a pre-reflection

With every event we’ve experienced in our lives comes a time to reflect on it. How it benefited us, how we changed from it, what we would be like without it, etc. One key event that I think of when I look at how my life has changed is overnight, sleep away camp. At the camp I’ve gone to for over 5 years, one thing that makes it so special is its no screen policy. This not only allows for better interactions between people, but stronger relationships between the campers.  I have found these past summers to be extremely life changing for me, as going to camp has brought something I never could have experienced at home into my life. I think that the result of having no current technology like phones or computers at a place where many kids are allows a place where they can be who they want to be and not have to worry about the constant pressure social media puts on us to constantly be updated.

In my experience, I have found that I have met some of the best people at camp and I feel that part of the reason for that is the use of no screens. When we don’t have the pressure to update our followers, it brings out a more genuine person without the addition of the filters. Even studies have been able to show the effects of technology free interactions. “In a naturalistic field experiment, researchers found that conversations in the absence of mobile communication technologies were rated as significantly superior compared with those in the presence of a mobile device (Misra, Cheng, Genevie, & Yuan, 2014). People who had conversations in the absence of mobile devices reported higher levels of empathetic concern, while those conversing in the presence of a mobile device reported lower levels of empathy (Misra et al., 2014).” This finding is similar to many- that when we have technology, we are connected with people, but in the wrong ways. We feel that we are more connected to our peers in that we see what they do through social media and what they’re like outside of where we know them. However, with this comes a less connected person when we are face to face. We no longer express our emotions through our voices, but rather through a screen that we hold. And although social media allows us to stay connected with others when we can’t see them in person, it tears us apart, not allowing us to have quality conversations in face to face.