Andrew Reiner's 'Only Disconnect'

Andrew Reiner, a professor of literature and contemplative studies at Towson University, suggests college students to take a “social-media sabbath” in his article “Only Disconnect”. Reiner believes the uses of social media leads to a strong addiction towards our society, that many shall consider becoming disconnected with their technology to spend time alone. In our modern culture, many individuals are so adapted to the lifestyle of technology that it gradually dominates how we spend our time. Technology is so advanced the majority of our population is so amazed and entertained, by being satisfied for the moment with new apps that tends to manipulate our way of thinking and acting. I agree with Reiner’s idea that as a society with our dependence …show more content…
This explains why many individuals can’t ignore their cellphones because many have become socially influenced and adapted to the trends of technology. Reiner’s speaks upon “Time well spent” in our society college students aren’t showing as much dedication into being proactive and productive in their education. The amount of time being consumed on our phones attracts our attention into satisfying ourselves for the moment. It offers a type of relief from our academics and even from our personal life. Reiner had witnessed generations of college students becoming overly distracted by their interactions with social media, texting, and other features. Reiner experiences, as he’s walking onto a college campus every student is completely drawn to their phone screens (Reiner). This shows a broad image of how technology strongly influences our modern generations. With the rise of technology, Tristian Harris refers to technology becoming so advanced by the day it potentially controls our minds in the way we think about certain things (Harris). It’s considered to be a hijacking mindset in fearing of missing something important such as a specific deadline, emails, and even a text message. Many individuals are constantly thinking about daily news, new incoming messages, and being entertained my …show more content…
Reiner asserts with the amount of time spent on social media or even texting, is known to be non-productive because it lacks in many areas of our academic studies. Along with time poorly spent, many individuals miss place their priorities and responsibilities first. Reiner inserts that technology is a negative factor due to the decline of students actively being engaged in their own educations. Barbara McClintock declares in order to understand and realize the true meaning of something, every individuals shall learn to remove the distracted barriers to achieve a goal. Learning to detach the barriers of technology, may boost one’s knowledge and learning aspects (McClintock). Understanding to remove the barriers of technology frequently may help reduce the habit of our social media usage. For example, spending time off our gadgets and completing a task such as chores, homework, and even working is spending time well. It leads up to a better outcome for ourselves and for others as well. Majority of our population don’t view time as a useful resource, that’s why taking a chance into being productive is time worthy. Reiner addresses Abraham Joshua Heschel, a writer that understood when we “set aside” a day for a rest, without the use of technology many become more concentrated in “inner silence and stillness” (Heschel). He believes relationships with technology,