Dear Readers,

As members of the “Me” Generation, we are constantly in our own worlds. But while we’re always up to date on the latest app, we often fail to communicate face-to-face.

In the past month, the app Flappy Bird pulled students away from their friends and onto their phones. Since the bird flu caught on, some students have failed to stay focused on learning.

As mentioned in the story, “Students find app addicting,” the app’s creator Dong Nguyen went as far as to remove it from the App Store because the app proved “too addictive.”

While this app can no longer be accessed, students have been happy to see Pinterest unblocked on all USD 497 computers. As illustrated in “Pinterest unblocked on school computers,” some students plan their future in their pins, but often fail to open their eyes enough to live in the present.

Now that this website is unblocked, it too will likely distract students from classroom interactions, while encouraging procrastination.

Instead of viewing social media as a distraction, Advanced Biology teacher Lisa Ball has worked to incorporate these sites into her curriculum. In the article “Freshmen science class tweets assignments,” students were eager to utilize Twitter in class.

Although social media can be used as a tool by some teachers, online communication should not become a lifestyle.

Yet, at nearly every social gathering, people of our generation either have their phones out or resting on the table near them.

Instead of conversing exclusively with a friend across the table at dinner, they send a quick, “Hey,” to another friend who is at a party. That friend responds, “What’s up?” and the mindless chatter ensues. Meanwhile, the friend they’re actually with is playing Candy Crush on their phone or scrolling through their Instagram feed.

Though many of us can be found on nearly every social networking site, we have no idea how to be social. We might have 500 followers on Twitter, but we’re too scared to call a business or communicate professionally in a job interview.

So while we’re seeking refuge from our mundane lives, once in a while we should look up from our phones. And once we peek our eyes out, we might be happy we did and even learn to communicate.

Sincerely,

Kendra Schwartz and Ashley Hocking