and thought about what I had truly enjoyed about the week (in addition to my breakfast beers, of course), I realized that it was how far removed I was from everything. The house didn’t have a computer, let alone Internet (gasp!), and my cell phone didn’t get much reception (double gasp!), leaving me without my usual means of communication for most of the week. But here’s the thing: it was great. I didn’t have to worry about checking my voicemail, or putting up an AIM away message, or wondering which of the 25 e-mails I’ve received in the last two hours are actually important. Instead, we all just got to sit back, relax and not worry about it.
While I’m at school, it seems to be the complete opposite. It’s (obviously) much busier when classes are going on, and I often get so caught up in what I’m doing that communication with others and my own accessibility seem pretty important, whether by phone, e-mail or AIM. And it isn’t just me: around campus, cell phone calls are used for basic information and text messages used for clarifications when often actually looking at a flyer or announcement would provide any and all necessary information. But without our gadgets and instant access to information, we get antsy; when presented with a basic informational question, a good 90 percent of us would probably just leap online to find out the answer, rather than let another second or two go by without immediate knowledge.
As time goes on, our cravings for information will only continue to be satisfied more quickly, as the current trend is towards greater accessibility and communicative power at all times. With the proliferation of Blackberries, wireless networks and phones that are also cameras and PDAs, soon there won’t be a spot you can retreat to without receiving cell phone service to check your e-mail, wirelessly, with streaming video and ads tailored to you specifically. This constant stream of information is also a focus for many companies in hawking their products. Commercials on TV tout how their products will help you be in touch no matter where you are; the selling point of every wireless phone service is the strength of their network, or how accessible you can be at every moment of every day. While there are certainly emergency situations in which this ease of communication is crucial, by and large, it seems to me that this is all overkill. Being able to check your e-mail every second of every day is only useful to a certain point, and I’m sure anyone can cite at least two or three instances when they wanted to strangle someone for their cell phone ringing at an inopportune time.
It is all the more stunning to consider how different things would have been just a few decades ago. Even just a generation before us, our parents would get in touch with people by their home phone, or maybe with a letter, if they were feeling especially creative. Today, it seems like there are infinitely more ways of getting in touch with people, but it can all just get to be too much sometimes. I’m not saying we should chuck our computers out the window and throw our cell phones into the Mississippi, but try this: turn off your cell phone. Go ahead, press that off button, it won’t kill you. There you go. Take a nice deep breath, and enjoy the fact that no one can distract you from what you want to think about or do right now. Feels pretty good, right? Now if you only had a beach in front of you and a beer in your hand, you’d know exactly how my spring break was.
Matt is a senior in Arts & Sciences and a Forum editor. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].