Disclosure: As member of a pretty cool team of influencers, the #VZWBuzz Team, I received the Sol Republic Relay Headphones from Verizon. No additional compensation was provided nor did I promise a positive review. All opinions are my own.
So I’ve discovered a few things upon heading back to school. Being a non-traditional older student you see things that make you realize how old you really are. I apparently need to buy a pair of UGG boats and skinny jeans to fit into the female demographic. Maybe New York Fashion Week could help me out. I also need to walk around campus with my headphones in and be completely anti-social with the rest of the school. Um wait, what?
My first day on campus I walked around campus with a dorky grin on my face and my brand new backpack and school supplies on my back. As I walked between the buildings I started noticing something strange. Nearly every student had their heads down looking at their phones with a set of headphones on. I can’t believe how much has change in under a decade. The “social network” generation has become anti-social in person. How sad. How do you make new friends? Have intelligent conversations with others? Has a member of the millennial generation (the far beginning side) I understand that we, as a whole, spend more time online and on our mobile phones. But I didn’t realize how much our generation was changing in personal interactions.
At least when I’m staring down at an electronic it’s an eReader and I have my nose “stuck in a book.” Maybe I’m wrong though. Perhaps all these electronic zombies are actually listening to good audiobook. Maybe my faith in our generation isn’t lost. I mean we are in the technological age. So the question is, do I join them? Do I plug my ears with my Sol Republic earbuds so I can’t hear anything else around me? Wear comfy boots and look down when I walk. There’s no way you are getting me into skinny jeans so you can forget that notion. I still believe there should be a weight limit to wear skinny jeans.
I think I’ll hang out here on the outskirts. I love my tech, especially because it fits my ear perfectly and blocks out everything else, but I like having conversations with complete strangers also. It makes life more interesting.
Speaking as a teacher, I can tell you they are all texting and snap chatting!
We have visited several college campuses in our travels and noticed the same issue. One student walked right out in a crosswalk at Baylor without noticing cars. My husband and I predict that the missing eye contact could affect dating/marriage/birth statistics for years to come!
I had someone walk in front of my moving car on campus, I couldn’t believe it!