Durboraw 1

Addison Durboraw

Mrs. Litle

ENG 121 001

20 February 2022

Cellular Prison

About a year ago I for whatever reason decided that I was no longer going to use

Facebook for anything other than messenger. Since this decision I find myself to be much

happier overall. I no longer spend hours scrolling through Facebook reading and sharing

pointless posts. I instead tend to spend my leisure time scrolling through Reddit. I read about

current events both locally and globally to keep up with the news. Though the content on Reddit

is more educational I still find myself conscious of the fact that I spend a lot of time on my phone

still. Every time I find myself waiting for something I keep reaching for my phone instinctually

almost. I try to patiently wait sometimes not touching my phone at all. The entire time I wait I

spend my time fighting the constant urge to check my phone. It's almost as if it's some sort of

lifeline that I am unable to live without.

The most shocking thing about not using my phone as much is realizing just how much

everyone is on their phones. The next time you are in a waiting room instead of seeking

entertainment in your pocket computer try waiting. While you are waiting observe the waiting

room around you and the other individuals waiting in it and you will see the same thing I did.

Everyone is buried in their screens texting, tweeting, or just scrolling. Now I have never been

one to socialize casually with strangers but I can't remember the last time I actually had a

conversation with a stranger in a waiting room. We are all so wrapped up in the little worlds that

we hold in our pockets that we hardly notice a thing around us.

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So my question then is how much of the actual world are we perceiving if we are

constantly so wrapped up in our own little worlds? How connected are we really to those around

us when we all have this cellular barrier? In my opinion less so than the time before cell phones.

We are all in our own personal cellular prisons that keep us captivated by modern social media.

We are the products of our products.