Wired for Distraction free essay sample

The use of technology is increasing drastically in today’s teens and young adults, but what exactly is the combination of cell phones, computers, IPads, and video games doing besides distracting kids from real life? In the article â€Å"Wired for Distraction† by Dalton Conley, he tells us what technology is doing to our future. He explains what it is doing to our culture and how it is changing it. Also, he explains the different types of memory and which one you use when you are paying attention in school, or when you are distracted. In the article Wired for Distraction, Dalton Conley tells us that kids are always distracted by social media, music, and entertainment from technology. Continuous partial attention is due to that, which is simultaneously paying attention to multiple sources, such as, internet, cell phone, or television. Most kids think that by doing their homework and listening to music they are learning how to multitask. We will write a custom essay sample on Wired for Distraction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But a 2009 study found that people who used some sort of electronics scored worse than people who didn’t because people who do are more prone to distracting stimuli than light media multitaskers. Time 56) With multitasking you need to do something that is almost automatic, for example, eating a sandwich. But when you start to do two things that both require cognitive thinking, the quality of your work decreases. For example, walking and talking are both automatic thinking strategies and require little or no thinking. But, when you try doing two things that both require thinking, such as math and English, you cannot do both at the same time. One example of continuous partial attention in my life is when I watch the television instead of listening to my mother when she is talking to me. About a month ago I was watching my favorite show, Ghost Whisperer, when my mom tells me an entire list of chores I need to get done before she gets home, and of course I just nodded my head and agreed. As soon as she walked out of the door a commercial came on and I had no idea what she had said or known where she was going to. I had to call her and ask what she wanted done. That is a perfect example of continuous partial attention, I was so focused on my show that when my mom was talking I only took initiative that she was talking. But, since I’ve been so busy with school and dance I have no time for T. V. o I get my chores done the first time she asks and I have realized that I focus better on her. Another example of this is when my best friend is on her phone and I am talking to her, she has no recollection of what I said, so I always have to repeat myself. I can be having a very serious conversation with her and she’ll be texting her boyfriend and that makes me feel very belittled and unimportant to her. Knowing that I don’t have her full attention I will just stop talking and see how long it takes for her to realize it. I can see that she is partially listening to me, and partially paying attention to her social media. Having continuous partial attention can cause relationships to fail and also health problems when you cannot focus on one thing without getting distracted from little objects. If people keep distracting themselves from the real world by the media and electronics we’re going to have a big change in kids and the mentors are not going to know what to do. In my opinion social media in kids’ lives are changing them into different cultural beings, by having their hopes and dreams in the clouds because their role models, billionaires and rap stars, set the wrong example. For example, a lot of people in my school like the country singer Taylor Swift, they want to be just like her. The fact is that she’s worked her entire life working hard to be the best singer she can make herself. They can’t just wake up and be a good singer, you have to strive for it. I think people look up to her because they want to be like her, but why would you want to be like someone else when you can shape yourself into being whatever you want? Let’s face it, if you have lived in a small town and never had voice lessons, never played an instrument, how are you ever going to be a famous pop star or rapper, you’re not going to be. You have to work at the things you want they just don’t come to you like the social media makes us believe, that some people just â€Å"have it†. And this is all caused by parents letting their kids 8 to 18 spend at least 7 hours and 38 minutes a day using entertainment media. (Time 55) Some one in my life who culture changed tremendously is my friend Tyler. He likes the Hip-Hop artist Lil’ Wayne and tries to be exactly like him. Lil’ Wayne is living in a mansion and has billions of money, and he got there by working hard at what he loved, and also by screwing people over. Now, Tyler on the other hand lives in a very small town and lives in an apartment and thinks that sitting by and not doing anything with his dream is going to make him famous. See the dilemma? Social media is bad for people’s dreams, we end up in a fantasy world and we don’t know how to return to earth. I think by limiting how long you let your kids have their cell phones, no facebook during school, and no electronics after 9:30 so they can get a good night’s sleep without any distractions. It is shown that the children of the parents, who drink too much caffeine, that do drugs or drink alcohol when pregnant have challenges in the work field and in school. The same thing occurs when you let kids at a young age have too much technology, their brains not only have trouble understanding, but it effects how their brains absorb new information. (Time 56) The procedural memory is a type of long term memory of how to do basic skills, such as, eat, walk, talk, and play. These things are something you do every day, so they become automatic. This is the part of the brain students use when they are learning, if you are distracted by music, it’s more of a habit so they are not getting the knowledge out of learning. However, the declarative memory is the other type of long term memory and it refers to memories that can be consciously recalled such as facts and knowledge. (Time Wikipedia) An example of someone who uses their procedural memory is my friend Nate, in math class he always listens so his IPod and is constantly asking me questions and has no idea how to do any of the questions the teacher , that just spent an hour explaining, taught us. He learns almost like a habit and doesn’t take anything from the lesson. On the other hand, I don’t listen to music when the teacher is talking and it all seems very simple to me, and that is because I’m learning with my declarative memory instead of my procedural memory. If Nate would stop using his IPod for three days he would understand better and know how to do the work without asking so many questions. The real question in his article is, should there be limits or should technology be prohibited? Most students in my school believe that they should be able to have their phones whenever they feel because they pay for it, it’s their property. What I’ve learned from this article is that we should have limits and shouldn’t be able to have our phones at all when we are in school because you’re not allowed to use them in the work area or in college. Logically, it’s breaking the law if you use your phone during work hours, so it should be illegal to use them during school. It’s the parents jobs to make sure their kids do not take them to school but so many of the parents are failing to raise them correctly that their teachers have to yell at them for it. Teachers’ jobs are not to babysit kids it is to teach them, and when they have social media and entertainment around them they cannot learn. Ethically you should follow the rules and listen to the teacher if they do tell you to put it away, or give it to them if you are using it during learning hours. Your phone in school, for example, is the quickest way to get distracted and is a constant temptation to look at it. I leave my phone in my locker because even if no one is texting me I still look at it, almost like a reaction so I’m constantly getting distracted. Most kids in high school only look at this from an emotional side and think that they’re big kids and they can handle it, but even adults struggle with getting distracted. Also, why would you jeopardize your education when it is a necessity in the working world? Kids are heading into a downward spiral by converting their lives over to technology, and changing their way of lives because of social media. My opinion is not to take away technology for good, just to limit the usage of it in families and young kids. The way we need to do that is to set time limits on how long you or kids should be allowed on the internet or on their phones, by taking their phones out of their rooms while they’re sleeping, and no social media that would set a bad example. You need to be more focused on what your kids are doing, not so much spying on them, but making sure they’re not over using technology. Also, don’t get too caught up in it to the point that you are too distracted to enjoy life, and don’t abuse it.