Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Scrolling, Scrolling



Scrolling, Scrolling


          Let’s imagine Khamet, a young scholar in Egypt, 2,018 B.C.E., the year Abraham was born in the Babylonian city of Ur.  On a high, open shelf, Khamet finds “The Story of Sinuhe” on a scroll—two wooden dowels, about 12 inches high, onto which a 30-foot length of papyrus is rolled left and right. This paper is made of special reeds that, lain flat, adhere to each other by their own natural gum.  Khamet hefts down the scroll, brings it toward his body, hugs it to himself until he  lays it on a table.  Here he unrolls the texts inscribed with special inks made of burnt wood and acacia sap.  A fragrant woody scent, reminiscent of the scroll’s natural origins, wafts up.  Khamet visits his favorite books so often, that he can recognize them not only by touch but by their individual scents. These perfumes etch the words into his memory on a cellular level.  Tonight, at dinner, he will recite a portion of the story to his family, by heart.  He traces the words as he reads, the raised edges of the letters as familiar to him as the brailling that won’t appear for another 3,809 years, when Napoleon’s soldiers had to devise a way to send night messages without exposing their location with light.

          To open this scroll is, for Khamet, to spread his arms wide—an inviting gesture that has lodged itself into his strong arms and muscular back. His burly wrists turn in coordination as he reads. This is the only scroll he will read today, spending time to discuss it with his fellow scholars, ruminating over it as he walks home by the Nile, where the papyrus grows wild, and crocodiles eyes peek above the surface of the green waters.

          Let’s now imagine Jennifer, 2018 A.D., a student with her smart phone. She’s opened her free Shakespeare’s Sonnets APP, but texts are pinging in, and Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest notices.  She has plenty of time, she thinks, and taps over to Pinterest, and scrolls, scrolls, scattered images and words spinning into a blur.  She is as devoted to her scrolling as Khamet is to his.  But whereas he practices an expansive gesture, spreading open his arms all day; Jennifer curls around her phone, like a conch, small and cramped. Khamet has defined biceps and lats—Jennifer has texting claw, Tinder finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cell phone elbow.  Khamet strides into the world with his head up; Jennifer is hunched and distracted—no fragrance, no exercise of her muscles or capacity to memorize, no seeing the scenery or greeting others for long talks as she walks. 


          Because it’s the same glassy surface all day and most of the night, her fingertips are dulled to touch.  And as she scrolls, the message to herself is—hurry to the next thing. Dismiss. What’s next? What else? Go away.  Her brain is enchanted by this flick, flick, flick, this not having to stop, this constant running-away-from to something from-which-to-run-away.  Gertrude Stein once wrote that to know someone’s nature, notice what she or he repeats. What we repeat is what we become.  Jennifer is always hunting, never arriving—a life of fleeting dopamine hits.  Nothing sticks.  Nothing lasts.
          Jennifer will not remember much, if anything, what scrolled past her today.  Instagram promises “Along with making over-posting a non-issue, the new feature also eliminates the permanency.” Jennifer has been entrained by her scrolling to skim—skim past nature, skim past people, skim past her own sensations.Tonight, Jennifer will not recite a sonnet to her family.  She will scroll through dinner as her family scrolls, too. She will swipe away this day as she will tomorrow, all blurring into each other.  And, oops, she forgot to read those sonnets, and, after making thousands of scrolling decisions, she ran out of willpower to even brush her teeth last night.  And now she’s already late for class.


 Between Khamet and Jennifer, we had Jack Kerouac, who wrote his travelogue On the Road, on one continuous 120-foot scroll of paper in a three-week binge.  His manuscript, like his travels, were one continuous, unbroken, cohesive artifact. In comparison, with today’s smart phones, we scroll away our lives, in a blizzard of confetti.




 

38 comments:

  1. Dr. Rich,
    This post was cheeky; it's incredible to see how the meaning of "scroll" as transformed between the time of Khamet and Jennifer & your use of "Tinder finger" made me literally laugh out loud! As I read this post awaiting for my next class to meet, whilst sitting on the floor in the Center for Academic Success, I ironically had the pleasure of listening to two girls walking passed with their faces completely submerged into their phones. No conversation except for the one girl talking to her friend (honestly was to herself because her other gal pal wasn't even paying attention because she was too invested in her scroll-time) telling that her thumb was killing her, but continued to scroll. It showed the sheer weakness she exhibits but the strength in her lack of self control

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  2. I don't have a smart phone. I am online a lot of the day on my laptop at home. I do walk away from it to do other things and sometimes for an hour or more at a time... to paint, cook, do household chores. If I listen to audiobooks or podcasts, I don't interrupt very much to check my messages. When I go out, I generally don't take my laptop with me. This gives me a long break from the computer, from news, and FB. My concentration is quite good, I think.
    I have no intention of getting a smart phone because of these risks. I waste enough time with my current habits.
    At the end of each day, I like to review what I've accomplished: writing a poem, prepping canvases or painting, cooking/baking something from scratch, chores completed. I'm retired, so I am conscious of not wanting to fritter away my last years.
    Thank you for this thoughtful post, Susannah.

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  3. Dr. Rich,
    I simply loved the use of wordplay within your passage and how you gave such meaning to the term "scroll/scrolling". Each and every day, I exist in a world where it is unbelievably common to see a group of friends out together for dinner Friday night or for brunch Sunday morning and instead of conversing with one another, they prefer to get lost in their cellular devices. It is truly a sad sight. I for one have been a previous victim of this and have since tried to cut back on the use of technology.I was quite amused with your clever social media terms like "tinder finger". I try my hardest each day not to end up like Jennifer by constantly keeping myself busy and away from my phone. I indulge in activities such as performing in musical theatre, playing various instruments, spending time with my friends and family, or simple catching up on a television show or new movie.I appreciate this post so much and actually plan to share it with some of my peers. It is passionate individuals such as yourself that really make the world go round. Khamet definitely has the right idea on how to live life!

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  4. I do enjoy the parallels you put between Khamet and Jennifer. I do believe that a lot of people are engulfed in their cellphones. The more I read posts and articles addressing the issue, the more aware of how bad it is. When walking to class I don't use my phone. I choose to enjoy what's around me and enjoy the little nature I get to see on campus. However, everyone around me look down at their phones. Most times they don't pay attention and have to look up quickly to make sure they aren't bumping into anything. But, I also see a lot of people talking to their friends and genuinely enjoying each others presence. So, I think there's a balance.

    One thing I did want to say is that I believe smartphones do come in handy when it comes to reading because there's accommodations. Sometimes when I have a physical text I can't read it too well because I don't like the font. When I read on my phone I can change the font and the brightness and it's good for me to read. When I don't want to carry around a large book I just keep it on my phone so I can access it easily. I also go back and forth between books because my attention span isn't that good.

    One thing I do believe in is balance. I think people should start balancing out both the physical and electronics so that there's a healthy balance. It's okay to not participate in anything electronic wise but it's okay to participate. It's just figuring out when it gets unhealthy.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading this post, and I really liked how you described the two different people. After reading it really made me think about how we need more people like Khamet around of us. This is because now everyone is like Jennifer always on there phones almost every second of the day. We are on our phones when we are in the middle of a conversation, walking to class, just to waste time it just takes over. Honestly the one place I’m not on my phone is when I’m walking through campus, I like to look around, look at the people around me, the trees just everything that’s around me and enjoy it.

    But I can’t say that I don’t use my phone all the time, but I try my hardest not to when I’m in deferent places. It’s okay to use your phone to an existent you just need to watch yourself.

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  6. Dr. Rich,

    Your post really helps to highlight the irony of modern-day technology. Even though technology is supposed to help us become much more advanced, in some ways, it has really bought us backwards as a society, instead of forwards. In many ways, Khamet ironically seems much more advanced and productive in his life than his modern-day comparison, Jennifer.

    While Khamet explores the world through his senses and interacts with other human beings, Jennifer on the other hand scrolls and scrolls and scrolls—endlessly. She ignores her surroundings, completely forgetting about other humans around her as she grows desensitized to her own senses. Out of touch, the only thing that she can feel is her phone screen.

    This character you have displayed really resonates with many young people of this generation, who have essentially become glued to their phones. Like Jennifer, many people have become dangerously desensitized to all things in their surroundings, which in my opinion, is a step backward as far as advancements are concerned. Life was simpler in Khamet’s time, as people did not need to worry about smartphones. In a way, the technology that has provided us with smartphones has become both a blessing and a curse. It almost makes me wish I was living in Khamet’s time, where people did not have such technology to distract them from living life. Life is much more enjoyable when it is experienced through the five senses that most humans are blessed with, but unfortunately we have let smartphones take that away from us.

    Nada Amer

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  7. Dr. Rich,

    When I first started reading this blog post I instantly felt I could relate to this sentence- "Khamet visits his favorite books so often, that he can recognize them not only by touch but by their individual scents." When I was younger I read A LOT, something I don't do as often as an adult. What I can remember to this day is the pungent smell of library books, flipping through the pages and instantly remembering nostalgic memories sitting in the library, legs crossed, with a crisp book on my lap. I can even hear the crinkle the spine of a book makes when you first open it.

    I worry that many young people will have absolutely no idea what any of this means. Most books are read on kindles, iPads, iPhones, Chrome Books. etc. I mean sure our senses are being touched- just not in the organic way I can remember. You provided us with a great juxtaposition of two people in two very different periods of time. Although we have advanced a lot in many ways we have also lost a lot as a society. I sometimes wish we could revert back to Khamet's time.

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  8. Dr. Rich,
    I really liked how you compared the past and the present and gave detailed examples for both. I think that it is important for people to see that their lives really are taken over by technology. Instead of reading a hard copy of a book, they can just read it online. I really enjoy reading and there is nothing like the smell of a new book and opening it for the first time and having the pages nice and new. Sadly, I don't see younger generations ever learning how to appreciate these little things and they will definitely be missing out.

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  9. Dr. Rich,
    I really enjoyed this post. A lot of people are glued to their phones and are guilty of scrolling. I find myself guilty of scrolling through Instagram, Snap chat, and Facebook when I'm procrastinating doing homework, sitting alone, or when I'm bored. I've tried to break this habit but it's so easily accessible that I fall into old habits. Luckily I can put it down if I need to like at family dinners. In my house we have a no phone policy at dinner so it really allows for us to connect. I find it shocking when I go over a friends or go out to eat and see everyone sitting on their phones not talking at all. I really liked how you compared the past to the present in the ways we read books. Personally, I enjoy reading a hard copy of a book compared to an online version. When you read a book online there's a wide variation of distractions you can come across just like Jenifer had and before you know it, your scrolling on your phone for hours.

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  10. Dr. Rich,
    I like how you referred about the girl on her phone. Many people can definitely relate to her. Technology has definitely taken control of most of us and some may not realize it at all. Its powerful that technology can keep a person drawn to their devices all day, no matter where they are. It is more of a distraction than we know it. Technolgy has given people easy access to everything. People don't have to go to the library for books anymore or even pick up fast food. Technology takes care of that.I like how you used technology and compared it with the past time when technology did not exist.

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  11. Dr. Rich,

    After reading this I realized I spend so much time on my phone. I have tried to stop using technology an hour before I go to bed, but I just can't stop. Because of this I get a pinched nerve in my body and gives me difficulty sleeping at night. Usually I'm so used to falling asleep early, but last night it took me nearly four hours to fall asleep because of the pain I was in. And when I couldn't sleep I made it worse by going on my phone to distract myself.

    I used to read so much when I was younger and I am really angry with myself that I don't as much as I used to. I claim that I, "don't have the time." Well I do have the time it's just I don't put the damn phone down and make time for myself. I'll scroll for hours looking through the same four apps for hours to pass time or distract myself from doing anything else. Technology is only getting more advanced as the day goes on and more people are going to get more distracted with the new devices and apps created.

    Kristen Calderoni

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  12. I love the parallel drawn between Kahmet and Jennifer. It highlights the way this generation, undervalues and even under appreciates the convenience of having so much information readily available. We don’t have to go through the physical labor of travelling to a library , pulling scrolls, exerting energy. Having to do all of that will make you value the information that you sought out. We have all the knowledge we want at our disposal which is why I feel we take it for granted. It’s similar to someone working hard for a their first car vs their parents just buying it for them.

    I think it is interesting the theory about scrolling and how it can be an addictive entity. I believe that social media has played a large part in this. I’ve been a victim of all the ailments stated above with the exclusion of Tinder fingers. The feisty tone of this post definitely has served as a wake-up call for me.

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  13. Hi Dr. Rich,

    Many of us are guilty of scrolling. I look around me as I walked down the hallway at school, everyone was on a device. It's an addiction. Is it boredom, or it is out of a habit. I don't know but we do it often.If we were to calculate the many times we pick up our phones and start scrolling, we'll be surprised to know how many Hours in a day we have wasted!Procrastination is the result of scrolling, it has happened to me before. It takes away our time, time that can be used to go outside, to do exercise, to go shopping, or to spend with family, etc. After doing the media freeze, I was able to control that habit of checking my phone all the time. Instead, I started becoming more aware of my surroundings and appreciating my precious time.

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  14. I witness this type of thing with the younger generations. Growing up with the idea of technology just makes them just as motionless as their screens. Until they start scrolling. My oldest nephew is 18 years old and I have never seen someone so disinterested in the world. He could scroll for hours on his phone or just on the television. Just by one image or a short clip of the Tv show’s name isn’t good enough for him and he continues to scroll. Even when he does find something interesting to watch, he is still more preoccupied with his phone to watch what is going on in the show.

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  15. Dear Dr. Rich,
    Your post on scrolling was enjoyable to read through, I couldn’t help but scroll down to read more. I thought it was interesting how a word that meant one thing so long ago could still apply today yet mean a very different thing. Scrolls and scrolling both involve looking through information and reading, yet in today’s day and age it has lost its value. I have been guilty of facebook scrolling, whenever I am trying to be productive and work on a paper or finish extra credit blog posts, I find myself somehow clicking on facebook once more and scrolling through it. I get lost in the funny pictures or interesting posts I see, to the point where I realize it’s been 10 minutes and I haven’t been productive. It is easy to get distracted, especially with the technology we have where practically all of the world’s knowledge can be accessed in the palm of our hands. It gets to a point where, sure we have the ability to learn anything we want such as a second language or how to make a sculpture, yet we choose to scroll through meaningless posts like technology zombies.
    Thank you,
    Stephen Corrales

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  16. Dear Dr. Rich,
    Like most of your posts there is a certain level of not only receiving wisdom that I can use in life with my social skills in a workplace to something as simple as meeting someone new but there is a certain level of fun and thought that goes into your execution that is so intriguing to the mind that captures our attention and respect. Also I'm a sucker for satire. Thank You

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  17. My biggest pet peeve is when I see couples out to dinner and neither of them are talking to each other because they are too busy on their cell phones. What is so important that a digital screen is more important than the individual sitting right in front of you!

    I will scroll and scroll and read and reread the same information over and over again - without even realizing it! It's toxic!

    I've actually begun limiting the amount of time I spend on my cell phone. Ever since the beginning of the semester, I am more aware of the usage and the uselessness of the act. I love that I now pick up my phone and there's posts I've missed. It really makes me not care about the social media mindset we've grown to have!

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  19. Hey Dr. Rich,
    First off let me just say I really enjoyed reading this post. This was one of the first I read simply because of your love of hating technology LOL. I am sad to report that after reading this however, I may actually be addicted to scrolling, shame, I know. there was one point in time when I decided to do off of Facebook for personal reasons and for the 3 months or so that I was off, it killed me literally every day I would open up my phone as if I was going to the Facebook app. in other words I was forgetting that I had deleted it, and then I would rebuttal and turn to instagram. I remember saying to my mom "I think I going to get back on Facebook, I need my daily fix". At this time I was taking the bus and that is how I would drown out the others on the bus by scrolling essentially. Even to this day sometimes I find myself waking up and reaching for my phone to scroll. It’s really sad and I will however work on changing that. Thank you for taking the time to make these blog posts they are really appreciated. (This one will count towards the poetry class)

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  20. Hey again,
    It’s me Jasmin here; I’m going to comment on this post a second time but from a writer’s stand point. Although Ashley stated in the previous comment that she found that she is addicted to scrolling, I want to offer a few pointers from a writer’s point of view as to how she can possible cure this habit, some of which have already been suggested in class. For starters let’s say that some great ideas, although they may be cliché, have come from online scrolling so there isn’t anything wrong with it as long as it’s controlled. However a way you can stop this is to replace the time spent scrolling for time writing. For example whenever you feel like picking up the phone to scroll, pick up a pen instead and write whatever comes to mind. Or if for some reason the scrolling can’t be stopped then by all means scroll, but after you must make a commitment to write about what you saw in your scrolling. I have done this a couple of times and believe it or not it actually works. There is also a thing called timed scrolling, LOL I made it up. When you want to scroll get a timer and set it for the amount of time you want to scroll. These techniques are meant to help not cure your condition of scrolling but they appear to be full proof. (This one will go towards the writing class)

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  21. Hey Dr. Rich

    I thought that this post was very interesting. The comparison drawn between the ancient form of scrolling, and the modern "scrolling," was really interesting. The contrast between Khamet having defined muscles and spreading himself out to read, versus Jenifer being curled up and having health problems as a result of scrolling on her phone was also really enlightening. Often, when I'm on my smartphone scrolling, my head is down, or I'm curled up on my bed, and focusing my attention on the screen, rather then the real world sprawled out before me. It really is an addiction, and doing the media freeze both times really showed me how addictive that "Scrolling" can be. To combat my own tendencies, I try to take an hour or more outside when I can, keeping my phone off (or in my room when I am home) and spend time alone or with my dog, just taking in the air and clearing my mind from the distractions of social media. Both classes (senior seminar and poetry) gave me a chance to reflect on my own behaviors, and make positive changes that I will continue to make long after I graduate.

    - John P.

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  22. Dr. Rich,

    You make very valid points about technology. I see peo0ple scrolling and I swear it is not a conscious behavior, rather, the body craves the feeling of the thumb gliding over something in repetition. However, through personal experiences, I cannot agree with cell phone usage being as mindless as it is made out to be.

    I use my cell phone as most twenty-year-olds do. I use two social media platforms. I cannot say I am addicted to them. I cannot say that I text very often. As I am typing, the last text that was received or delivered by my phone was over 24 hours ago. I am simple. However, I understand that my demographic as a whole is not the same. I personally find that cell phones are good and better us. Of course I see cyber bullying and thoughtless acts when I am on the internet. But I see the news. I see facts and evidence and information that I likely would not have such easy access to if it were not right in front of me.

    I thrive on a hunger for education and for finding meaning. Based on those two factors, I utilize my phone in a way that allows me to search for both. I can connect to people and better myself as a person by relating to other people's stories and encounters. I can learn more about other cultures and other facts that might interest me. Again, not everyone uses cell phones for those purposes. So with that in mind. I do believe that the misuse of a cell phone and advanced technology should be considered the 8th deadliest sin in the modern world. To use such a complex invention for the ignorance of scrolling, twatching, and all of the other mindless uses, I think it is ludicrous and, quite frankly, ignorant.

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  23. In this blog, I really liked the comparison of the importance of scrolling back then and how scrolling is meaningless now. Essential documents, parts of the history of humankind, the Holy Book was inside those scrolls back then. It makes me wonder, how far have we come? Hearing stories like this keeps grounded and fall in the same abyss of this generation that is addicted to their phones. As a mother, I also have the responsibility to teach my children not to follow the same steps. During my first semester in college, I have a fantastic history teacher that showed me a video called Look up by Gary Turk, is actually a poem form of a video. I always come back to this video because it makes think about how many moments I could lose if I spend most of my time in my phone or connected on the net, how precious life is, and how fast goes by, and with all these distractions all around, most people do not stop to appreciate what is really important, and what really matters. One of many parts of the poem says
    “All this technology we have, it’s just an illusion,
    of community, companionship, a sense of inclusion
    yet when we step away from this device of delusion,
    you awaken to see, a world of confusion.”
    To me, when a person has too much technology is just a false impression of friendship, or to feel that you are a part of a community, but in reality being so fixated on our devices, everybody is losing touch with each other. Moments are not really cherished when you always need to take a selfie. People instead take a video on a dangerous situation than to call for help. How many car accidents need to happen so people can wake up, and realize we are not like robots!
    Here is the link for whoever likes to see the video: https://youtu.be/Z7dLU6fk9QY

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  24. Nadia Radwan
    I think that this comparison between ancient scrolls and our modern day scrolling of social media is really smart! I would have never thought of it that way. I think that a part of me agrees that we are too dependent on technology and that its addictive but I also agree that it is a great tool. For example during the time period in which khamet did his scrolling i'm sure women were not given that same chance whereas nowadays literature of all kinds is accessible to people from all backgrounds regardless of class, gender, religion, race, etc. scrolling also allows for us to get new ideas and understand other people. Im not saying that instagram holds the key to understanding the human condition but I do think it's better than nothing. Before apps like instagram and facebook people often only knew of one perspective and that was their own and that of those around them as they didn't have anyone to challenge their thoughts. But I also believe it can also do damage to a person's understanding. Take myanmar for example, right now there is a genocide of rohingya muslims an ethnic minority. The main cause of the increase in violence towards them is the widespread misinformation and hate speech being passed around facebook. So clearly we have instances where scrolling did nothing but set us back. I also do agree that sometimes the physical book can be more useful. Like for the Love Labour's Lost paper I am currently working on, I went to my towns library and just took out 6 massive books on symbols to help me figure out what the characters name symbolizes. I can say that I used all of those 6 books in my essay and that my paper practically wrote itself with all the ideas and connections I was making due to some simple passages I read about some only giving me one word but that was enough to make connections to the play. I don't think I would have gotten as many connections and understanding of the play if I would have just googled stuff.

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  25. Wow. I have never thought about the comparison between scrolls back then, to scrolling now. I am guilty as can be and I can admit I am an addict to social media and "scrolling". I struggle with putting my phone down and it is terrible. Technology has taken over the world and taken over me. I am not to the point where social media gets in the way of school work but I am constantly on my phone when i can be socializing with people around me including my family. "Scrolling" is unhealthy, it slowly kills you but that doesn't stop me and that is the sad part. Despite my addiction, I am able to put my phone down for dinner time, and family time etc., but I am always on edge wanting to know what is going on social media and who is posting what. Going into your class and being aware of your "no phone" rule made me sick and i thought i wouldnt be able to do it, but here we are with about 2 weeks left of the semester and I am able to put my phone away without having any issues or being on edge about whats going on outside the classroom. Scrolling is dangerous and its sad to see that back then scrolls were beneficial and thats how information and religious materials were written and now we have "scrolling"
    -Melanie Azevedo

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  26. I like how you made the connection between scrolling through texts used to mean reading scrolls. The content is so different and the two people want different things out of their life. I am like Jennifer addicted to technology addicted to scrolling. I am on my phone and my iPad a large portion of my day. Even now typing this up I am on my iPad and was flipping back and forth from this to my silly cooking game. I'm not proud of the amount of time I'm on a device but it's how I relax. I like to come home and put on Netflix and play my games. However that's the generation we are all mostly addicted to technology and that makes it seem better that it's not just me. That's not the only thing I like to do though I have creative outlets I turn to as well. I love to read I always have a book with me, I draw, and I am excited to start this writing prompt book I recently purchased. It's important to switch in the good for the bad from time to time. I do wish I wasn't so dependent on my devices.

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  27. I love the connection that was made between the two types of scrolls and I love the contrast made between present day Jennifer and the time of Khamet. I can relate to Jennifer a lot because I am constantly on my phone. I could be doing homework and studying for tests while being so focused, but as soon as my phone vibrates, it takes away the focus that I already had. I wake up to my phone. I eat breakfast with my phone in my hand. I shower with music coming from my phone. It takes over a lot of my life. It’s like a whole person, so when I’m alone, it’s almost like I’m not. I loved the phrase “tinder finger.” It’s catchy, funny, and true.
    I use my phone a lot when I am alone because it’s just something to do. I’m sure if I put it down and actually interact with people around me instead of being on my phone I could learn new things while meeting new people. Lately, I’ve tried to leave my phone in my room while going to the kitchen when my parents are there so I can spend time with them instead of being on my phone. It really does make a difference. However, it doesn’t work all of the time cause they have phones too and are almost as addicted to it as I am. We do the best we can though.
    Priya Jhaveri

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  28. As I was reading this post I came to realize that I am too guilty on how I scroll consistently on my phone. For example, i was caught many times in class with my phone because once i feel my phone vibrating my head starts to lose focus on what's going in class and start to get addicted to what notification i got. Once I noticed i go caught one to many times that's when i knew that I was so addicted to scrolling. I also liked the term, “Tinder finger,” because all everybody does in this day and age is swipe/scroll a thousand times a day without knowing that when they are doing that they are rotting their brain. Instead of meeting other people and socialize people would just walk while scrolling but little do they know that it is damaging their necks while doing so. I tend to leave my phone alone whenever I can because i know what damage it will do to me. That's why when I go to classes now I put my phone right into my bookback and focus whats infront of me instead of what's in my pocket because at the end of the day I will learn nothing from it.

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  29. Dr. Rich,
    The connections between reading scrolls and scrolling our computer/phone screens is amazing! I think that for our present-day world, it is easier to scroll through different screens and applications because there is certain level of comfort there. Yes, while I do feel people can be addicted to their cell phones and technology in general, it is not something that will be going away anytime soon. Technology is only going to advance further in the future. I am thankful that technology has helped me with gps because without it I would be lost when driving to farther areas, I can look up information, news, etc. In the past, technology was not as prevalent as it is now. People interacted more with each other and looked each other in the eye. I’m an introverted person where I feel more comfortable around people, I am familiar with and it is easier to converse with my friends. I don’t have difficulty talking to other people, but I do observe other people’s behaviors before I choose to interact with certain people. There are some negative aspects to these technological advances. Unfortunately, there is a lot of negativity online from hate and racism to cyber-bullying and kids see these attacks and can become victims to it. I choose to use the internet for positive things like research, looking up articles, learning new recipes, connecting with other people, etc. I think that we just have to remember there are positives and negatives with everything, so we just have to be conscious of what is out there.

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  30. As I am typing this, my back is hunched over and my elbows are resting on my dining table. I am doing this on my laptop, but occasionally, I would reach for my phone which is resting right next to elbow and I would scroll. I scroll and scroll. Sometimes itis the same things over and over because it is a good way to pass time. While trying to finish writing these comments, my thumb was itching for my phone. I am so engulfed in my cell phone to point where my schoolwork has become a second priority. I realized I put so much time into this nothingness. I do read about what is going on in the world and that is as informative as it gets.

    I do enjoy reading, but I can not remember the last time I picked up a book and finish it the same the day I used to do. I read some novels on Kindle because they were cheaper and accessible. I di not have to wait for it to arrive. I have become so used to the way things are now that I have forgotten how it used to feel to pick up a book and read throughout the night. My mother would come into my room and tell me that reading in dim light would hurt my eyes. I am hurting my eyes now, but not in a way that I used to enjoy. Lol.
    Priscilla B.






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  31. Dr. Rich,

    The comparison of a phone to a scroll made me laugh. Imagine if every phone was a scroll and just went on and on. Picturing it just makes me laugh. But you make an excellent point. We are caught up with our phones and apps, that we forget that there are real things in life. We forget what its like to actually pick up a book and read. We get caught up in technology and it takes away from life. I can't tell you how many times I have been in a room with my best friend, who I rarely get to see, and we are both on our phones scrolling through Instagram, occasionally sending each other funny pictures in order to hear laughter and confirm that the other is alive. When we do this, we miss out on some good real life interaction. I should stop scrolling and enjoy life.

    Sarah Otero

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  33. Dr. Rich, you crack me up. When I saw the title of the blog, I assumed it would be scrolling through social media. But boy, you are full of surprises. I did not expect you to compare an actual scroll to scrolling through social media. I do agree that the definition of scroll has changed completely. But really, if I can’t scroll, how am I supposed to keep up with the Kardashians??? Living in today’s society, it's impossible to not be a person who aimlessly scrolls on their phone all day long. If you’re not scrolling, you're not trying. If you ever notice, when people are put into awkward situations, instead of just trying to talk, or do anything to fix the situation, they look right on their phones and start scrolling. No one knows how to be social anymore. It’s just “hey I liked your instagram picture, that means were friends!” I personally would rather a full on conversation face to face than texting. I truly do worry about the future, because if this is the present, how is it going to be 10 years from now? My only hope is that we soon begin reverting back to the old days were hanging out with other people becomes cool again, and riding bikes to get ice cream becomes cool again, and where being outside rather than watching tv is cool again. This scrolling bullshit needs to stop, because it can only go down from here.

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  34. Dr. Rich,


    This post could not be more spot on accurate when talking about modern anxiety-based technology! Wow, this is scary accurate. I believe that there is such a thing as modern technology anxiety. I could create my own theory and write a book on it, I would be a millionaire. College, social engagements, family obligations, and life in general can be quite stressful and challenging to the teenager and/or college student. Hell, it can be challenging for anyone! Whether it be a five year old child who must complete their normal routine every day, or the mother who works a nine to five job, and is still expected to have meatloaf on the dinner table every night. Not only do we, as a group of human beings suffer from modern technology anxiety, but we also suffer from society's anxiety. Society's anxiety bleeds into our anxiety, which creates a snowball affect of anxiety, which relates back to scrolling. The scrolling can occur on our smartphones, IPads, laptops, microwaves, or even refrigerators. Scrolling can be used as an escape from family and/or social drama. It can be used as an escape from school work. Students as young as five years old are being held captive by technology via scrolling! We started it, and we have the power to control and end it once and for all. It takes a village, not just one person. It all comes back to how it started in the first place, which is social media. For a five year old, social media is not that important. The five year old knows that it is crucial for mommy and daddy to check their emails, facebook, instagram, and pintrest approximately every twenty minutes to one hour. This translates to several times a day, resulting in a whole heck of a lot of scrolling! So, as a result, the five year old child feels it is only appropriate for them to scroll on the IPad, or their own smartphone to watch shows or play games, which replaces the family time that he or she used to have with mom and dad. This is how the child is raised, so why or how should he or she view the scrolling as an issue?

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  35. Dr. Rich! You outdid yourself with the humor on this one!! The “tinder finger”, “carpal tunnel syndrome”, and the “texting elbow” were funny. I love how you made the comparison of scrolling on your phone and scrolling through life. I never looked at it that way and the way you worded it has so much truth to it. When I would go out to eat with my husband he would be frustrated because I would be playing a game on my cell phone. He would always say “can we just enjoy our food with no phones?” I stopped using my phone a long time ago so we can bond but reading how you said it, hit me. When I was on my phone our outing seemed to go by faster because I was busy playing a game or on social media and time flies when you’re on social media! Now that I’m present time seems to go slower, I enjoy myself a lot more and I feel relaxed because I broke out of my routine and habit of using my cellphone for those few hours that we were together. I am now the one who gets annoyed when people whip out their phones during dinner.

    Since technology is everywhere and one year olds know how to put YouTube on their parents cellphones, I opted to control my daughters usage. She can watch educational videos on her iPad but we won’t show her how to use it. We won’t teach her how to use our smartphones. So far, it’s working. She loves being outdoors and she can survive without technology without going through withdrawals.

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  36. I find that this blog post most likely resonated with numerous college students. We are constantly on our cellular devices so often that we fail to notice the time we are wasting. It is evident that every day one has tasks to take care of but individuals struggle to complete them due to social media and technology taking over their life. There have been countless nights where I know I must complete an assignment that is due the next day. One may think that I would put my cellular device aside and start the assignment but instead I continue to lay in bed and scroll through social media. Before I know it, hours have passed by and it is too late to start the assignment, therefore, I wake up early in the morning and struggle to complete the assignment. It is evident that I rely on social media too much and it is affecting my academic life. Aside from my academic life, I have noticed that my constant scrolling has affected my personal life as well. I believe that I am less social and do not notice my surroundings as often due to my eyes being glued on a screen. When reading, the statement, “She will scroll through dinner as her family scrolls, too” was extremely relatable as my family dinners are not what they once were. Instead of sitting down at a dinner table, eating, and communicating with my family individuals are all on their phones not conversing with who is in front of their face. I hope to change my ways and ultimately spend less time on social media in order to be productive and feel accomplished.

    Bailey Vick

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  37. I definitley can relate to this blog post. We are constantly on our cell phones or technologogy that we fail to realize how much time we are actually wasting. I am so guilty of having school work to do and just sitting there on my cell phone scrolling thru social media.

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  38. I can relate to an extent. I have notifications on my phone for emails, YouTube and Pinterest. When my phone is locked I quickly get rid of the notifications because they ping over and over. In a way the notifications become too much. The app tells you and then you get an email confirming it all.

    I know there are times where I do get caught up on Youtube videos or Pinterest ideas. One box sends you to another then another. I usually do snap myself out of it after 5-10 minutes because it gets overwhelmingly annoying.

    I have seen people in a store while scrolling or my favorite, walking in the street scrolling. Sometimes you can sit or stand there and watch them. Like, do you ever come up for air. Their head probably went down to scroll when it was daytime and now they look up to the night sky. They literally lost most of the day. Unless your job is to scroll and/or bec on the screen, then it isn’t necessary.

    Friends shouldn’t let friends scroll while under the influence of missing out on life.

    Meagan AWP 5000

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