I was contemplating on how my life would feel without internet or cellular connection, hence why I’m on this article.
Currently, I am debating whether to get cellular on an Apple Watch I wish to purchase (that and what type to get, but that’s besides the point). I have purchased devices in cellular which both currently have no service, and somewhat regret purchasing cellular to begin with.
I am 20 years old. I don’t use much social media, YouTube being the exception, and I, honestly, feel like my life would be partly better without having any such distractions except my own thoughts. The thing is, I would need wifi occasionally to download things like books to my iPad, but that’s about it.
One of the happiest moments in my life was in high school. I had been depressed, but suddenly, my phone stopped working. I was relieved. I had an excuse not to reply to anyone. An excuse to use when people ask why they couldn’t message me. I did not stay stuck on my phone, but I saw the world around me. I wasn’t comparing each of my traits - my looks, my abilities, anything - to anyone but myself at the beginning of that day.
Just the other day, I looked up how to be more productive. Of course, I get met with this man who studies for 12 hours a day. Okay great. Then I try to look up how to learn Spanish. Then I’m met with people who speak many languages. Grand. All these people are separate human beings, yet, in my mind, I have to be all of them. I have to know - and be - everything.
I would certainly enjoy visiting a place like Green Bank. However, living somewhere with no internet connection sounds more challenging. I would definitely miss the possibility of being connected with my friends 24/7.
I’ve had the opportunity of spending some days off social media - and cellphone signals in general - during a trip to Córdoba with my school. The first day we were all trying to text our families and upload photos and videos to Facebook, but then we were absorbed by nature and completely forgot we had a phone.
If we wouldn’t have access to internet connection so easily, we would probably dedicate more time to our responsibilities. Sometimes, we stop doing activities we enjoy in our leisure time - in my case, reading - because we spend too much time glued to social media.
Unfortunately, we are living in a digital era, and the Covid pandemic has definitely revolutionised our relationship with the internet. Online learning depends heavily on a good internet connection, and most homework is done through researching online. I can’t imagine how places with slow internet speeds - or no access to Wi-Fi connection - are dealing with the current situation.
My parents used to get angry when my siblings and I used our cellphones at dinner, until they discovered the fun behind streaming platforms; and now we have to beg for some time on the computer.
I must admit I find it a bit difficult to imagine my life without Wi-Fi and cellular service. I believe this probably happens to a lot of people since the internet has had a dramatic impact not only on the ways we communicate with others, but also on the ways we entertain and inform ourselves.
Even though it is believed that the internet has made our lives easier it does not mean it has made our lives better. People who live in Green Bank get less distracted by technology, do not care about following the latest trends going around on social networking sites and have a greater appreciation of nature, personal privacy and forming strong bonds with other people.
In 2019 I experienced something similar to what Jenna Baxter lived when she moved to Green Bank. I spent a month in a small cottage in the middle of the woods of Mar De Las Pampas, Argentina, and as it was a protected area, it had no WiFi or cellular service. I can’t deny that at first it felt, as Jenna said, unreal. I had no way of getting in touch with my friends, and no access to social media sites, but I did have a lot of time to spend with my family, lots of books to read and was surrounded by nature.
Although I would love to visit a place like Green Bank, I do not think I would like to live there since nowadays due to the pandemic, I strongly rely on the internet for school related tasks. So, having slow internet speeds will probably make it difficult to connect to online classes and hand in assignments on time.
I would like to visit Green Bank or a similar place because I think it would be an experience beyond comparison. However, I think I would miss communicating with my friends or posting pictures on social media. On the other hand, I wouldn’t miss receiving emails or undesired calls.
What happened to Jenna Baxter after moving to Green Bank has never happened to me. Probably the most similar situation I have experienced is being at camp during my secondary school, where students were not allowed to bring their mobiles. They were very few days, so it is nothing compared to Baxter’s experience. But I remember I was so entertained at that time that not having my cellphone was not a problem.
I think that if we didn’t have access to texting, social media and online videos, we would spend our time doing more outdoor activities and there would be much more face-to-face meetings. I think I would miss some aspects of my online life, but I would also get accustomed to this new lifestyle as time passes by.
Nowadays and due to the pandemic, I completely rely on the internet for submitting homework. Of course when it comes to doing research I look for reliable sources of information. If I lived in a place where internet speeds were slow, all these activities would be much more stressful and troublesome. I would probably not be able to count on distance learning or submit assignments.
The advent of cell phones has drastically revolutionised our lives. These pocket-size devices have markedly changed the way we communicate, interact, entertain and what not.
It is appalling how indispensable phones have become in our lives. They seem to be much-needed for everything we do, be it to keep in touch with our friends, to follow the news or to participate in the social media. Incessant messaging has become the primary form of communication and endless scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, the mostly preferred means of entertainment. We use our phones to satisfy each and every of our needs, and this is a clear sign that we have come to be overly dependent on them.
We feel a strong impulse to check our mobiles every few seconds. We believe we are missing out on something extraordinarily important when disconnected. But in truth, it is when we are connected that we fail to notice the big crucial things. We are busy with whatever is going on in the digital world rather than being in the now, enjoying the moment with those around us.
And such calm zones as Green Bank give us the golden chance to free ourselves from the digital reality and to reconnect with ourselves, our friends and family and our hobbies and passions. These places make us realise what is truly important and what is not. Needless to say that what is missed without cellular service is completely unimportant compared to what is gained. For these reasons, I would very much love to visit Green Bank.
Never in a million years could I imagine myself living in a quiet zone like Green Bank. Maybe this sounds like I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. From the moment I wake up until I go to sleep I use WIFI, and if I leave my house I’m connected with cellular service. It is crystal clear that nowadays almost every aspect of people’s lifestyles has been affected by technology. And, of course, I’m not the exception. I have become an addict when it comes to using that technology to communicate and entertain myself, especially now that we are going through this pandemic. If I lived in that zone, I wouldn’t have the possibility of using my social media to keep in touch with my friends or relatives, watching videos, or even looking for up-to-date information about the world. What is more, I wouldn’t be able to study, as nowadays all my lessons are virtual. However, on the other hand, I have to admit that I can see a positive side when it comes to not having Wi-Fi and cellular service. I would probably avoid wasting so much time scrolling through my phone and being distracted by the “technologies that have come to dominate 21st-century American life”. Not only would I get a lot out of that time spending it with my family or friends, but I would also be more in contact with nature. To sum up, I would say that I would like to at least visit that zone. Even though it would be great to have a break from the Internet, I think I’m not ready to live without it.
I remember one of my last holidays in a small cottage, in Cortaderas. It is a quiet zone located in San Luis, Argentina. A mountainous place, without any wi-fi and cellular connection just like Green Bank. During the first couple of days, I struggled to send Whatsapp messages to my friends because the cellular connection was terrible. I had to move around the cottage to get a signal on my phone. Due to this experience, I can tell you that my life would be very different without access to technology and the Internet.
If I had a choice in the matter, I would rather spend the majority of my time chatting face to face with my friends, exercising outdoors, or reading some pending books that I have up on my shelf. Sadly, ever since Covid-19 broke out, technology and the Internet have become a necessity for me. Without these tools, I would not be able to attend college online, communicate with friends through social media, or be employed since I work from home. It has been a stubborn adaptation, but without technology, my life would be harsh.
While reading the article I couldn't stop imagining how it would be like living in Green Banks and the sense of peace it might generate. Precisely on moments like this, when we're in lockdown and the only thing I do is switch from my computer to my phone and to the TV, my mind has a craving to see at least a tree and to be away from technology. Anyway, I have always preferred nature over my cellphone but I came to the conclusion that we become dependant on social media after using it for a while. The problem is that teens of these times wouldn't be able to spend a day without peeping their phones and doing the things teens at Green Banks do because they have never done it.
Also, I realized we sometimes forget looking at each other with my family while having conversations. Sometimes, we may be talking and using our phones, or working on the computer at the same time. That's dissapoiting because we don't pay attention to what the other tells us.
What's more, I can't imagine what I'd do if i didn't have my phone in my free time as I use it for entertainment. That's why I've been trying to leave my phone aside, even leaving it at home when I go out.
After being constantly in contact with technology, I may need time to get use to leaving in a place such as Green Banks and to get rid of the need to check my phone every minute or to post a picture on Instagram. But, definitely, I would love to live there and experience life away from social media and technology.
The things residents of Green Bank have missed are insignificant to their time and what they have gained during their residency. Meaningless memes, celebrity news, new stereotypes, and ways to be skinnier have overall harmed the current technological consumed generation.
With social media, teens spend all their time trying to grow up, rather than getting their hands dirty and embracing youth. Youth is the most important time to spend with yourself without the distractions of social media. Therefore youth in Green Bank would lead you to your true self.
One thing that stuck out to me from this article was when she mentions, rather, riding her family's farm vehicle on their land. My mind played back the scene in Footloose when they played chicken with tractors. Despite it’s danger, there is something envious about how free the kids seem, and almost fearless. That’s what today is missing, no one is fearless anymore.
The quote we can all learn from is in referring to technology by saying, “it just doesn’t feel real anymore.” We need to realize it isn’t real. However many likes or followers you acquire won’t matter when you are dead, more importantly it won’t be remembered.
Social Media and the internet have consumed the lives of those desperately wanting to be remembered, when in reality it won’t last. This desire is almost equivalent to the fear of death throughout our history. Therefore Social media is just a way to heal the timeless desire to not be forgotten.
I used to live in a similar environment where my cell phone and internet use was very limited to almost none. I was younger and more playful in Smyrna, Delaware. I played with dolls and board games instead of watching TV. I would even run around in the half-an-acre backyard with no shoes on for fun. Climbing trees was one of my favorites. I think life would be a little better with no wifi and cellular service. I would enjoy it because I am an outdoor, nature person who loves adventure. I even find adventure in books and love to read occasionally. I think we have become fond of our phones. If I couldn't use it the only thing I would miss is my music. Even though they have radio’s, I would have to go old school and use a record player which I think is cool in a way. I think I might buy one when I get the money. Sure I have social media but I do miss hanging with friends till night with no phones. The upside to wifi and cell phones is you can track family members and reach them in times of danger. I would love to move to a place with none of it though because there probably is less danger anyway.. The connection you have with people is probably stronger since there isn’t a screen occupying your time. In “No Cell Phone, No Wi-Fi, No Problem. Growing Up Inside America’s ‘Quiet Zone,’” Dan Levin writes says “The quiet, too, has given young people here a greater appreciation for fostering in-real-life connections, the great outdoors and personal privacy.”
In the midst of a global pandemic, people all over the U.S. are advised to stay home and maintain social distance. Without WiFi or cellular service, many home quarantined teens and students would not know what to do with themselves. Such is the perpetual situation for those living in Green Bank, W.Va. Although some believe life without WiFi or cellular service would be boring, it may become quite the opposite once individuals learn that there is more to the world than what lies in the cell phone perpetually in their hands. Life in Green Bank would have a peaceful simplicity to it. Without the never ending buzzing and ringing of their cellphones, teens would finally look up and absorb what’s happening in their immediate surroundings, not in a video of someone they have no connection to miles away. Kids would explore, find interest in nature, and they would grow adventurous. Individuals would develop an appreciation for nature that is so necessary in this most dire time of climate change and extinction of species. Anxiety and stress from having access to social media at all times would decrease as well. Cell phones and WiFi are integral parts of society that provide convenience in day to day activities, safety, and knowledge, but there was a time when the world got along just fine without them. Maybe it is time for society to take advantage of this time in quarantine, slow down just like those living in Green Bank, and take a moment to appreciate the little moments in life.
Internet plays a huge role in school-related tasks, especially during this time of the Coronavirus outbreak. Without Wi-Fi, we wouldn’t be able to get the education needed and teachers would have to come up with other ways to continue our schooling through this pandemic. This would also affect us if we lived in a place where internet speeds were slow or never worked because it would be a challenge to complete and submit work during our digital learning days. People rely on the internet for information more and more every day, and without it, they wouldn’t know what to do or know what is going on in the world.
Not only does cellular service help us through this situation, but it also helps us while we are in our school. Schools would be a lot different now if we didn’t have access to internet. Internet has made school a lot easier for us due to the fact that we can just type something into Google and get answers, but for some, it can be hard because it has caused things such as cyber bullying and lack of face-to-face communication.
In today's technologically reliant world, a step away from social media and the internet would be a breath of fresh air. People don't realize how addicted they are to things until they have them taken away. When people go on cruises, for instance, they often pay hundreds of dollars just to have mediocre internet connection while overseas. Though sometimes such connection is necessary for many school assignments and work, this reliance on the virtual world separates people from what is in front of their eyes and prohibits them from truly enjoying their life experiences. In a place like Green Bank, people are forced to find other ways to live their lives without the internet. Though this is a drastic change in lifestyle, Jenna Baxter makes it clear from her experience that one the other aspects of life soon fill that void. Decades ago, most people didn't have the internet, but life still went on as students turned in work by hand, rather than digitally. This is the same generation that went outside to play with their friends rather than staying home to binge Netflix series' all day. Why should such a lifestyle be a struggle today? Though the internet does provide convenience in many aspects of life, it is a poison that keeps people from enjoying life away from cyberspace. Living in or visiting a quiet zone would allow people to break down the metaphorical wall of virtual life that holds them back from making real connections and a more meaningful, wholesome life.
Although it would be nice to take a break from media, we underestimate the vital role technology plays in a teenager’s life. With the recent global breakout of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), communication through social media, news articles, and podcasts has allowed young technology users to stay connected. While it is emotionally difficult to continually know the latest information about the virus, if we do not have access to reliable internet, we cannot understand the risks. Virtual communication provides online published safety precautions from the World Health Organization for controlling and preventing COVID-19 in schools. If schools cannot inform students digitally on closings or safety precautions such as social distancing, we will delay the flattening of the curve reducing COVID-19 cases. Due to the safety precautions of closing schools and limiting access to teaching resources, education companies such as College Board have made the decision to transfer paper tests to online tests to provide access to all home bound students. Without easily accessible technology, we could not maintain our education during quarantine (hindering our path for future success). In order for teenagers to be fully aware of what is affecting our lives, we need to have easy access to technology and internet.
Although it would be nice to have a break from media, we underestimate the vital role technology plays in a teenager’s life. For example, with the recent global breakout of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), communication through social media, news articles, and podcasts has allowed young technology users to stay connected. While it is emotionally difficult to continually know the latest information about the virus, if we do not have access to reliable internet, we cannot understand the risks. Virtual communication provides online published safety precautions from the World Health Organization for controlling and preventing COVID-19 in schools. If schools cannot inform students digitally on closings or safety precautions such as social distancing, we will delay the flattening of the curve reducing COVID-19 cases. Due to the safety precautions of closing schools and limiting access to teaching resources, education companies such as College Board have made the decision to transfer paper tests to online tests to provide access to all home bound students. Without easily accessible technology, we could not maintain our education during quarantine (hindering our path for future success). Therefore, for teenagers to be fully aware of what is affecting our lives, it is necessary and valuable to have easy access to technology and internet.
Headline: How Important is the Internet?
I would like to live in a quiet zone. Except I wouldn’t like to move. I couldn’t see myself moving across the country just to lose connection to the world. If I had to though, I would miss always having a way not to be bored. If I was just sitting at home I could go on my phone.
I remember when I got my phone taken, I spent some much more time face to face with people. I wasn’t distracted by my phone at all. This just gets me wondering, how do these people that grew up in quiet zones feel when they have never had a phone. Do they know the feeling of constant urgency to check their phone?
I would probably spend most of my time reading or outside running around. I can’t say I would miss my life online, I am rarely interacting with people on my phone anyways.
As of right now, I heavily rely on the internet for school tasks. If my internet speeds were slow I probably wouldn’t try, I cannot stand sitting at the computer waiting for things to load. Before school was cancelled, I think we would have been given tons of worksheets to do.
I think my parents have similar attitudes to those in quiet zones. My parents get very angry when I go on my phone in front of them. My parents would do great in quiet zones.
The young people really aren’t missing out on anything. Everything on the internet including trends and fads go by so quickly. They really don’t matter.
In my opinion, I believe people rely on the internet too much because it's easy to access so because of that I would like to live in an area without Wi-Fi or cellular service so I could learn to think on my own and also because I love in person interactions. I would like to be surrounded by people who likes to have fun off the internet so we could go explore and have great adventures together. Having these great adventures whether it's with my friends or by myself could help me understand myself more and help understand other things aswell. It will help me understand how lucky I am to witness the beauty of nature and it would help me understand others more since im paying great attention to them because I won't have any distractions. I just really like to enjoy life at the moment, that's why I wouldn't mind being in a place without cellular service or Wi-Fi and that's why I would love being in a place like that because I would go out more and go on adventures to see the greens of nature and to smell the fresh air of nature and to witness many more experiences I wouldn't have if I had cellular service and Wi-Fi.
In our world today, technology is a huge part of our society. It is extreamly hard to go anywhere without the desire to take some form of technology with you. Epecially right now considering the COVID-19 experience. Imagine what it would be like if we were locked in our houses without a single source of interenet or cellular service device. Most people would be bored out of their minds. There would be no social media, no news broadcasts, no alexa or google home and no tv channels.
Today our world has been flipped upside down by the invasion of COVID-19. We have been told to stay in our houses and basically only leave for emegencies. There would be a lot more stress and questions going around if we did not have technology to help students and teachers continue to learn and teach. Not to mention seniors would not be able to graduate, interns would not be able to get the final steps to their jobs complete and teachers would not be able to finish their work for the remainder of the year.
Technology has affected our lives in more ways than one whether you realize it or not. Some people say they need technology to avoid boredom others to stay safe or be available to loved ones. Regardless, everyone in today's society could not be able to survive without some kind of technology.
In my opinion, yes, I would want to visit a quiet zone like Green Bank. Because, social media has impacted me as an individual. Things that I would miss about not having internet are how easily you can have a connection with your family members and friends. I can relate to what Jenna Baxter said that she didn't "feel real anymore." Because in ways when you're in a different place. Yes, I've been away from my phone. I feel in a way that this time it's made me become more of an independent person. If I didn't have access to texting, social media, and online videos then i would be playing outdoor activities. I feel like i'd miss connecting with others.
I rely on the internet with submitting school assignments a considerable percentage of the time. Which change in ways if I were to live in Greenbank, where the internet is a low level of speed, especially when it comes to an important assignment. But they probably use old fashion school ways from where they live at. Compared to the way my life is with parent expectations is that we have learned to respect our family members. Life within my house has cooperated family time. The adults in my house do use the same amount of time on their phones and electronics as I do. My parents would cope with the life living at Green Bank in ways because they do like adventuring into new places even if we weren't so used to the society. People that live in Green Bank would miss out on all the social media and teen issues with mental problems.
I have relied gratefully on the internet for school now since the Coronavirus outbreak. The internet is how I do my assignments for online school. This wouldn’t change too much for me because I can relate to having slow internet speeds at my house. But it could be a lot different if I didn’t have internet at all. I feel that school would be a lot different if we didn’t have Wi-Fi. We couldn’t do research online, we wouldn’t be able to type our essays, and we wouldn’t be able to do our digital learning. If we didn’t have our Wi-Fi our assignments would be on paper. We would also have to carry textbooks to do all our research. But you know what’s crazy? With all this madness going around with the Coronavirus, being able to get online and do our digital learning is a great way to keep our learning skills growing. I wonder what the schools would do if students didn’t have Wi-Fi. I feel like everyone would still be able to get around with out internet and cellular services, but I feel like they would still be ungrateful with the resources that we have. I notice how everyone in this world evolves around technology and Wi-Fi. If we didn’t have cellular services, we would change the way we communicate with each other and have to talk to people in person not just over texting, or social media. Life would really be different if we didn’t have Wi-Fi or cellular services, but Wi-Fi has impacted this world and is helping all students of all ages continue their learning.
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I respect the people in Green Bank. In today’s world it is becoming harder and harder to have real human connections because of technology. We are able to judge and observe everyone’s life through social media and not by having conversations with them in real life. I would trade my phone any day for having time with the people I enjoy the most. Because it’s moments where you don’t have your phone recording every second that will forever be remembered by the people you share that memory with.
However, since doing online school because of Covid-19, communities have become dependent on technology and its assets. Without technology, schools would’ve had to come up with alternate plans for going through this crisis. Since students no longer have the in-person learning experience, especially for myself, we become dependent upon our friends and the internet to help us be successful in our digital learning.
Technology has made things, such as communication and blank, easier; however, it has caused horrendous things, such as cyber bullying and blank. Hopefully, there will come a day where people have found a nice balance between the two, but until that day we will continue to fight the battle.
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@Kyla J.
You’re right, we need technology especially in the upcoming months due to COVID-19. Currently I’ve been on all online classes for about a month, and I relatively enjoy it because I have time to go outside. Due to the virus I am living a similar life to those in Green Bank by spending my time mostly away from my phone (only for work) and outside.
Just yesterday I spent the whole day biking, and playing soccer with my brother, because I avoided technology. Which is similar to you mentioning you’d trade your phone for spending time with someone you care about.
I personally would have a love hate relationship while being away from my phone if I lived in Green Bank W.Va because I like my technology but sometimes it’s good to escape technology and actually live our lives outside a screen. I think living without technology would be exciting because sometimes people get so sucked up in social media they forget to participate in the non-technology world.
Honestly, it really depends for me. A quiet zone would be nice, I would spend more time with nature and having fun adventures. But if none of my friends were here, I would want to have my social life on my phone back. Rather than that, over time I would get used living without Wi-Fi and cellular data. It does benefit us though, for we won't be addicted to our screens that we lose our face to face connections, as well as communicating abilities, which the key to human development. I'm not saying I want a life totally without technology though. The internet world allows us to experience lots of things and learn new skills, as well as getting caught up on world wide events that we won't have access to. Overall, Wi-Fi has its bad side, but it can be positive as well.
@Lulu
That is so true, there are many pros and cons. In your opinion, do you think there is one true side that wins? Even with there being the pros and cons. From reading other people's opinions, it seems as if the quiet zone life is truly real. While our lives are partially fake. The internet doesn’t care about us. Having access to the internet at our fingertips makes life go by so much faster, a quiet life seems a lot more relaxing. It really is more than just a yes or no question.
I think Wifi is essential to a lot of people's everyday lives. I know I couldn't live without it. Sometimes it's good to disconnect and relax for a period of time like a day or a week. However, I couldn't live in a place like Green Bank because I would feel isolated. Wifi helps us connect with friends and family, entertainment, work, school, etc. Wifi also gives us the opportunity to experience things. Without WiFi we couldn't experience some great things.
I don't know if I would want to live without Wi-Fi and Cellular Data. But I think overtime I would get used to it, and socialize with my friends and family more, and not have to freak out whether or not my friends posted something or if they're hanging out without me I wouldn't be as upset because I wouldn't have known. Also I think taking a break would do some good but also some harm. It would allow me to learn more about our environment with my own eyes and not learning off of somebody else's knowledge. But it would also do some harm, by us not knowing if something major is happening or is about to happen, such as a major natural disaster about to hit and I wouldn't be ready. Also I would get bored eventually and would have run out of things to do. So I think living without Wi-Fi and Cellular Data would have positive affects and negative affects on us.
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I would want to visit a quiet zone because in quiet zones you get to know everyone in your community rather than everyone is on their screens. In quiet zones, there isn't the option of faking sickness just so you can play video games. While you were visiting a quiet zone you could appreciate all the scenery. The downside to living in a quiet zone is if there's an emergency like a fire you won't be able to call your parents or the fire department for help.
Your parents would also be less likely to leave you at home while they're at work because you can't contact them if something happens or you broke your foot on the stairs.
I personally would go explore the world and go on adventures.
I'm not sure I would want to live in a quiet zone unless that was where all my friends were and I was used to that kind of life. I would like to visit a quiet zone though, but staying there for long periods of time is something I wouldn't be able to do. It would be nice though, not to worry about social media (which I don't use anyway) or YouTube to distract me from playing outside. My phone is really useful for me. I have many friends who play competitive sports and have games, practices, and tournaments it seems like almost every day. Being a swimmer myself, I also have things I need to do during the week, including on weekends. My friends and I are all so busy that we sort of need to rely on our phones somewhat tp stay in touch. We can't have sleepovers and hang out after school all the time so when there's something we need to tell/ask the others, we use our phones. Although, I do see that living in a quiet zone would be nice. There is so much influence through everything in the digital world. Even just opening Pinterest, I see things that are trying to make me feel lesser than someone else. On YouTube, there are always videos showcasing all the things other people have that try to make me feel like I have nothing. It would be kinda nice to grow up without that negative influence.
@Camilla Douglas
I agree with you. I use my phone to distract me whenever I have nothing to do. I text my friends about the dumb things that I might have done today. Although I love just taking a break from the screen and reading or looking up at the sky. Getting away from my phone means that I can get away from my head.
Social media can be a negative influence. I can be waiting for a response to my text for hours and it would drive me crazy. Living in a quiet zone could take away this distractions. It could either be a good or bad thing.
The guilt of using my phone stemmed from conversations with my parents. They were raised in a small town in India during the 1960s. They had no access to phones or computers. The internet did not even exist! To this day, my dad reads physical newspapers and my mom prefers to call me using the landline rather than her iPhone. They discourage the obsession of cellphones for the same reasons that Charity Warder’s did: no pressure from social media, no distractions and better communication skills. Green Bank is ideal for my parents because it is the situation they grew up in. However, I grew up in a completely different time period and situation than them. As a junior, I have to meet with teachers over the internet and submit my work electronically by 11:59 PM. A New York Times article said, “Thirteen percent are learning exclusively online.” The reality of our situation is that students cannot simply give up using the internet because we have become dependent on it for academic and social purposes. Although it is a fact that social media puts more pressure on kids and they often become addicted to their phone, it is also important to realize that us teenagers are dependent on internet access to complete homework assignments. The use of social media is not entirely harmful, especially when considering that it is an outlet to share and learn about ideas. We are introduced to new reform platforms and can learn about current events immediately.
I think my answer probably would be “no”. It's a good idea for people who are ready for that. I think I would be fine living there if I were born there. Honestly, I can't imagine living without wifi and all those technologies that we have right now. I mean sometimes I think that life was better back then but I just understand how we used to have all those things with us so I can't even imagine our life without it. I would do that like an experiment for myself but I don't think I could live there more than one week
I would not want to live in a quiet zone because it would be very boring. I would miss youtube and all of the other things that you get when you have your phone.
@Kinx
I understand missing things like youtube and Netflix, but is it worth being disconnected from the outside world?
I think my answer probably would be “no”. It's a good idea for people who are ready for that. I think i would be fine living there if I were born there. Now that I know what's going on the internet I'm kind of addicted to all of that. Honestly, i can't imagine living without wifi and all those technologies that we have right now. I mean sometimes i think that life was better back then but i just understand how we used to have all those things with us so i can't even imagine our life without it. I would do that like an experiment for myself but i don't think i could live there more than one week.
@Kamila Irsalieva I am in the same boat as you. If you grow up used to living without the internet then you are already adapted to that sort of lifestyle. Many of us on the other hand grew up heavily relying on the internet and wifi. Without it we would be completely lost. I'm sure we could survive with its absence but it wouldn't be easy.
I don't know about living somewhere as remote and quiet as Green Bank, but I think it would be cool to live out in the country on a farm, or somewhere without internet and technology access. Personally, the only reason that I care about my phone is because it allows me to communicate with my friends and family, and it can help with homework. I wouldn't miss at all it if I had to give it away, and I didn't actually want to get a phone in the first place. If I could choose how everybody handles phones and technology, I would make it so that everybody has easy access to a phone so we could take advantage of things like calling, face- time, directions, and safety. My phones just wouldn't have any games or social media on them so we could avoid people sitting around all day on their phones and the hurtful feelings that come from social media. For me, living somewhere that is not at the center of it all, but not super far away from everything would be really fun. Whenever they are bored, people turn to Netflix and their phones for an easy distraction. Living somewhere where you can't just press a button for instant entertainment would make people realize how reliant they are on technology, and make them better at entertaining themselves.
I wouldn’t want to live in Green bank, but I could imagine staying there for a while, to experience this kind of living. I would miss my old friends, and it would be difficult to communicate with them. I would probably also miss to be able to watch a YouTube video. But I think after a while I would be fine not using my phone.
I think after a while it could get boring, especially in the winter, when it gets dark at like 5pm and you can’t really be outside. But if you have your friends with you, then the time will pass a lot faster.
The advantage of this place would be, that my phone usage would go down to 0 minutes a day. I would for sure learn some valuable lessons about living without my device. But it would also be a big change, because we use our devices a lot in my school. Too much if you ask me. Without the devices the lesson would be very different, but probably better.
I’m not sure if I would want to live in a quiet zone like Green Bank. I would probably go there on holidays, but I couldn't really imagine a life completely without the internet. It would be strange, and I couldn't reach the world outside the zone. But I think the longer I would be in there, the better I could live without all the things that need the internet. I would maybe forget them after a while. The biggest challenge would be, that I wouldn't be able to text the people outside the quiet zone. I'd rather choose the life with internet, then the life without it.
I don’t know if I would want to live in such a quiet zone, but I would like to visit it. I was also on holiday in a zone with no Wi-Fi and it was fine, because we had seen so much and we had always something to do. But I don’t know how it would be when you live there the whole time. I’m not a person who needs his phone everywhere and every time but I got used to it. If you grew up in such a zone, you don’t know anything else than this life without Wi-Fi.
For me Wi-Fi and social media are a kind of entertainment and a thing where I can switch off. I would have to find other ways to spend my time, like read more, enjoy the time with friends and go outside and do things with the neighborhood, like as child’s. I think I would get on well with it and I think, by having more time for me, and also more sleep, my life would be less stressful. The biggest difference would be, that you can’t contact other people that easy and fast and that you can’t look up some stuff in the omniscient internet. The internet influence also our everyday school life. However, I think that would be a small problem, because we could do it like when we were child’s, we haven’t used the internet then either.
I'd rather go to a quiet zone for vacation and not for living there. In the beginning it would be hard for me to spend my time without my phone or computer, but I think the longer I'm in the quiet zone, the better I could live without them. The features I would miss the most are the communication with people I know and who aren't living near me and the ability to google if I want to know something. It would be a fun experience, but I think I'd like to have internet, just because it makes some things so much easier.
I'd rather go to a quiet zone for vacation and not for living there. I think when I would go there, I would have the most problems in the the beginning. But I think the longer I am there, the better I can live without my phone or computer. The feature I'd miss the most is probably, that I'm not longer able to stay in contact with people that I know and don't live near me. Another feature that I'd miss, is the ability to google stuff. But I think even after being there for a month, I'd still prefer the live with internet. It just makes so many things alot easier.
At the moment I can't imagine to live in a quiet zone like Green Bank, but I definitely would like to visit it once.
I don't want to live there now, because I would miss the exchange with my family and friends all over the world too much. Besides I use the Internet very often to look up things or watch the news. At school we need the Internet as well for researches, translations and much more.
But I think it has also advantages to live at a place like Green Bank, because there isn't any pressure that you have to answer your mails and messages always immediately. The distraction would also be lower because of that.
I believe that I would generally live more in the moment without Wi-Fi and cellular services.
I really would like to go on holidays to a quiet area like Green Bank. I imagine that it would be really relaxing. However, to be honest I don't think I could live in a place where I have no access to the Internet, because I really do need the Internet for everything. The most important feature for me is interacting with my friends who do not go to school with me, doing work for school and also to pass the time when I have nothing to do. But I also think that I would have a lot more time for myself. I imagine that people who live in Green Bank miss a lot of things that are happening in the world right now: There is a lot of information that is not available form newspapers. In addition, many things like booking holidays are more complicated and are taking more time than necessary.
I wouldn`t want to live in a quiet zone daily, but I would visit a quiet zone like going on vacation. I would miss the connection with social media and with my friends who don`t live nearby and/or live outside of a quiet zone. And the internet is very important in the modern world. But I can imagine that it can be very nice and relaxing without WiFi. I don`t have to be online the whole time and I can imagine it will be relieving. I would spend my time outside walking with my dog, meeting new friends and reading lots of books. Or spend quality time with my family, because my parents are often on their devices for working reasons.
I could imagine going to a quiet zone for holidays (For a month or so). It would be good not being accessible through WhatsApp and E-mail all the time. I think I could live more in the here and now, I would enjoy the moments more. But I would miss having contact with my friends and family and I would miss reading online news and finding out what is happening in the world. (I know there is something called newspapers, but they are just too large, I can’t read them without folding them or ripping them apart.)
I think if I was born there, I wouldn’t miss anything, it would be completely normal to not have internet. We would find other ways to communicate and other things to do. Probably we would be a lot more social because we wouldn’t spend our time on our phones.
Right now, with school shutdowns going on, because of the Coronavirus, I think it’s great to have internet. Otherwise it would be difficult to stay in contact with my friends, and that would be sad.
I would not like to live in a quiet zone like Green Bank, because it would be too boring for me, I think the internet is really important in this time, everybody should get the news and informations very easily. I would miss the fast access to all the informations, within a few seconds you get what you need . But on the other hand it would maybe help our friendships, because we would meet each other more often and we would probably cure our addiction to gadgets. At school we use the internet everyday, we need it for research and to take notes, it's really essential. But without our devices we could also do our exercices, that is not a big problem.
My parents, especially my mother, uses the internet very often too! Aswell my sister, my family uses the Internet really frequent.
People who live in Green Bank are missing out the latest trends and current news. Social media is a big thing almost everywhere, they can not experience this part in life, the fast communication with friends...
I really would like to visit such a quiet zone. It would be interessant to see how I feel after a cuple of days living there. I quess I could make many new experiences but I would miss my friends too much. (You can't contact them so easy). So if they would come with me I think it's a lot of fun, because we would spend much more time with each other in real life.
I’d go to a place like green bank for a week or a month, but I don’t think I could live there, only if my family and friends would move there to.
I’d get use to that live if I’d live there but it would mean a big change for me. The app I’d miss the most is probably YouTube. Also, school would be different. In my school everyone must have a laptop and about 50% of the things we do, we make on our laptop.
To live in a place where no one has Wi-Fi has true benefits like passing more time with family and Friends, go more outside and have more freedom. But there are also benefits about having a smartphone, like easily get information’s about school, your bus or other things, listen to whatever you want wherever you want and communicate with friends that aren’t in the vicinity
I feel as if having a cell phone has many advantages and disadvantages to it. I feel as if growing up would feel more nostalgic in a way if we didnt have phones to distract us from making memories. At times i find it hard to focus having my phone around and sometimes wish i didnt have one at all. In the late 1900's in highschool everyone talked to eachother and communicated where in this time of life there isnt much in real life communication with people that you arent very close with. However, With a phone you can talk to people outside of school make plans whenver and dont have to wait all summer to see your friends again. At school i often use my chromebook instead of my phone so the relationship between homework and my phone use for it isnt very strong since I dont use it for school. Even though i have my phone i still make friends and am outoging which makes me glad my phone hasnt effected my personality from when i didnt have a phone. When I am distanced from my Mom it is reallly hard for me. Even during school I will check in and make sure everythings okay so i am glad phones provide that source of communication because it can be very beneficial towards people with anxiety.
I don’t think I’d want to live in a place like Green Bank, I wouldn’t want to change the way I grew up. I do think it would still be fun and beneficial; however, growing up with technology is just as fun and beneficial in a different way. I do use my phone a lot for homework and it is a very valuable resource for learning. Although I do rely on my phone for many things I don’t find it difficult to put it down and enjoy what’s around me. Therefore I don’t find my phone to be a burden to me, and I’m glad I grew up with Wi-Fi.
I have been to a summer camp for a week where our cellphones are kept by our parents so we are just at camp with no technology. The social media part didn't bother me, surprisingly. The fact that I couldn't be in contact with my parents was what scared me. I wanted to be able to text my mom or call her. I wanted to say good morning to my dad. I wanted to hug my sister. It was stressful and scary. I was so anxious as well as stressed, and I freaked out to the point where I made myself physically sick. I went home for one day because I was sick but the next day I had to go back and finish my week of camp. It wasn't terrible, knowing I'd be going home to my family soon. I haven't been back to camp since. The experience just scarred me. I would not want to live in a quiet zone at all but visiting it with my family would be fine. I would be okay as long as I could be with my family. That was the bad part about having no technology. I think it would be nice not having social media available. I've been on a cruise where we had no internet and it was amazing. I felt so happy and free. I didn't miss it one bit. I think if i didn't have internet, I would go swimming and play board games, two of my favorite activities to do. Overall, as long as I was with my family, I would be okay without internet.
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Although it’s not the exact same thing as Green Bank, I have grown up going to a two-month-long summer camp that strictly enforces keeping all technology at home. As daunting as it may sound, I strongly believe having no technology is what makes summer camp so amazing. When we are forced to put away our phones, turn off the TV, and disconnect from Wi-Fi, I believe this is where the strongest relationships are formed. We have deep, meaningful conversations, make unforgettable memories, and create inseparable bonds— all without our phones. The campers are constantly involved in entertaining games and activities to keep us all occupied, so I never feel like I’m missing anything in the tech world. Along with making stronger relationships off my phone, I’ve also noticed I am much happier when I don’t use technology. Social media is a powerful tool that can make us teens feel very poorly of ourselves, and I think it is so beneficial to take a break from it every so often to “reset”. For these reasons, although it may be unrealistic to live in a Green Bank forever, having the ability to be off all technology for periods of time has made all the difference in my life.
@Margaret I, too, went to a summer camp without technology. It wasn't bad not having social media, but being without my parents was terrible. I just wanted to contact them, but not being allowed to was making me sick.
I don't think I'd enjoy living in an area without WiFi, because I'd miss all the communication connections I have. I feel like if I traveled away to somewhere without service for an extended amount of time, I'd miss the things I have today.
Even today, where I spend a lot of time on my phone, I still socialize, play sports, and read a lot. It doesn't stop me from living. I'd miss the entertainment that came from my online life, but I'd still have things to do.
My teachers use google docs, google classroom, and other online school services to assign work and projects. If we didn't have the service we do, school work would take longer to do, and would use up a lot more paper.
My parents expect me to pay attention during meals and conversations rather than being on my phone, which is reasonable in my opinion. My parents both work with computers for their jobs, so they're on those quite a bit. They also use their phones for entertainment in free time, and to get information. Living in Green Bank would impact my parent's jobs to an extreme extent.
I think people living in Green Bank are missing out on international connections. I live in Massachusetts, and have an internet friend in Virginia who I met from writing online. If I didn't have service, I wouldn't have been able to meet her, much less keep in touch with her. Internet connection can allow for friendships across the country, not just limited to the area you live in.
Living without Wi-Fi or cellular service would have a wide range of benefits and setbacks. For the social media aspect, it would be better not to have the distraction and addiction to it that drains a lot of kids from the real world. However, staying in touch with people that you don't see in aspects of your life builds connections that wouldn't be there without social media. Wi-Fi and cellular also helps a lot with homework and fast answers to questions. I think being a teenager would be hard in this situation at first, having to adapt to not being able to have google at the tip of one's finger, but being an adult where I don't really care about what the other people around me are doing, this would be nice. Being a teenager, in this situation of not having cellular access I'd probably get all my work done a lot quicker, and have more downtime for things that really matter and hobbies I enjoy such as art, running, etc. It's also nice, because when you're that out of the loop, you don't even know you're out of everyone else's loop since you have your own loop. You'd have no idea what you'd be missing without having Snapchat or Instagram. You'd be doing your own thing with the people directly associated with you, unbothered by others' courses. There would be missed opportunities, but you'd have no idea you missed them. I think people would like this situation if they're comfortable with ignorance being bliss.
Honestly, I would love to not have cellular service or Wi-Fi in my life. I always wanted to know how it felt like living life in the olden days when cellphones weren’t around. I feel my life would be way different but in a good way. Social media has emotionally abused us. So many girls feel like they’re not pretty due to the fact that social has made expectations on how to look and how our bodies need to be. I also feel like people don’t know how to socialize anymore because they’re so used to texting and staring at their phones. If I didn't have cellular service or Wi-Fi I would definitely be less depressed, more happy, more focused on my homework, and I would probably keep myself busy at all times.
In the article I notice that this town though it’s basically internet free they still do use technology. It is nice when I go away for the summer to a camp or something and I can’t have my phone. It really gives me time to look at my surroundings and see what the world has to offer because I may not always see it because of my head down in my phone talking to people. Though in the article the girl Charity did mention how that I her family even though the computer runs slow they are always fighting over it and I notice that is pretty similar to my situation. We have a few computers at home and my brother loves to leave them dead and not charge them so, we both end up fighting over the large desktop one.
Honestly living in a quiet zone like the town of Green Bank isn’t my style. It’s not that I couldn’t live without my phone but our phones keep us very connected with the world and everything else that is going on around us that we may not have as much access to. And think about all the different trends that have gone around the world but have not reached this one town really, to me that seems as if this town is excluding themselves from the world. As a population we advance and make new discoveries every day so how can this town stay involved and participate in events if they don’t know what’s going on. We have become such an advanced society that we need internet because otherwise I couldn’t be sitting on a bus after my soccer game doing homework at 11 o’clock at night.
@Taryn Connolly I agree that although it is nice sometimes to not be surrounded by technology, it wouldn’t be much fun to live completely without it. We as a society have become so reliant on technology and the internet to do even the most simple tasks, that it doesn’t seem very appealing to live somewhere where the access is so limited. Hearing stories from my parents about their childhood, lots of things do sound nice, but not all the things they had to do, especially for school, without the convenience of technology.
I use my phone and laptop constantly throughout the day, whether it's for schoolwork or just for fun, and I can’t imagine having to fight my family just to have to wait for slow internet. I don’t think I could ever live in Green Bank without 24/7 access to the internet, but it seems like a nice way to grow up for the people that can manage without it.
My life would be drastically different if we did not have WiFi or cell phones. I have to admit that, I, like many others have a serious phone and social media addiction. It is how we communicate and share our lives, and even do work and school work. Technology has advanced so much to improve our lives and for good reason. It is safe to say we would not be able to live without it. For example, if we didn’t have WiFi, that means limited cell service, we would not be able to call our parents if we needed them, or even if there was an emergency! If I needed to cancel or make plans I would have to talk to the person in person! That would be way less fast and efficient to have to wait and talk. Quick texts are the most greatest invention ever made! Why go back to the olden days, we are still enjoying life with the added benefits! There are always going to be people on either side who have mixed emotions about technology overpowering our lives, but we just need to find a way to balance it all.
If I did not have cellular service or Wi-Fi my life would certainly be way different than it is now. I think that for the most part my life would probably be better however it would take quite a while to adjust to a lifestyle like that. I think some of the positives of living like this are that you can't waste time on social media. I'm definitely guilty of wasting. a lot of time on social media and I think I would be a lot more productive if I didn't spend so much time on it. However there would also be a lot of downsides. In my case some of the biggest downsides would be that I can't listen to music through my phone. Music is a huge part of my life and helps me mentally. Another downside would be the easy access to friends that I may not live near or be able to contact quickly. However in my opinion the biggest loss would be the freedom of learning. I like to learn a lot about things I'm passionate about and the internet helps me with that a lot. Overall I really don't know if the positives outweigh the negatives but I think it would be cool to try it for maybe a week or a month.
Well for me not having data or wifi for a while would not really affect much because I went 2 full years without my phone because my mom took it away from me so she can use it. So I think my life would be perfectly perfect because I have other communicating apps I can use at any time on my laptop to talk to my friends such as discord, roblox, google hangouts and other things. I would prefer to have my phone at all times, but if it were to be for my own good then I can live fine without one, because texting and calling, and apps like snapchat and instagram which are the ones I use the most need data and wifi.
If I lived without Wi-Fi or cell phones, I would've been okay. But I suddenly moved to a place without it, then I'll probably be bored for the first few months or so. I mean, after a while, I think my health will improve overall since I'm not focusing on my phone so much. Sometimes I don't even want to go on my phone. I just want to go to a park or climb a tree, but in the city, the park is far away and there are no trees to climb. I'm a more active person so I'd rather exercise than sit in my house, doing a hobby or study. I use my phone way more than needed, but I do use it for homework a lot. All in all, I would survive without the Internet but be bored. However, if I lived somewhere spacious, I will definitely have a lot of fun.
To me, living without Wi-Fi and phones seems relaxing, but also terrible. I would be ok with spending less time on my phone because I don’t want to become super dependent on it, but I wouldn’t want to go completely without it. My phone has been very useful to me, from looking up the name of something to calling my parents when I need their help or for them to pick me up from somewhere. Without it, my life would definitely be more difficult, and everything would take way more time. If my family only had one, very slow desktop computer like the one in the article, we wouldn’t be able to complete the same amount of work we complete with our own Wi-Fi connected ones, and there would be many fights as well. One thing I do agree with in this article though, is that without phones, people might have better social skills from learning to do things in person. Calling people from landline phones and being forced to ask about plans or dates in person growing up helped people with learning how to talk to others and form connections right away, rather than hiding behind texts.
I think that if I didn’t have Wi-Fi or cellular service, my life would be very different. Phones can be very addicting, and like any other teenager, I often find myself glued to my phone for most of the day. Like my friends, I spend hours scrolling through Instagram, snap chatting people, or watching Netflix, when I should be doing homework or studying for a test. I feel like the majority of us don’t realize how much we rely on WiFi until it is taken away from us. For example: I think that many of us have been put in the awful situation when the WiFi in your house crashes, and you feel like the world is going to end because nothing on your phone is loading, and it’s right then that we realize how dependent our lives are on WiFi and cellular service. Overall, in today’s society I believe that the usage of technology is a necessity because many of us would have trouble adapting to life without it.
This is a topic I feel comfortable speaking on because last year Hurricane Florence hit. While the physical damage to us personally wasn't that bad, 2 weeks without power and basically a month without Internet was terrible. Sitting there for every hour of every day in 100 degrees 100% humidity was miserable. Cold showers were actually enjoyable and sleeping did not come easily. The route to get internet into our house was via a back alley (I lived in a neighborhood where everything is't underground) and people came to survey the land to get ready to do some maintenance on it and the alley had human feces in it so they had to delay the operation for another week. Having that experience really showed me how addicted to Wi-Fi I am the absence of human communication really hit. Don't get me wrong I get along with my family but I got sick of 16 hrs a day with my dad and step mom after a week or so. The loss of internet completely took away my communication with everybody outside of those two people and the thing I enjoyed the most after returning from the venture was human interaction. When you hear the argument against the overuse of phones in modern society many people talk about the hit it has caused to social interaction. The problem is society has changed drastically and with these changes the human has adapted to socializing in this modern way, very internet dependent. Taking away the internet factor doesn't increase in person interaction but reduces the diversity of it.
This seems so scary. All my life I've had the internet, and everything I do seems to revolve around it. If I need a recipe, or an easy way to complete a project, I use the internet. On top of that, I use my phone almost 5 hours everyday, so having that go from almost 1/5 of my day, to none of it would kill me. I probably wouldn't know how to function. I guess this makes no internet a good thing though, because I definitely should spend less time on my phone.
@Oliver K.
Agreed. Not only do I use my phone for entertainment, I use it for the things I need like directions or information. Not having our phones would be a good thing because we could learn how to socialize and communicate the right way. I think many of us today rely on our phones heavily and without them, we wouldn't really be sure what to do.
Personally for me, I can not live without Wi Fi and the internet. Not because I am obsessed with being on screens, but because I need it for my daily activities and hobbies. For instance, following baseball is my favorite thing to do. I need to be able to keep track of who is doing what around the MLB and all the latest transactions of the ball clubs. Another example is school. At school now teachers make assignments online all the time. If not for the internet and Wi Fi, I would struggle with this big time. That is why Wi Fi is important in today’s world.
I think long term isolation from cellular services and the internet is a negative thing for children. On one hand not relying on cell phones cultivates stronger face to face social skills and a better community. However upon leaving their hometown and pursing a education or a career it is unlikely that those who remained isolated from the internet will be able to keep up with their peers. As they will lack the skills to function in the modern world, no employer is going to hire someone who struggles to operate the most basic functions of a computer. In the fast moving world of social media trends those who are unfamiliar with the internet are bound to fall behind their peers socially. While isolation from the internet can create a closer community and stronger relationships, those who lack the internet are not equipped to function in the modern world.
@Danny Ahern this is true, but on the other hand, they won't be able to spend as much time with their families, so they might regret it later
I have dreams of growing up in a town without the internet. Of real things, hanging out at the roller rink, feeding the goats, shopping at a country store where the owner knows you by name. But of course, nothings perfect. Without the internet we would miss out on a lot of news and connections with people around the world, but there’s ways to work around that. Newspapers, pen pals, calling people and sending letters are all much more intimate forms of communication that mean more than a quick text. If everyone took a step back from the internet, I believe we would develop together as a more wholesome and connected community. We would be forced to meet up in person, to talk face to face and form relationships with those around us. Of course, I’m not suggesting the entire internet be abolished, but I think going on a WiFi-cleanse certainly has benefits, and if we all spent a little less time staring down at our phones and a little more time appreciating what’s around us, we would all be happier.
@Ashlee Waitkus Making more face to face connections or calling friends instead of texting definitely seems like a better way to form relationships in life. I also agree that we would miss out on some stuff, like news and being able to contact others worldwide without internet. I don't think I could go without it and I'm fine with that as long as I still make those face to face connections.
Without cellular data and Wi-Fi the world itself would develop slower not just in school. I rely heavily on my phone in school, for one example, It's how I’m writing this comment. Without data a lot of information may have never been posted. The biggest problem right now is the Covid-19 virus. Without data this information wouldn’t have traveled around the world like it did and a lot more people would be infected.
@Ashton Gray Isn’t it a good thing that “the world itself would develop slower?” I would love for time to slow down, we need to enjoy our youth because once it’s over, we will never get it back. There was a time in life where people didn’t have cellphones or internet and they were perfectly fine. You don’t need internet for school, things like books, textbooks, and dictionaries exist.
I think that living in a community like this would be a very refreshing experience and provide so much peace of mind for people who are so caught up in digital life. Personally, the best memories from my life and the most fun I have had has occurred when I was either in an area in which my phone didn’t work or I could use it, or times when I was having so much fun that I even forgot I had a phone. While it is really nice to have a phone in order to contact people at any time— whether it be for help on homework, wondering about a practice time, or simply making plans to hang out with friends— there is definitely something to be said about how toxic and distracting spending too much time on devices can be.
If their was no internet then the world would be very different. First thing is that school would be more difficult as an example you wouldn’t be able to look up an equation you need or how to find a certain value.But on the other hand the spread of fake news would be less absolve and only big papers would be able to spread news. So while the internet has some disadvantages I think it is very important that we have it
If I had no access to my phone or internet in general, I think a lot of my life would be spent outdoors once I get bored. If I just look at how much time I've spent this morning alone using technology like social media on my phone, youtube videos, even writing this comment it would be hours of time. Technology takes up at least half of my day everyday. I feel like it would be paradise if social media didn't exist at all. I wish the whole world was like Greenbank, people would be bored at first but then I feel like they would appreciate it. So, while technology has improved our lives in many ways, it has also taken away our ability to have intimate relationships with the people and environment around you.
If I had no access to my phone or internet in general, I think a lot of my life would be spent outdoors once I get bored. Scientists say that when you are bored you think more. In fact, many inventions have been created purely out of boredom. So maybe I would have an idea of an invention that I want to bring to life; maybe I’ll know what I want to do with my life in the future. However there are some downfalls to not having internet because many people use the internet to find out important things going on in the world, perhaps something that you should be aware about such as Coronavirus. Also, many people use the internet to follow or subscribe to someone’s account or page on social media because they look up to them and by looking up to someone it can help them with their struggles.
Without WiFi and cell service, people would actually get off their phones and interact with one another. In today’s society you can really see the difficulty to communicate in some people, and this could be due to cell phones and always being on them never having to interact in person with people. With service people would develop better relationships and connections because they have to interact in person with people.
I personally believe that life would be a lot more simple if I don’t have access to the internet or celular data. I believe the less connected we are to the world the less stressed out we become about things happening in the world that we simply can’t control but spend our time stressing and obsessing over. Take for instance the corona virus that has effected most people’s daily lives has the virus sweeps through America. Many people I interact with can’t stop talking about it. I believe that life would be easier if I wasn’t so connected. I also believe that while yes life would be easier and less stressful, I don’t think that it would initially be better. I myself have an interest in the state of the world both politically and socially in the many countries around us. Also my parents are immigrants from Ireland, which means my entire family lives in another country across the Atlantic Ocean. With technology we are able to stay connected and be more involved with their lives. Also my parents are able to stay up to date on what’s happening in their country as well as talking to their family on an almost daily basis. Without these connections we would feel very isolated from our family. In conclusion while I definitely see the positive aspects of staying off social media and being less connected to the world, I believe life is far more better the way it is now for me at least
In today’s society, if the WiFi turns off at all nobody will know what to do, since our whole live revolve around technology. Living in a dead zone would be very difficult for people that have been living with internet their whole lives, but for those who have been living in without WiFi it would not be challenging. Personally I would need to have internet, because I am always texting with my friends, using the internet for school, and going through social media. Being forced to go without my phone would be very challenging and I don’t know if I would be able to do it. The people who are living in the dead zone are missing out on many cool new technological advancements that many other people are able to use, like playing video games with your friends, or being able to talk to a friend or family member that is across town or even out of the state.
Living in a town without wifi or internet would be a huge change to my lifestyle. If I just look at how much time I've spent this morning alone using technology like social media on my phone, youtube videos, even writing this comment it would be hours of time. Technology takes up at least half of my day everyday. I would definitely like to visit Green Bank to see how much different it really is there. I think it would remind me of before I even had a phone where I used to have to go knock on my friends doors to see if they wanted to hang out while with us now all we have to do is send a text. I feel like a town like this has to be very zen and relaxed to not have to be obsessed with the internet or even use it at all. I think taking a trip there would be an awesome and eye opening experience, but I just don't think I could handle living there permanently.
Growing up around a tech savvy family, I couldn’t see myself living like this for more than a couple of days. While I do recognize I use too much technology, I feel like I am responsible enough to cut back on the time I spend scrolling through instagram or snapchat. I see how it benefits people by forcing them to have much more in person interactions than a lot of people nowadays but the benefits don’t outweigh the cost of not being connected through the internet. Most of the world runs through the internet and I just can’t see myself living with that much of a limit to my technology use.
@Gabriel W
I agree. I also realize I use technology a little bit more than I should but I also know how to limit my self and get my self to do physical activities.
Even though the foundation of the society we live in revolves around the internet, taking a trip into the past and living in a town without Wi-Fi may be beneficial. Many people nationwide are hooked to their devices and as a result we are developing generations of humans that depend on their technology just as much as life’s essentials: food and water. The internet has become not just something people want, but more importantly something people need. By abandoning Wi-Fi, we would become less interested in what everyone else is doing and more self centered on accomplishing our goals and aspirations. With some of the internet’s applications like social media, we grow jealous of those around us instead of worrying about ourselves and what we want to achieve. If we put the internet aside, we might develop a new class of humans that are more focused on life than those around them.
If I didn't have access to wifi or cellular data, I feel like I would have more time to--simply--think. Not the sort of thinking where you are mulling over what someone commented on your Instagram post, or what your mom texted you, but over things that have more substance and influence on your physical life. I would have a greater appreciation for nature, be able to form better connections with my friends and families, and, maybe most of all, I would probably be much happier than I am now. In general, I feel like technology is such a heavy weight on our chests; it is constantly on our minds in an unhealthy way, and takes away from our genuine experience of the World. So, while technology has improved our lives in many ways, it has also taken away our ability to have intimate relationships with the people and environment around you.
Having no internet is almost like my weakness. Without it, I can't watch shows, talk to my family, or even do my homework. Everyday I use the internet to do all of these things. Almost all of my classes give online work. The classes that don't give online work I might have to look up if, I don't know how to do it. I've gone a few weeks without internet before and I gotta say it's kinda boring. But, because it is boring we can do a bunch of stupid things that ends up being fun.
While going through the few weeks without the internet our parents weren't around too much so it was just my brother, my sister and I. So we'd come up with a bunch of random games to play involving all sorts of things from Nerf Guns to couch forts. Life without the internet is boring but, boring brings out creativity and fun.
Personally, I wouldn't like to live in this place. Not that I think it wouldn't be good to live away from all social media and not having a phone in your face all day, I'm just personally used to having my phone with me, and I use it all the time.
Humans interacting with each other socially would drastically change from the way it is now. People are constantly on their cell phones communicating through social media, text messages, etc etc. But this is where the way we communicate really changes. Over a phone, you can draft the perfect text, the perfect message, and figure out exactly what you want the recipient to hear. You don't get that kind of luxury speaking in person
I personally feel like raw conversation is more real than talking over text and using social media. Social media is used to show people only what you want them to see. Sometimes it feels almost fake, like some people using social media for certain things are putting on this electronic mask and only show you what they want you to see, so that you have this idea of them.
I prefer communicating in person. It's more real, you know exactly who you're talking to. That said, I too use social media and enjoy it, but it isn't real. Not for the most part at least.
First off if I didn't have access to wifi or cellular data I wouldn't be doing my homework right now. I wouldn't be watching tick-tocks at night. I wouldn't be able to go on social media at all. I wouldn't be able to text my friends. I would be completely out of the loop. I feel like it would be paradise if social media didn't exist at all. I wish the whole world was like Greenbank, people would be bored at first but then I feel like they would appreciate it.
Like the article says the people in Greenbank aren't distracted by social media, they are more in touch with nature, and have built more real relationships.
If I lived is a quiet zone my life would be different because I am quite attached to my phone which is really bad because it distracts me in every way possible. I have gone months without a phone which wasn't bad at all, it taught me that I don't need to rely on my phone for every thing.
Unfortunately in today's world I do think a lot of teenagers could not live in a quiet place because they might go insane because they don't have their phone, they can't check their social media, or even text their friends. For some people being on your phone and checking social media or texting their friend has become a daily task in their life.
@Bridget Lassiter I agree that the majority of teenagers these days rely on their phone too heavily, and it would be good to tone it down a bit. I definitely wouldn't be able to live in a quiet zone like this.
@Bridget Lassiter Social Media is a big part of teenagers lives everyday. I can't even leave my house without bringing my phone. I personally don't think I have what it takes to live in Green Bank, but for those that do live there I admire them for showing us that they can live their normal everyday lives without the use of technology.
Without WiFi or internet access, life would be drastically different. We have become so accustomed to easy internet access, that we often take for granted what we would lose without it. Making plans with friends would be harder, communication would be difficult, and it would be harder to learn things. Without the internet there is no news channels to tell you what’s going on in the world, no google to look up information that you want to know.
Despite all this, I don’t think an area without internet is really a bad thing. I think sometimes it’s important to take a break from the internet, because it can stress people out. Spending more time off social media can help people connect to the world around them, especially the outdoors. I think a disconnection from the internet is a healthy thing, but I also think the internet is an important tool.
I would love to live in a place like Green Bank. I usually get to fed up with the fast but fake online world. I always wondered what my life would have been like if I had been born 50 years ago. Social media can be very addicting and takes us away from focusing on our present life. This disconnects us from the world around us. Many children nowadays never get to experience climbing a tree because they are too busy watching on their iPads. I think Green Bank is living life to their fullest when the rest of us are really the ones missing out.
Without the internet, I think that my life would be a lot more relaxed. I always look up things that are useless and a waste of my time. It would be better for me if I didn’t have to worry about checking my phone all the time and worrying about other people. I miss being a kid and having to go outside and hang with friends and think of random things to do to get rid of boredom and create countless memories. I do admit, having a phone is great and I don't know how I would capture all the amazing moments in my life.
How Would Your Life Be Different if You Didn’t Have Wi-Fi and Cellular Service?
In this day and age almost everyone is addicted to their phones and everyone’s life would be changed if we didn’t have WiFi or cellular data. We wouldn’t be able to access any of the social media and streaming services that play a role in our everyday life. It would have a tremendous impact on us, but not necessarily a negative one. I think everyone would be more social and would pay attention to what is going on around them instead of being glued to their phones.
Life would be completely different with out wifi or cellular data. Although I think it would be a huge adjustment to go from having all access to bare minimum I think it is possible. I would miss out on so much and I don’t think I would enjoy it at most times. Everyone’s lives would be completely different without our phones. Most of business is through online nowadays, so I think that would be one of the biggest challenges that people would not be happy about. When you take something away from someone they crave for it even more so if the society had this happen I think everyone would only be able to concentrate on getting wifi and cellular back.
I often think about what life would be like if I didn’t have a phone, or iPad, both of which I spend a significant part of my day using. Although I try to restrict myself, I often fall right back into the habit of watching videos, or finding other ways to waste time on my phone, when I’m bored. I, personally, would love to live in a quiet zone, like Green Bank. It would create a whole new dynamic between me and the people in my life, a change that I think would be for the better. I would have better communication with my parents, find new ways to have fun with my friends, and just be a more exciting person. I believe that technology (despite a few bonuses) has severely worsened our society; it has sucked the life out of many interactions, making society significantly more dull, even if individuals are better entertained. I believe that more communities, around both the country and the world, should try a “quiet period” in which everyone gets to experience life in a whole new way, and perhaps persuading people to try living this lifestyle.
The truth is that I would not be the same person without internet access.I spend around half the day on my phone during weekends. I don’t really have any non-internet interests that aren't Art and Writing, two hobbies which I both discovered my liking for and developed through the internet, sure there were other factors but the internet played a large part.Sure I could still draw and write but it wouldn’t be in the same way I do now. Those who live this wifi-less lifestyle hold a greater appreciation for establishing real, meaningful connections. Connections to one another, with nature, and with yourself. We wouldn't have other distractions clouding up our vision from things that hold value and depth. We've become dependent on technology and other experiences to have the answers to our own questions and experiences.
@Shelby Comets I have never thought about where our hobbies come from. As I was reading the article I was just thinking about how my life it now but all of my hobbies seem to stem from the internet as well. I don't think that I would be as good at my hobby if it wasn't for the internet.
If life were to be without internet and cellular data life would be a lot slower. For example, Chicago’s Saint Patrick’s day parade got cancelled due to Coronavirus and within a few minutes I was able to tell my sister who was planning on bringing 4 friend from Missouri to go to the parade that it was cancelled, without the internet and cellular data I wouldn’t have been able to do this in that fast of a time. I believe that without this everything would be a lot calmer without social media and the news overdramatizing stories, sometimes even fake ones. But with this would come some more challenges, with the internet a lot of things became efficient, such as learning and research so we would lose that aspect of it. I think it would be quite fun to see what our world would be like without internet and cellular data.
Honestly, I hate social media. I despise everything about it. I would even say it’s ruining society. And I would absolutely love to say that I could do this. That I could live without my phone, social media, fads, and other things. But I can’t. I couldn’t do this. I’ve grown up accustomed to technology. It is making the world more evil, but it is also making the world easier. You can access almost anything you want information wise with the click of 3 buttons. And most people think the same thing. But the people that have grown up using technology, would never be able to do this. It’s just how it is. And I wish the world was similar to how we were without technology, but the fact is, it is absolutely a necessary evil. The people that live in this town in West Virginia are absolutely closed off from the rest of the United States. So while they may believe their lifestyle is fine and dandy, I do not believe that it is, because they are excluded from all of society.
@Nick E. I think that's why people choose to live in that town. They probably enjoy the calm lifestyle, without all the rapid (and sometimes useless) information from the news.
I don’t want to be one of those people that say they’d be completely fine without their phone or technology, because I definitely depend on those things for a lot of things. But sometimes I wish I could escape from all of the chaos and constant flooding of information, and just live closer to nature. I often fantasize about living in the mountains and sustaining myself, spending more time outside without worrying about running into people. I’d love to be able to connect more with nature, since there isn’t much around where I live, and I love traveling and seeing the land and how beautiful it is. Of course having a phone would help keep me from completely isolating myself from the rest of the world, which I think is almost as bad as being addicted to technology and social media.
In today’s world, it’s pretty obvious that everyone is completely addicted to their phones and it would be tough to be without them. I don’t think people actually realize how much they rely on their phones and how often they use them. Think about it, when you’re bored, what do you do? Exactly, you get on your phone. Of course, this is not true for everyone but I would say it applies to a good amount of Americans today. The article mentions not being able to use social media and to be honest, it would be fairly difficult for me to go a day without checking Instagram or Snapchat. My life, and the life of many Americans, would be drastically different without the use of cellphones. We need to figure out a way to cut down on how much time we spend on these devices.
Things in my life would be TOTALLY different if i was to live in a “quiet place” without WiFi or Service. I would say that I'm very attached to my phone which is really bad. Whenever I try to go to sleep at nights I end up on my phone looking at either TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. I hate it because I can never wake up in the mornings. I feel like if I was to live somewhere without WiFi I would be in a better mind set, I would have better grades, and I wouldn't be losing so much sleep.
@Naomi Boring I am in fact attached to my phone which is bad. I completely agree with you if people lived without their phones they would have a much better positive mind set and a lot of things would change in their life
I believe that life would be a lot healthier if we didn't not have technology at all. Due to technology cyber bullying has become a major problem in society. Not only can people be harmed by bullying in schools, work, or other places, but now they have to experience it online. Not only is bullying a problem, self image is something that has become ruined due to social media. Women are expected to have perfect bodies, perfect skin, perfect everything. Men are expected to have muscles, a perfect jawline, and everything else that is considered “perfect’. Without technology, our minds would be clearer, and our mental health would be brighter.
If I didnt have internet my life would be totally different. The generation I live in everyone has internet and most people have smart phones. Most everything we do in school is online or the lesson/plans is online. Im always checking my phone, whether its talking to my friends,looking at the weather, or scrolling through Instagram. I think living without WiFi or an internet source would be very difficult for my generation because that is all we have ever known. We grew up with it so it would be a very dramatic change.
I wouldn't want to live in a place like green bank if I could help it but if I had to, I could get by. I don’t really use social media that much, all I have is Instagram which i’m on maybe 3 times a week. However, I use youtube a lot, like 2 hours each day. But since there is still a broadband connection it wouldn't be that bad actually. I could continue to refine my guitar and bass skills and maybe fish more. I’m sure people could adopt a new pastime and I personally like to meet and make plans in person because there is no day wait for your friend to finally respond to your text because they're right in front of you. I also don’t rely on a computer to help me with my homework so that wouldn't be a real drag but i’d miss being able to watch videos on all kinds of stuff. Overall, I think it would feel like living in the 80’s or 90’s with no internet connection except for the basics, which is cool.
This generation is one where everyone has to have their phone on them all the time. Whether it's to check their latest feed on Instagram or see how many likes they have or to see who's texting them. I think that if there were no cellular services life could be better. It would force people to interact with each other face to face, allow you to actually go outside, and it would be healthier for the people that contain negative effects from it. This includes depression, a bad self image, cyber bullying, and so much more. The only bad thing i think that could come from losing cellular service is not being able to contact someone immediately when there's an emergency. Personally I know that every time i take a break from my phone I'm able to get things done a lot quicker.
To start things off I don’t even know what broadband is. As I read in the article life is much different without wifi or cell service I can’t imagine how much mine would change since it has become a normal routine for me to use my phone about 3 hours a day. Thinking about it I would be incapable of making plans with somebody so fast I would have to ask days in advance to plan it on my calendar. Nowadays all I have to do when i'm bored is pick up my phone and call a friend and ask him to come over. Another major thing this would change is how I routinely do my schoolwork. I personally can’t pay attention that well in classes which affects how I learn so when i get home I watch videos online of how I do my math homework. I can’t imagine life without the internet and I don’t know how the world functioned as well as it did without it.
@Alexander Jacaruso Yeah it would be a really big change to most people lives, including mine. But you still have broadband internet service so you're not completely alone, just very slow.
I definitely would not want to live in a quiet zone, I’m on WiFi every single day and I don’t know what I would do if I no longer had WiFi. I enjoy playing videogames, watching YouTube videos, and passing my day through social media. If I lived in a quiet zone the days would feel way longer because I would constantly be bored. I can definitely relate to Jenna, it is hard to feel real when you aren’t keeping up with what’s going on around the world. One time I went to Mexico where my family is from, we spent 2 weeks there and we had no WiFi. It was nice not wasting my whole day on technology but I wanted to know what’s going on, and I want to know what my friends were up to. As soon as I got to the airport I connected to the WiFi to see many many texts that I have not been able to respond to. If everyone did not have access to texting I believe people would spend more time with their friends after school, school is a place where all your friends are brought together, and when there is no texting this is the best chance to communicate with one another.
@Julian V. I agree with you when you said it would be difficult to live without it. However I think that if some would try and go out for a while without your phone, you would notice all the things you could be doing. I personally am a huge nature person and when I go outside, I find so much to do. I think that some people are looking a bit too far into it when they think it's gonna be the end of the world without their phones. I think if you tried it, would see just how much you are missing out by being on your phone all day everyday. But I do see where you are coming from because I use my phone a lot too but it is really nice to put it down and spend time with your family outside by a campfire or something.
Whether you believe it or not, phones can be addicting. They really can. Sometimes I find it so hard to have self control with my phone. I'm so tired that I can't even keep my eyes open, yet I'm still scrolling through instagram. I know I have hours of homework, but instead of doing it, I procrastinate and go through my phone. These things happen, and I'm sure not just to me.
Some of the best nights I've had with my friends, have been the times that I put my phone down, or left it at the house. To me, phones have taken our rights to live in the moment.
I think I could very much learn to not have wifi. If I don't have wifi, my friends won't have wifi wither. No one would feel they're missing out because everyone would be in the same boat.
I would personally not want to live in Green Bank. Of course if I was put in that situation I would adapt and make the best of it. However by choice I wouldn’t want to live or raise my future kids there. Green Bank seems to be a slower pace of life, for people who are more simple. I definitely don’t want to be on a farm. I’m used to having my devices and communicating constantly with people who aren’t near me. The internet helps you learn and provides different perspectives.
@Fatima
I agree it would be really hard trying to adapt to what its like not having WiFi.
Technology has such a large influence on peoples actions today. People in society have become so dependent on technology, and the ease at which tasks can be accomplished. Such as navigation, music, and getting in contact with friends. I think that it is huge for people to take a break from technology and wifi for a while. However going completely without it, in my opinion is going too far. Society today is so dependent on technology and it wooly die very difficult for someone to live a fully tech free lifestyle. But, I do believe that every once in a while people should go without technology for a day or so. To let their brain relax and do activities that don't involve a bright blinking screen.
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I wouldn’t want to live in a quiet neighborhood like green bank because it’s kind of uncomfortable when it’s quiet. Also, I grew up with WiFi, so it would be uncomfortable when someone takes it away. What I would miss about having WiFi is that I won’t be able to spend quality time with family because sometimes we like to have nights where we all watch movies together without our phones. One thing I won’t miss is that my parents can listen to me a lot more because most of the time they are too distracted by their phone.
I most definitely could not live in Green Bank because I am very heavily dependent on my cellular service and Wi-Fi. I use it in the morning on the way to school, during school, and at night. I think I would be able to not use cellular service and Wi-Fi for a week than I would crash. A lot of people could benefit from going away from their electronics since tons of children spend majority of their time on their gadgets. Being off them could give them a breath of fresh air and show them that there is life beyond technology.
Our generations lives would be a very different if we didn’t have Wi-Fi or cellular service. If we didn’t have those things today we would be outside a lot more and most likely be a lot more social.
I can't imagine what my life would be without wifi and cellular devices. Now that I think about it I do everything with those two by my side. EVven school work requires wifi in order to work your laptop. Us kids gets really antisocial while on our phones, we dont talk to people around us but the people in our phones. So i would think that would change a bit as not a lot of people would be watching Netflix :)
Thinking about what life may be like without wifi and internet connection is hard at this type of decade of life currently. Kids spend so much time on gadgets and screens these days, they don’t know much in the world around them. I go camping almost every summer, and there is no internet connection there. You spend time outside, and it's actually really fun! You get to go exploring, and see life around you without being on your phone. At these experiences I actually get to act and be like a normal human being! Studies show that kids act differently just because of technology such as their phone. In a way it can be distracting, and a big waste of time! People’s communication skills go on a low, and people lose a lot of abilities you would have had 30 years ago because of this! Studies just show that phones and other screens are just not healthy!
I would not live in Green Bank but maybe visit Green Bank because I have games on my phone which do not require an internet connection. My life literally revolves around an internet connection. I need it to do most of my homework and for entertainment. I would miss everything. I would feel a piece of me missing. I got a bad grade and my mom went haywire. She took my phone for 3 weeks. During that time she consistently confronted me and asked if I was depressed. I would laugh or look at her like she was crazy. Honestly, I don't like social media but my grandmother thinks that YouTube is social media and I disagree with her but also I am confused because now I'm not sure if it is or isn't social media.
I would not live in Green Bank but maybe visit Green Bank because I have games on my phone which do not require an internet connection. My life literally revolves around an internet connection. I need it to do most of my homework and for entertainment. I would miss everything. I would feel a piece of me missing. I got a bad grade and my mom went haywire. She took my phone for 3 weeks. During that time she consistently confronted me and asked if I was depressed. I would laugh or look at her like she was crazy. Honestly, I don't like social media but my grandmother thinks that YouTube is social media and I disagree with her but also I am confused because now I'm not sure if it is or isn't social media.
I will admit that cell phones are dangerous, and can lead to cyberbullying, screen addiction, or distraction from work, but I don't think that it is as much of a drug as some people make it out to be.
In the fast moving, technologically advanced society that we live in, it is hard to live without a cell phone or WiFi. There are so many great things that come from the technology we use today. Living without it would just be, in my opinion, uncomfortable. Parents wouldn't be able to communicate with their kids when they are out of the house, or be able to be contacted if there is an emergency at their child's school. Students wouldn't be able to stay up to date with current events nearly as well as they could if they had easy access to it. What happens if a family has more than one child who needs the computer for homework that night? What if a teenager gets a flat tire and is stuck on the side of the road while it's dark with no means of communicating with anyone? What if school is cancelled for months because of a pandemic and online education isn't available, causing all students to be nearly a semester behind in their schooling. In my opinion, the benefits of technology far outweigh the risks. I do believe that teenagers need to do a better job of regulating their cell phone use, but taking it away entirely is not the right answer. Technology is a very useful tool in our lives, and I believe that our society would seriously regress without it.
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@Uma Volety I agree with you in that the benefits outweigh the risks that technology has. Honestly, it is really hard for me to imagine life without it. Virtually every aspect of life incorporates some form of wifi or cellular service.
In this world, if you don’t have this type of technology, you are going to struggle. News and alerts, weather updates, emergency contact, and many other vital things for people to have access to in society, cannot be accessed without technology.
It is amazing to see how advanced our society has become, but it is scary how reliant we are becoming on technology. For the latest generation, “Gen Z,” they have never known life to be anything but surrounded by technology. This is concerning because how are they supposed to know how to fix something when something goes wrong?
@Uma Volety I agree that the "evils" of technology can be made out to be much worse than they are. Of course, the issues you mentioned initially are very relevant and serious, but they also have solutions. They are not going unnoticed. The problem with choosing to go without cellular service or WiFi is that the world is not going to slow down just for you. The majority of the population will continue to get updates on news within hours or even minutes, contact whomever they need, turn in online assignments, and research any topics of interest without many issues. Communication has been thoroughly advanced through cellular technology and services which I don't think is worth sacrificing. I have to admit, I would not be very upset if certain apps or social media platforms fizzled out of use for good with no new ones taking their place. However, the reality is with the ability to communicate, people want to do so in as many ways as possible or whatever ways that are popular. I agree that while there are consequences to this technology, the benefits outweigh them for sure.
@Uma Volety I agree with everything you have said here. Very well said I like how you gave examples of situations that are very common and prevalent right now. Such as a pandemic the Coronavirus is spreading and if our school has to be shut down we won't have any means of education.
The truth is that I would not be the same person without internet access.I spend around half the day on my phone during weekends. I don’t really have any non-internet interests that aren't Art and Writing, two hobbies which I both discovered my liking for and developed through the internet, sure there were other factors but the internet played a large part.Sure I could still draw and write but it wouldn’t be in the same way I do now.
Most likely I would fail school as well. I have a class which is completely based on an Adobe program, which is on a computer. I print my notes for History through the internet. I write comments on New York times, through the internet and that is basically the majority of my English grade.
People forget that the internet is not just people on social media being superficial. I look at art, I watch shows, I read, I listen to music, I read the news, I do my homework. With all of that, I’d be surprised if my personality wasn’t completely changed without the internet. My parents wouldn't even be the same because they're both engineers.
It's only a problem to people because they let it affect how they think about themselves and their lives. Just because I have a phone doesn't mean I'm not expected to be a nice person and hold small talk with my peers. My parents still expect manners from me, that's no different. The internet doesn't exclude someone from being a decent human being.
If I didn't have Wi-Fi or cellular service, my life would be completely different. Like many if my peers, I waste away hours on end on Snapchat, Instagram, Netflix, and endless other things. I undoubtedly spend an unreasonable amount of time online. With my generation growing up with many of the modern technologies, there are issues that both my parents and I have been unable to solve. The biggest one is setting boundaries and limiting screen time. For example, my school has made the switch to iPad-based learning. When I'm home doing homework, it is difficult to set limited hours that would accommodate the ranging times it takes for my homework.
If I didn’t have Wi-Fi and cellular service my life would be really different. I am always on my phone talking to friends, on tik-tok, watching YouTube, or listening to music. Wherever I go my phone goes. I do admit I’m on it a little too much but I would not want to give it up. Even now if my cellular service goes down for a little or doesn’t work I do start to get a little upset. Also I use my phone a lot to help me with my homework or if I just have a random question. Without cellular service I also wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends outside of school because they live all over the city. Even as I’m writing this I’m listening to music on my phone.
@Brianna K. Like you, I realize that I also depend on my phone for a lot of stuff. Sometimes I'm like Mildred from Fahrenheit 451 and use the seashells to fill the silence (music in the shower or while doing homework).
Life would be very different without wifi or data. It would hinder a lot of communication and ways to gain information.
I'll admit that my phone and technology is a huge distraction to me. I tell myself that I like to do homework in my room for comfort and privacy, but I really know it so I can scroll through my phone without feeling shamed by my parents. Recently I've done all my work downstairs at the kitchen counter. It may be a little noisy sometimes in a house of five, but overall my productivity rate has skyrocketed. I don't feel nearly as distracted or tempted to look at my phone as I did before. I also noticed that I was in a better mood being around my family and felt closer to them now that I was spending more time with them. If I see that in such a simple task like doing my homework, I wonder how much it would impact me if I changed my whole lifestyle to revolve around this data and wifi free lifestyle.
Those who live this wifi-less lifestyle hold a greater appreciation for establishing real, meaningful connections. Connections to one another, with nature, and with yourself. We wouldn't have other distractions clouding up our vision from things that hold value and depth. We've become dependent on technology and other experiences to have the answers to our own questions and experiences. Remove easy access to this and we begin to develop a more creative and interactive way of thinking. We've conditioned ourselves to become reliant, so can we do the same to reverse the effects. Put the phone down and interact with your surroundings, search for deeper connections.
@Avery Lemley Phones and technology in general are very distracting. Whenever I get a text message, I have a slight urge to check it. "It won't take that long," I think. That's a lie. Lately, I have been doing my homework in my living room with my phone far away from my grasp. It is easier to work without distraction since it is usually quiet within my house.
While having a phone does help me get information faster, it does become a burden. Because of this, I have tried to rely on my phone less, use social media less. I have always preferred talking to my friends in person anyway. I don't necessarily think I have created deeper connections with others but I do understand myself more. I understand my strengths and weaknesses and what I want for my life.
Pt. 1
Everyday I am on my phone, looking up something online, or using some form of technology. My phone controls part of my life and takes up most of the free time I have between school and sports. It is something that constantly distracts me from what is important, but also brings me a lot of happiness through its entertainment. Everyone needs a phone, but they must find a balance for when and when not to use it.
Two years ago I went of a family trip to Moab, Utah, to go on a week long rafting trip down the Colorado River. This trip excited me, but also meant that I would not be able to use my phone for the days we were there. When thinking about this, I realized that I had never been away from my phone for that long in years. While on the trip, I found out something that shocked me, I didn't miss it for a second. That trip was one of the funnest experiences that I have ever had, and it was done without a bit of electricity. From that trip I now know that the best times in your life don't happen on your phone, they happen when with your family, friends, or in the real world.
Pt. 2
By reading this article it really puts into perspective how different our lives would be without our phones. Without all of that wasted time scrolling endlessly through social media or watching every show on Netflix, we could be learning, interacting, and actually doing something. By reducing the time we spend on our phones we can learn more about ourselves and finally get rid of the distraction that controls us, and look for something real.
I truly have a serious problem with technology. Here is one number that I'll give out.
7 Hours and 43 Minutes.
That was the average daily screen time I spent last week. Day to Day, the screen times ranged from a understandable 2 hours to a jaw dropping 11 hours on Saturday. That Saturday was not a productive day. Unless you consider binge watching Netflix shows to be a good way to spend your time.
So when a question comes up with how my life would be different without a phone, there would be some major changes.
Read a book
Clean my messy room
Do the dishes
Do my English teacher's homework immediately instead of procrastinating until the last possible moment.
Actually, I don't find that likely to change. Some habits are just too hard to break. And sadly, this seems to be one of them. So alas, I shall go back to my YouTube videos and Reddit threads. My Discord servers and my news feeds. And waste my life away until the end.
The article mentions lots of benefits to quiet zones. People go out more. Life feels more real since it isn’t happening on a screen. There are less mental health problems and drunk driving issues. Childhood has more of a unique modern twist to it. That’s all great, but there is definitely a downside to a quiet zone as well.
Quiet zones have a lack of informed people. The article mentions a senior who found out about the Ice Bucket Challenge a long time after the craze passed. It’s important to be informed about what is going on in the world. There could be a pandemic like the Coronavirus right now. There are political and social issues going on in our country, and we essentially don’t have a voice if we’re not informed about them. It’s dangerous to fall behind a world who is speeding ahead towards technology. The same news we get in a matter of minutes takes hours and even days to reach these quiet zones.
It is understandable that our screen time gets out of control sometimes, and that’s why we can set time limits. Also, a lot of us have very busy schedules. Personally, I’m lucky to even have 10 minutes where I can just be on my phone. I get home at nine every day, I have a busy and long Saturday, and Sunday is my free day which is taken up by schoolwork. My life without a phone is barely a life, too. I feel like if I had more time on my phone, then my life would be a lot more lively.
Adults always talk about how technology has poisoned young minds and caused them to be constantly distracted. And in part, that is true. But technology still has a lot of positive impacts that allow for students to learn outside the classroom. Today, in Advanced Placement Environmental Science, someone talked about how someone should “take the hit” and get coronavirus so the school will get shut down for an extended period of time. The teacher promptly responded with “I set up everything so you can take the whole class at home.” We don’t realize how important technology is until it is in dire need, and I think that would happen if I moved to this “dead-zone.” Would I have better focus? Absolutely. Would I waste less time on my phone and probably be better at both my sports and education? Almost certainly. But would I be able to complete most of my homework? No.
Charity Warder says that her family has to “fight over the computer,” which, frankly, would not be conducive to my school activities. I am currently taking an online class and much of my work during the week for school is done through Google Classroom and I check my grades through PowerSchool. And sure, some people would think, “No school work? No problem!” But that would stress me out to my limit.
@Mason Evans
We can all agree that technology has its ups and downs depending on who you ask. But I think it is very beneficial to have a quiet place to focus on schoolwork or to read a book. I would be all for going up to stay in a quiet-zone if I owned a property within one. A relaxing escape for my body, and my mind. I have my fair share of goofing off on my phone and procrastinating away all my time, and before I know it, it's already 9 o’clock. But with nothing to do or check on my phone, I have more focus on homework or work in general. In the end, I would enjoy having a house within a quiet zone as an escape place, or vacation spot. I would never be able to complete all my homework without my computer.
I think one problem technology is causing that isn't necessarily being touched on, is the deterioration of creativity and pure intellectual thinking. In other words, more than ever are we relying on other people's answers to solve our own problems, even if they be on a large or small scale. Recently my teacher created a survey concerning the impact technology has on students. One of the questions asked students how long can they focus on a homework assignment before consulting a device for help. Over 60% of the class said that they could wait between 15 and 30 minutes, but another 30 percent said they could only wait 5 minutes. It certainly doesn't help that nowadays, most homework is on the device in the first place. Therefore, if people lived in places like Green Bank where the internet is too slow to be considered reliable, people would spend much more time doing physical assignments, using their own brains to put together a unique project or write an essay filled with sincerity and genuine thought.
In the end, though schools are using the many forms of technology we have today to provide their students with more advanced learning, I feel that the students would get much more out of the learning if they had to look for, or create an answer. Teachers used to love to tell us to "think outside the box" when doing something. We need to reinforce that saying because nowadays we find ourselves solely reliant on the premade content inside the small box that is a screen.
I would like to visit a quiet zone like Green Bank but I would not want to live there. I think it would be a great experience although I would miss the Wi-Fi connection, because nearly everything I do on a daily basis uses Wi-Fi. Although I have never been in a situation where I did not have Wi-Fi for a longer period of time, I can understand what Jenna Baxter means with that it does not "feel real anymore." In particular whilst using social media, it sometimes feels abstract to trace someone else over there posts. It has become a part of our lives to have access to Wi-FI every where you go. It would be different, if the whole community would not have access to the internet. Everyone would spend more time outdoor gathering with friends. Not only in our leisure time but also at school we strongly depend on the internet. We are always surfing on the internet, researching for the next assignment or for our school projects. I do not think all generations are that dependent of the internet but I think no one could imagine there lives completely without it. The people that miss out on our technological progress may have a disadvantage especially when they ever want to move to a big city because nowadays there are only very few professions, that do not involve some kind of technological understanding. It would be hard to catch up with the know how the other generations gathered whilst growing up with technological devices.
When I was younger I didn't have a real phone and iPhone were not really a big thing. I didn’t get my first iPhone until I was fourteen I think and I know that is still pretty young for a kid to get a phone but nowadays kids are getting iPhone at like seven or eight and it's just crazy. Before I had my phone I used to go outside and play soccer and practice volleyball and I would wonder with friends around our neighborhood. I didn't need my iPhone to have fun but now it's become such a huge part of our lives it feels like we need it. Which is why if I would love to go live in a quiet zone but only if I had other people there with me like my friends or family. I feel like it wouldn't be too hard for me because i'm used to going weeks on end without my phone because of the different camps that i do. I think it would be a great opportunity to go out and free your mind of everything that might be bothering you. It would be a great opportunity to get away from all the social media and worrying about all the superficial things in life. But I know it would be hard at first because we are all just so used to having technology with us we haven't ever seen any other way. I would love to visit this quiet place for a little bit but I would only be able to do it if I had the right people with me.
There are pros and cons to this life style. Yes social media and wifi have helped people keep in contact with family and friends. Social media has helped people reconnect. We wouldn't have social media without wifi. Social media also has its problems though. Drama is started,people advertise bad things, etc.. I am not completely for wifi and I am not completely for no wifi. I like it for how it benefits me but not for everything else.
@Amaya2nd I completely agree with you. Wifi - in my opinion - is one of the greatest inventions ever, but it has also created so many problems. Cyber-bullying is the main one. Cyber-bullying was never a thing before cellphones and social media, and it has honestly turned high school into a living nightmare for a lot of people.
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I love the internet, I wouldn't give it up if you paid me to. not because I'm on social media but rather cause 95% of my time is spent exploring the vast unknown of the greater world wide web.
I think that I would be fine without wifi. I didn't have any for like a year or so, and it wasn't all that bad. Though, the technology industry would plummet if there wasn't any cell service. Seeing that phones and wifi is how a lot of people make money, there would be so many more people that become unemployed or bankrupt. Moving somewhere in the woods is my absolute dream, so I wouldn't be opposed to living in Green Bank, although I was more so thinking of Colorado or something.
@Mackenzie I never really thought about peoples jobs going in the drain if there wasn't any technology. I do agree with you though about not having technology isn't that bad because I have gone without for a little while and it has actually made me a happier person.
I think that I would be fine without wifi. I didn't have any for like a year or so, and it wasn't all that bad. Though, the technology industry would plummet if there wasn't any cell service. Seeing that phones and wifi is how a lot of people make money, there would be so many more people that become unemployed or bankrupt. Moving somewhere in the woods is my absolute dream, so I wouldn't be opposed to living in Green Bank, although I was more so thinking of Colorado or something.
This lifestyle is appealing to me because social media and technology have become so ingrained in our minds we do not how to breathe without it. Human connection has been lost in our generation as people become enthralled with their phone instead of enjoying the presence of life around them. At dinner, people would rather be on their phones instead of spending time with their family. I usually have to check myself when I become so attached to my phone because it is an addiction I don't want. This town has the opportunity to live in a calm society with pure connection with others that is not created with the use of a cell phone. I envy this town because with social media and the internet it can all become so loud. Sometimes quietness can benefit everyone. To take the time and leave your phone to enjoy the world around you is a pure experience that younger generations do not get to experience anymore. It is truly a sad thing. This story gives me hope that maybe there can continue to be a small piece of society that is not ruled by technology.
@Marisa Silk You say that human connection has been lost in our generation due to the presence of the phone but I actually believe that phones have improved the way we stay connected to people we would otherwise have no quick way to connect. My mom always tell me that no matter what she is always happy to see her old childhood friends post on Facebook or instagram about the things that are going on in their lives because some people just don’t always have the time to keep up with each other on a daily basis but we can still keep in touch. Though I will admit that phones do absorb a lot of time when you are with people who you spend a lot of time with on a regular basis but if you spend so much time with specific people sometimes you just want to be in their presence but not really talk. It would be nice to take a break from the internet and social media but I am a person of travel and exploration and the internet makes things much more convenient for everyone to plan and book your trip over the phone or online.
I have to say I am obsessed with my phone when it is in my possession. My phone personally is just really fun to use because of social media, my memes and cool apps. However I must say if my phone needs to be off and away I can do that easy no problem because I know whatever notifications I get will still be there when I get back. Also this summer I worked at a summer camp for the whole summer where I wasn't aloud to have my phone on me for seven days a weeks for 12 hours. This was just so the counselors would be completely invested in the campers. It was not bad at all talking to people for that long and being active was way more healthy than what I was doing on my phone. That was my whole summer. However that was just one season and I was fine with it and I could use my phone at the end of the day all the time. However to do it all year round I don't think I could. I could only do that if I was born into that community. At least then I would never know what all that social media and WiFi stuff was in the first place to want it.
@Danessy
I feel the same way. While I frequently use my phone, I could easily put it down if I needed to. I like your comment that notifications will still be there when you get back. I think that some people can’t be away from their phone for too long because they’re afraid of what they’re missing when in reality, it will be right there when they get back. I think that the “quiet zone” described in the article would be amazing to visit, but I don’t think that I could live like that all the time.
As recent technological advancements are introducing 5G data and making WiFi speeds faster than ever, why would anyone consider disregarding the billions in infrastructure we have built to improve our cellular coverage across the country? Sure, this would definitely impact my daily life, as my school essentially revolves around WiFi to use various applications to download worksheets, access websites for research projects, and other activities dependent on a connection to the internet. I believe that living without WiFi would lead to more simpler lives, but the rest of the world would be wondering why you aren’t participating in social media, messaging, and phone calls which are centripetal components to a job (and now daily life). Teenagers, however, could reduce their usage of technology, as a majority of their free time is spent staring at a screen.
This question is dumb and it tries to hard to be a polarizing question when it does not consider what would realistically happen. We need wifi, and we need cellular data. Phones would be useless, the technological age depends on cellular data and wifi, so all of the progress we have made as a society in this field would be nonexistent, and we would still depend on newspapers and televisions with most of our news, we would depend on home phones and letters to connect with people far away. Society today would be completely different, my life today would be completely different, and the prominent innovations of the last 20 years would not have happened. In conclusion, we would still be living a similar styled life to that of the 1990s or early 2000s, so yes, my life would be different, but so would everybody elses.
I think that since the internet has been made and we’ve become more technologically advanced, there have been a decrease in real physical and emotional connections with the people around us. Nowadays, people make acquaintances through technology, but have no social life outside of their phones, or struggle to make those connections outside of social media. We’ve become so dependent and reliant on technology that it’s become a part of our everyday lives; It’s been integrated into our homes, schools, the workplace, and basically everywhere around us. If we were to try and live without technology, I think it would be isolating and really hard since such a big chunk of our lives rely on that.
Without wifi and cellular service, I believe life would be completely different. We live in a world that relies heavily on technology and computers, and without those things, I don't think anything would be the same. I believe we would be much more knowledgeable on nature and we would appreciate it a lot more. I think we wouldn’t live in such a consumer world and people would help each other with everything a lot more. Social media’s and platforms run most of the natural world and without them, popular people like celebrities wouldn’t have as much recognition as they do now. The entertainment pieces the movie stars and other people produced wouldn’t be able to be wide spread and older technology would start to come back. Because we lived in a world without WiFi for a long period of time before the current and past decades, I believe that we would shift back into using older and less developed technology.
Personally I feel like it would be very difficult to have to adapt to an environment where there is no technology usage. We have became so dependent on our devices that it would be difficult to imagine a world without it. I know some people who go on retreats or vacations without technology and they say it was a great experience. However, those usually last a week and as soon as they’re over they resort back to their everyday technology usage. I feel like in today’s society, its a necessity to use technology. So many things we do everyday require it and it would be such a difficult adaptation to figure out how to live without that.
@Halle Morse Yes the change would be hard, but if you think about it humanity has survived all these years not dependent on cellular and such. Since we have grown up in the generation where you no longer have to burn leaves outside, and play pretend house to have fun, thinking about life without being on the grid is scary. If you look at the bigger picture though we wouldn’t have to change so many aspects of our lives.
For instance in school we would revert back to leading with books and a white board. Instead of killing our eyesight indoors we would play outside again, go to parks, or hang out with friends and have real conversations. You have a valid concern that we are too reliant on our devices, but it doesn’t mean we don’t have the ability to re-adapt to the circumstances.
I feel like my life would be very different if I didn’t have my phone because most of the communication I do to make plans with friends is over texting. We rarely make plans just by talking because it’s easier to just go home after practice when we are all tired and hungry and get food then text about what we will do when we are ready. I feel like not having my phone would be fun and I’m not completely addicted to social media, but the sense of freedom from it would be kind of nice. Also if it was a norm to not be on technology then it would be super fun being able to just run around outside and be more adventurous.
I think it might be much harder nowadays since we've now become addicted to our devices, but I think if this change were to happen when we were younger before devices became more advance, I believe my life wouldn't be too different. I also believe it may impact my life, as well as others, to come in contact or stay in contact with friends to plan to hang out or to make sure to see events and be able to fact check them. Life without cellular data or wifi wouldn't be too bad, it would get everyone to think before they quickly believe because they no longer have this online source that can be so easily corrupted with wrong answers.
I wouldn’t want to live in a quiet zone like Green Bank, because my phone is pretty important to me. I use it to chat with friends that don’t live near me and I read a lot on my phone. To go on vacation in a quiet zone to get away from all the buzz of social media would be a nice experience. I would of course have to bring books to replace my phone and probably some post cards to send my friends back home. Just being in nature and not having your phone means you have to find other things to pass the time, so I’d kind of have to spend the time outside exploring the countryside which I’d like. Vacation in a quiet zone could be a great way for a group of friends or a family to get to know each other and to have interesting conversations with each other. I’d definitely miss Wi-Fi after a few weeks because I can’t really chat with my friends and not being able to download books for free would be a big problem. My father would love to live in Green Bank. He doesn’t use his phone all that much and I don’t think he even has social media accounts. My mother on the other hand watches TV show after TV show and uses her phone very often to talk to friends that don’t live near us. She probably wouldn’t like it very much to live in Green Bank.
Long story short I’d like to go to Green Bank for a vacation but I wouldn’t like living there long term.
I wouldn't like to live in a green bank, but i'd like to go on holiday there to get out of the everydays trouble which is connected to the internet. I sometimes feel like i have to check out the news on social media but it shouldn't be like that. Spending my time without internet is easy: i like playing soccer or reading books. I also like hiking and paragliding.
@Jeremy-Fabian if we didn’t have WiFi I feel like our generation of kid’s would be much more athletic and more dedicated to school. But it would be hard to make plans with friends And we would know about news a lot slower.
Without the intenet, I think that my life would be a lot more relaxed. I always look up things that are useless and a waste of my time. It would be better for me if i would set a time limit on my phone but it is hard to commit.
I think it would be easy if I had to go to such a place with my friends. If I would have to go there with just my family it would be very difficlut for me, if we had nothing to do there. If we would go hiking or somethig like that, I wouldn‘t feel the need to go on instagram or snapchat. I feel like most of the people go on social media because they are bored and have nothing else to do so they just do it as a distraction. So if they have something to do they also wouldn‘t fell the need to go on their phones.
Without having the internet, my life would be vastly different. My life has become so depended on technology, thinking about what I would do if they didn’t exist or how my life would function surprises me. I only got social media as a freshman in high school, and I think it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made to wait. Although there are many benefits to social media, I personally believe that it’s effects are negative to the 21st century society. People are too consumed on their phones, they tend to miss out on the world and what’s happening around them. I would love to visit Green Bank West Virginia to see how far behind they are with technology, but I would never want to stay there for more than two days! I feel as if this would be challenging for me, since I rely on technology for almost every aspect of my life.
First off if I didn't have access to wifi or cellular data I wouldn't be doing my homework right now. I wouldn't be watching tick-tocks at night. I wouldn't be able to go on social media at all. I wouldn't be able to text my friends. I would be completely out of the loop. I feel like it would be paradise if social media didn't exist at all. I wish the whole world was like Greenbank, people would be bored at first but then I feel like they would appreciate it.
Like the article says the people in Greenbank aren't distracted by social media, they are more in touch with nature, and have built more real relationships.
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@Lucy Fergusson I agree, if I didn't have access to WiFi or the internet or my phone, I would feel less part of this world. This is a sad thought though, that devices and the internet make us feel more part of this world. When really, we should never rely on material objects to that extent. You're right, there would be a number of things we wouldn't be able to do without our phones and WiFi, including important school work that teachers assign online. This is scary in itself, because it means that even our education is dependent on technology and the internet.
I would also love to have a home in Green Bank, it would be incredibly refreshing and peaceful to live somewhere without WiFi and the internet. I think that at some point everyone should live somewhere like this, just for the experience of knowing what it's like to be free of technology even if just for a short while.
Can someone please buy me a house in Green Bank? That kind of society is one I can only dream of, and so unlike the one I find myself ensnared in. Sometimes I find myself imagining what my life would look like if I was living in the 80s. If you’ve watched movies like The Goonies or The Breakfast Club, you’ve seen what kind of fun stuff they do together without their phones or social media getting in the way. I feel like it’s hard for many people, myself included, to really engage one another, have adventures and hobbies in the real world, and develop meaningful relationships outside of a screen. It’s sad that they talk about sitting in the living room, looking one another in the eye, and talking/laughing together as “old school” in the article. Can you even imagine how our lives would change if spending so much time looking down wasn’t an option? We’d all hate it at first, missing the empty things in that virtual world that fill us up, but then we would be forced out of our caves! We’d have to learn real social skills to maintain and build relationships, and we’d have to find new hobbies to entertain ourselves! We would become better at looking at the world-- life-- around us, and maybe we’d be amazed at our own existence again. We wouldn’t miss our phones so much then. Of course, not all of life’s problems would magically disappear if everyone lived in a place like Green Bank, but I think life would be lived more distinctly and meaningfully.
The sun sets down on the horizon as the beams touch the still water, and the birds fly by. A single leaf falling from a far off tree, blown as far as you can see. Silence. Except from the chirp of the crickets from far off. Then a cell phone rings.
Cell phones are a very important resource and I want to leave it at that. Many times a cell phone causes more problems than it is beneficial. Cheating, bullying, spending excess time on it and so many more are just some of the challenges that many people face. As much as cell phones are hurtful they can also be helpful. Being able to communicate to those who are far away and can send immediate help when trouble occurs are crucial. As well as the internet it has a wide range of resources for education, navigation, assistance, and more.
In the article, Green Bank is a place with no cellular service or wifi, many teens found it hard to coup with the adjustment. Personally I believe it will be a great chance to experience the wonders of nature and its beauty. To be able to step out of your comfort zone and experience the beauty of nature. I challenge you to try something new and to step out of your comfort zone. To set aside your cell phone and try something new.
I think I might want to live in a place like Green Bank sometimes, just to calm down my life down a bit, and get away from the electronics for a while, but I don’t think I’d want to stay there for long because there wouldn’t be any Wi-Fi, and I use it a lot. I not only use it to have fun and do things that I like, such as watching YouTube, but I also use it for more important tasks, like schoolwork, so I’d miss that. If I didn’t have access to the internet and electronics, I’d probably spend my time reading or doing something outside, but I think I’d miss my online life because it’s the only thing I do for fun. If there was no internet, I think it would change school because we’d probably have to do a lot more handwritten work, and I type faster than I write, so it wouldn’t be the best thing in the world for me. I think the assignments would involve more reading, handwriting, and looking for things outdoors if it was science. When my mom made me stop watching YouTube and playing video games for a while, she did it because I spent a lot of time on it, and it wasn’t good for me. I feel like when I stopped watching YouTube and playing video games, I got to connect with people around me, and I feel like I explored my different interests. At first, I was mad, but when I was away from it, the more I got to find my other interests I never knew about until I stopped watching YouTube and playing video games for a while, so in the end, I thought it was a beneficial experience for me.
My parents always tell me I should take a break from my phone, but I think that is just because they didn't have all this 'technology' in their days. My Mom especially, she tells me in her day (stone age) her parents kicked her out of the house so she would play outside with her friends all day (hunt mammoths). I'm an outdoor person and all, but I would much rather stay in my air conditioned house playing 2k. The point is, if I didn't have Wi-Fi, my life would blow. Wi-Fi is essential for the survival of your everyday 2020 teenager.
Since I’ve first gotten a phone I’ve always ha it by my side and wherever I went. Growing up and having more responsibility I’ve grown more reliant on my phone for my needs. Calling my parents texting friends, and looking things up online, all things I desperately need to do. But I feel that having a phone cleanse and going through not having my phone would be good for me. Not only would it show me the ways of non phone life like so many people in our country, I feel like it would change me for the better and allow me to experience life from a different lenses then what I usually have on. Experiencing other perspectives should be something every person goes through in order to grow as a person.
I would actually really enjoy visiting a quiet zone like Green Bank. I live in the city, where there isn’t much nature, so it would be fun to finally get outside and explore. I would definitely miss texting, since it is direct communication to my parents. Being able to communicate with someone from far away is actually really important, because you could be in trouble and you would have no form of getting help. I would also miss Youtube, which is just an on-the-go form of entertainment. Since the ride home from school for me is pretty long, I sometimes do my homework on my phone. In an area like Green Bank, I would have to wait to get home, log onto the family computer, and wait painfully for it to load. I wouldn’t really miss social media, since I really am not involved in it. My parents don’t want me to use social media since they worry what I could be exposed to there. If everyone in my community didn’t have access to texting, social media, and online videos, my friends and I would probably find loopholes. Since many video games are offline, we would play those. I would also play a lot of sports and just explore the forest, which seems like a lot of fun.
In my experience, I find that I rely greatly on my phone/internet. And one of the aspects that are accompanied by using it is how it is associated with school-related tasks. I personally do use it with school areas as I check upcoming assignments and just posted information by my teacher. This usage would be immensely changed if I lived in an area where internet speeds were slowed as I would be forced to retain and check information differently. Along with this, I feel school would be shifted to a more primitive form such as losing smartboards, using computers when teaching children, and none digital grades. It seems that as we leave behind technology, we lose valuable time that made tasks in modern day easier. Therefore, I feel that my lifestyle would be very well shifted and contoured as technology left the situation.
I wouldn't want to live in a quiet zone, even though it is helpful in many ways. I think that I quiet zone would make me feel unconnected with the world around me. I would definitely miss some of the advantages of a computer, and the ways that it makes life easier. I would rather read the news online, because it is easy to choose what you want to read, and the articles have graphics that enhance the view of the topic. I wouldn't miss the time that I could spend with my friends close up, and in person, where you can let your true emotions out.
I have been to a camp for a month without any technology use. It felt like I was free from the outside world for some time, and that the outside world didn't matter at that camp. I never got bored at that camp, and it was one of the best times of my life.
I think that if my community paid less attention to their phones, they could live more adventurous, and more emotional lives.
For school, I do almost everything on the internet. If I didn't have high speed internet, my school would definitely have less internet related assignments, and my school wouldn't have as many devices in every class.
The adults in my house are definitely on their phones more than I am. All of my dad's work is related to his computer, so his life would change a lot if he lived in Green Bank.
I think, that overall, Green Bank ids a good place, but it is not as connected to the outside world as everyone else is.
When Hurricane Florence hit in 2018, Wilmington was not only cut off because of flooded roads, we were cut off from information because cell service and wi-fi went down along with electricity. While we had our phones, they were pretty much useless without internet or phone connections.
In a lot of ways, my phone is like an extension of my arm. And, during the hurricane it felt like a piece of me was missing. There were no videos to watch, music to download, and no ability to communicate with friends. The hurricane made me realize that our society leans on our phones a lot to stay connected, learn the weather, be entertained, find sports scores, shop, and pay bills.
Without phones, my brother and I kept busy by helping my parents to clean up the damage and to volunteer. At home, we played cards, games, read books, and watched old DVDs on generator charged laptops. While I wouldn’t want to lose cell and wi-fi service on a regular basis, it was nice to unplug from the phone and connect with my family and others.
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I definitely would like to visit Green bank West Virginia to see how far behind they have been able to stay technologically, however I don’t think that I would be able to live there simply because I wouldn’t want to be disconnected from the rest of society. I do go on to YouTube or just surf the web more often than I would probably like to admit, but I don’t have any social media apps like tiktok or Snapchat so I don’t think I would miss technology that much. Every month I go on a camp out with my Boy Scout troop so I really don't think it would be different from that. In terms of wi-if with homework my school uses iPads to complete our homework and research but I could definitely do it on paper so that’s not a worry for me in a low-tech world either.
The effect that technology and social media have on this generation of children is controversial. Oftentimes, my grandparents will blame all of the problems that young people have on technology, instead of considering other factors, such as normal teenage hormones and the increased difficulty and importance of high school. So definselvely, my immediate response was that my life would be negatively affected with the absence of technology.
Despite whether living without technology would have a good or bad effect on me, it would definitely be a major life change. I have become reliant on my phone to communicate with my parents to figure out rides. I take classes online and use the internet to study and do research. I use social media/texting to communicate with my friends who I haven’t seen in awhile, or who I just enjoy talking to. I spend time watching movies and Netflix, whether it's to unwind after a long week or something to do with friends.
Honestly, living in a radio silence area would be a HUGE adjustment. I am just that dependent on technology. I would definitely miss all of the things I listed above, like easy communication and Netflix. Although, and this feels like admitting defeat, I would spend more time outside, especially since it looks absolutely beautiful in the picture shown. I would become more focused on my close friends, and less focused on people who I have a class or two with, but follow on Instagram.
@Keira McWilliams (part 2) Whenever I go to camps and spend a week without my phone, my phone feels almost illusional and distant, almost like a reminder that my wonderful week, where I felt so real and like a different version of myself, was over. But at the same time, the week spent without my phone was designed to be perfect and all fun and games. Real life, on the other hand, is not all fun and games. So there is no way to know if I would feel the same way without my phone for long periods of time.
If I had to live without any cell lot with my family, I'm used to not being able to use my phone. I use my phone or a book during my downtime or when I’m bored. During school I use my phone a lot whether it be to look things up, text my friends or parents, or to email teachers. Whenever I get my phone taken it is really difficult to function at school because I use it for those reasons. With this being said, I don’t like being on my phone when I’m on a trip, at concerts, hanging out with friends, dinner with family, etc. I like to live in the moment other than to take pictures. I think that it is rude to the people you are with to have your nose shoved in your phone all the time. I love going camping and being able to experience everything there without my phone buzzing and having the temptation to check any latest news going on.
I go to a summer camp every year for 2 weeks and I'm not allowed to have my phone at all, not even in my hands. It used to make me anxious the first couple of days but I have gotten so used to it because I have been going for 9 years and I have learned to appreciate the time away from it. This year I’m going to be gone for a whole month without it and if I’m being honest, I’m super excited! It’s really nice to have that break every once in awhile. I think everyone should try going out and going wild for a while without their phone holding them back. You can see and experience so much more without the cell service or phones in general.
I think after living entirely with access to the internet, moving to a place like Green Bank would be a very distressing change at first. While I do think that these areas would be nice for others who enjoy isolation and a more natural environment, I can’t imagine myself being very happy living in a place like that after being exposed to the internet daily. I think I would be overwhelmed with feelings of isolation and loneliness if I had no way to communicate normally with others. I would definitely miss online life, and friends that I would have not made without it. I have mixed feelings on things like safety on the internet, you’re definitely more exposed to communication and entertainment, but you also need to remember that not everyone online is there to make it enjoyable for others. When I’ve gone camping, I really just had a sense of boredom compared to usual. There are fun activities available that you wouldn’t have online, but that number of options feels drastically lower than what’s possible with technology.
School and normal life would feel very different to me, as we’d have to resort to offline assignments, after living in a place where our technology has slowly been adapted to fit school environments by our teachers. Other than school, I don’t know what I’d do for entertainment, because I’ve relied on the internet a lot for free time. I think that people who live in areas like this are missing out on many opportunities that can’t be given without the internet, but if that lifestyle is what they prefer I understand why they live the way that they do.
One of my favorite places to be is my summer camp in the North Carolina Mountains, and I know that not having my phone there has something to do with it. I hand it to me parents when they drop me off, and I don't see it again until they pick me up, but I've never minded it. It's a nice break to be able to forget about social media and the pressures that come with it, and I've never really felt like I've missed out on anything.
Although leaving behind cell service is something I've always looked forward to at camp, I do think that it would be hard to part with it in my daily life. I definitely use it for entertainment, but I also use it for more necessary reasons like figuring out who's picking me up from school and using google maps to help me find where I'm going. The only experience I've had outside of camp where I don't have access to cell service is when I'm in the National Radio Quiet Zone about once a year.
My family has gone skiing at Snowshoe WV ,which is in the radius of the NRQZ, the past few years, and I forget that I'm entering into a pocket without cell service each time. It's not a big deal, other than the fact that we have to use walkie talkies to connect with each other across the mountain, but I've never thought about the no cell service in relation to a town other than Snowshoe. I think if it was how I grew up, I wouldn't mind living in Green Bank. Honestly, being able to interact with friends and family without a phone in my hands doesn't sound too bad.
@Hayden Carroll I agree that it is refreshing to be without cell service for a couple days. To unwind and spend more time with family and friends. I think while that would be a good life style to have, it would be a challenge to many of the technology based things in our life. Technology has taken over so many things, especially in our schools and communications. I’m not disagreeing that not having technology sounds refreshing, I just think it is in so many aspects of our lives, besides social media, that we dont realize.
I would not want to live in a place like Green Bank because I do not think I can nor want to live a without Wi-Fi or modern technology. I know there are benefits to going offline and going outdoors, but I do not think I can live my entire life that way. Technology has been all around me since I was born and it is completely ingrained in my life. To go off the grid would change parts of my life, big and small. For example, some of the bigger things include: how I communicate with my friends and family, how I do homework and schoolwork, how I connect with the world and hear about current events. All these things would change. There are also smaller parts of my life that would change such as how I find entertainment. I think that if I really wanted to live without Wi-Fi, I could at a place like Green Bank, but I know that I would not be able to right now when being able to connect with others online and the convenience that comes with having technology is so important to me.
I feel like I would get along just fine. The media makes things more problematic than they need to be and I don’t need all of that in my life at the moment. It would also help kids to branch out instead of being on their phones a lot and find alternative activities and hobbies.Social media obviously makes small situations overly dramatic and if we didn’t have it or didn’t use it as much as we usually do everything would probably be handled way better.
@Gianna Sticco I couldn’t agree more. We over complicate everything nowadays all because of social media. Two people’s business becomes 20 people’s business and people ultimately just end up sad, hurt, or angry. A lot of “beef” can be avoided by simply having real life conversations with people rather than your main way of communication being online or on social media.
So put your phone down and go live life! Go out with friends, family, or maybe your pet. Living life in the moment is so much better than living it through a screen. Go out and experience things for yourself because you’ll be living your best life.
I would not want to visit a place like Green Bank because I think that for a little while I would have a lot of fun but then you just did everything and there is nothing to do anymore. I would miss most playing games with friends online that I can't see in person because they are so far away. If my community didn't have access to texting I think I would spend my time with friends or reading. I think that school would be very different because in my school we use computers all the time for projects and looking things up. My parents would probably be fine if they were in Green Bank because they don't use their phones very often. I think that young people in Green Bank are definitely missing out on things like YouTube, video games, and being connected with people many miles away.
@Conner Kelley While you may think that they are missing out, I happen to think the opposite. Instead of playing video games, they climb trees. Instead of watching YouTube, they have face to face conversations with each other. Instead of talking to people many miles way on the Internet, they talk and hang out with people in person. It is the way things used to be. In my opinion, I think us as Americans would benefit from a trip to Green Bank. We are addicted to technology, and Green bank sounds like the cure to that addiction. When you say school would be difficult, I tell you that there are things such as textbooks. Though they are outdated, they are the former form of education instead of the Internet. While I am happy with the growth of technology, I think that us as a society are lacking in ethical skills, such as having a normal conversation. Green Bank succeeds in living life, and we can all learn a lesson from the people of Green Bank on how to live life without technology.
I wouldn’t like to live in a quiet zone like Green Bank because nothing excited would be going on and it would seem like no one is there. If there wasn’t any Wi-Fi and cellular data, I would my Xbox and my phone the most. I’ve rely on these objects everyday and if I couldn't use them, I would be really sad. I can relate to Jenna Baxter’s comment because life without YouTube and social media feels weird and almost unrealistic. Everywhere I go, there are people constantly on their phone, but I couldn’t imagine a place without people on their phone. I have never been to a place where there wasn’t technology or Wi-Fi available. But sometimes, my family members tell me and my siblings to get off of our phones and do something outside. This makes me feel isolated from how I usually feel because I get so bored. If my community and I had no Wi-Fi or cellular data, I think we would all spend our time outside and getting together to play and do other things. I rely on my computer almost everyday for school-related tasks for homework, research, projects, etc. I also use my printer a lot to print out my school-related tasks. If I lived in a place where internet speeds were slow, my assignments would probably get turned in late. This would affect my grade, which determines my future. Most of the time, the adults in my household are on their computers or phones as much as me. The people without Wi-Fi and cellular data are missing out on most of the world today.
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@Zhaire Easley I do agree with you. Although I didn’t talk about that in my comment I see where you’re coming from.
I could definitely not live in a place like Green Bank. So much time I spend is using Wi-Fi, and a sudden shift would not be good for me. I am not the outdoorsy type, but if I temporarily moved there I think that experience would be good for me. If I knew I couldn’t be playing Minecraft or watching Youtube I would definitely go outside more. When I am away from my XBox for a couple of weeks I want to play on it more than ever. Also, I do a lot of my homework online, so without that access I might have to improve my handwriting.
I think if I was in an area like Nevada, this wouldn’t be as much of a problem, since in the photo shown, the area seems to have lots of open space to run and explore with friends. I think part of the reason kids use phones so much is because they have nothing else to do, but in an area like that, you could run and play with friends for hours. You may be more social, but life would be a lot harder. Everything from homework to spreadsheets would have to be done on paper, which is a few steps back from where we are today. I think it’d be nice to live there, but I prefer it in a city.
I would love to visit a place like Green Bank, I think It would give me another outlook on life and help me appreciate life more. Daily I'm on my phone its just part of my routine now and I spend hours on my phone every day which is crazy when I think about it. But every time I'm in the slightest bit bored I just reach for my phone which is never too far away. If I didn't have access to social media, Netflix, texting. I think I would also be less stressed because I wouldn't worry about what my friends or people at my school are doing I would just focus on my self what I want to do.
With that being said I think social media and texting is a great way to keep contact with people that don't live close or don't go to the same school as you so I think I would miss out on meeting new people or keeping touch with friends or relatives who live far. I also use my technology to do almost all my school work and studying. Cause while the world became more modern so did schools which deal with Ipads and computers on a daily making it very hard for me to get work done
@Kemi
I agree that it would be beneficial to visit Green Bank in order to live life—at least for a while—without the ever-present distraction of technology. Cellphones and social media can be detrimental to one’s ability to concentrate because of their addictive qualities. In addition, according to the various families interviewed in the article written by Dan Levin, living without the aid of these devices forces people to converse in person and to truly listen to one another. On the other hand, I do not believe that one should be raised in an area like Green Bank due to the fact that technology is such a central part of modern, daily life. In my opinion, the decision to live in a place without access to technology should be made by the person moving to that area. In this day and age, it is essential to be aware of technology and its consequences: cyberbullying, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and many more. These implications—whether good or bad—will continue to exist. Consequently, I believe that every person in the world today should be made aware of these issues and learn to use technology responsibly rather than ignore it.
If the people in my community and I didn’t have access to texting, social media, and online videos, I think I would just spend my time riding my bike, going to the park or taking a walk. I would do something outside because there's not really much to do inside besides doing some kind of art project or doing homework. I don’t think I would miss my online life that much since I don’t really use it anyway. I feel like anywhere you go where there are people, most of the time the majority of the people have their eyes glued on their phones. I would want to visit a place like Green Bank since there’s a chance to have some quality time with other people without the distractions of phones and social media.
Although life without Wi-fi and cellular connection would be different, I feel like it could come with a lot of built in benefits. While I don’t think I would ever want to live in one of these zones, I would be more than open to trying something like this out for 2-3 weeks, just to get a feeling of what it is like. The reason I may partially be open to trying something like this out is because my aunt actually owns a little house by a lake in Italy, and there they have no Wi-fi/cellular connection. It just happens to be that this is also one of my favorite places on Earth, and it could be completely unrelated but I wonder if having no access to the internet is part of the reason why. Whenever I am in the city, and get bored, I just take out my phone and text friends or play games, but there is something really special about leaving the stresses of the world on your phone, and just sitting down and playing a game of cards, swimming, etc..
Thinking about would my life would be without wifi and cellular services is very hard to do. I think its because my life has become so dependent on them, thinking about what I would do if they didn’t exist or how my life would function boggles me. It’s not as much that I am addicted to video games and social media, but all my school work, online shopping, and other things that make life easier are on the internet and ease some of my responsibilities because I know that I will have access to a computer or other electronic device. My life has become very dependent on wifi and cellular services that I can’t even think about what it would be without them.
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I would be open to living in an area like Green Banks even though I really like my phone. Whenever I am with a friend or multiple friends, I would way rather do something other than go on our phones. My parents set up “screen time” on my phone, meaning I can’t go on most apps after 9:00 PM until 8:00 AM in the morning. I am open to not being on my phone as long as I can do something else interesting like an activity. I do think that if I suddenly couldn't use WiFi anymore I would really miss it. I even miss WiFi on short plane rides. Most of my school assignments like mathwork and writing are online so it would be hard to not have WiFi.
I would not ever like to live in a quiet zone like a green bank. I would not like to do this because I would not have the resources to do many things that I enjoy and I would not be able to talk to my relatives who don’t live in the states. I would not be able to play videogames, watch youtube or search through the internet. I would miss talking to people on calls for example my grandparents who live overseas and you could not call your parents in case of an emergency. I feel like this would make robbery and other crimes easier to get away with because security cameras run off of the internet to save footage and operate so you could never catch anyone or provide proof. Also everyone would have to use cash because no working computers because no WI-FI. I could not give up the internet and data especially living in a big city because it would be a pain to tell people stuff fast because letters take a long time to get to where they need to go. That is my opinion about not having WI-FI or cellular service.
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Now the world is all about technology and technological innovation. In order to be able to use any of this technology and to have access to the World Wide Web, you need Wifi or Cellular Data if you have no Wifi. I feel like many people rely on Wifi because it grants them access to the internet. The internet has all the answers and cool things that you have never seen before. Also, in order to watch the news and know what's going on in your area, you can turn on the TV and watch. But, you need Wifi to do all of this. The world would not survive if Wifi was gone. Furthermore, all the homework that my teachers post is on the internet. They give websites to go to, and give papers from the internet. For research papers, I would go on my computer and get some research done. This is more fun and efficient than digging through books. I need the Wifi to get my work done or else my report card will reveal the consequences. Wifi and Cellular Data is important and I need it for my daily life, mostly for school, or maybe Youtube.
I would like to visit a quiet zone like Green Bank but I would never live in it. The reason being is that I would like to stay in constant contact with my friends and boyfriend with my phone.
I have been away from my phone while at camp during the summer for a week but it never felt different when I got back home. It just made me miss talking to my friends even more and luckily I could get social media from new friends that I made at camp.
If I did not have access to texting, social media and online videos, I think that my life would not be that much different as I don't spend that much time on technology to begin with. I don't talk to that many people except for my boyfriend and a few friends.
I probably wouldn't miss my online life that much as I tend to be outside with my boyfriend and his friends a lot like going exploring or bike riding.
I rely on the internet for school-related tasks a lot as my school gives out laptops to it's students to use for their classes. It would change a lot if I lived in a place where internet speeds were slow because then it would take a much longer time to submit things and to do research.
Before I’m 6 years old, i did not have an access to computers. Those years were most nostalgic for me. My friends and I were playing outside;We walked around, talked to each other ,and played some games. I was making memories before I even realize it. Nonetheless, I’m still fascinated by computers during that time. I get excited every time I saw a computer, but my aunt refuse to let me go on it. After I moved away , I gained computer access and eventuAlly I got addicted to video games. I lost my interest of outside because i don’t have my friends and I live in the city now. I believe that my love for computer is a passion. Even When I’m in the countryside, I’d probably still play video games online
Without having the internet, life would be different. In my opinion it would be better for our mental health to not have to worry about what people are saying or posting about you, but on the other hand it would also be a lot harder to communicate with friends and family. Video games would cease to exist which would make a lot of people mad and those who live off of streaming games would lose there jobs. Even online businesses would vanish like Amazon. Not to mention those who invest in stocks would have to live in New York in order to invest.
I believe that people without the internet would be more socially interactive and more physically involved with life. In the article, Jenna comments about the times she's able to connect to the internet and describes tat she needlessly watches YouTube and scrolls through social media, “Back in Connecticut, that was all I had to do,” she said. “Now I’m like, why am I doing this when I could be climbing a tree?” I'm not saying life would be better but I believe it could be more adventurous and active. There could be less introverts and awkward conversations and more parties and fun meet and greets.
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Our life would be immensely different without the internet, Who's to say if it would be better or worse, well for one I wouldn't be typing this out on my computer right now. The internet has its pros in cons. I feel like having no internet and having so much internet are two different extremes, what we need is a happy medium.
with the excessive amount of internet we are using in today's world we also see an excessive amount of risks and a huge loss of privacy. it is anything but healthy to be sitting in front of a screen for so many hours of each day, yet we rarely even question it and no one is doing anything to really change it. I feel as though we have gotten ahead of ourselves with all of the technological advancements, it's a bit too much.
although the internet can also be a very good place when used in moderation, the internet makes it easy to access data and makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family. The internet also allows us to call for help if we need it. When I read the article and learned about the quiet zone I thought it was very interesting to see that there are actually people who live like that on a day to day basis. I feel as if getting away from the internet for a bit is a very good idea.
Part 1
Social media and phone usage is a subject that is talked about all the time. People are always saying how it’s not healthy to be on your phone, and how social media ruins your mental health as they pull their phone out from their back pocket to check a notification they just received. The use of technology is a hot topic; I always see people arguing on how it’s horrible for society and how the younger generations are addicted, while they are on their phones just as much as us.
This article gave me perspective on how much I am actually on my phone while agreeing with others that my life would be better off without it. I honestly believe that society has an addiction to technology that has completely changed how society functions. It has become more difficult for people to communicate face to face and for us to rely on just ourselves without looking at a phone for help.
Part 2
I make a point during the day to try to be off my phone. I feel as though some people may not want to admit it, but I believe that limiting phone usage makes a huge difference in life. When I go on trips with family or friends I am almost never on my phone. I delete social media so that I am living in the moment with no temporary distractions. Some of my family lives out west, and my grandpa’s ranch in Montana has no service. Green Bank, W.Va reminds me of the ranch. When I visit, my family and I are not on our phones for hours or days at a time. I always find that I am happier when I’m not using technology. I learn more about myself and my environment when I’m not on my phone. I strengthen relationships and have a healthier mindset when I’m not on my phone. I wish that society, me included, lived like Charity and Jenna all the time.
I would love to live in a “quiet zone” like Green Bank. I think being put in a position where being on my phone isn’t even an option would drastically improve my mental health, due to normal teenage issues that come up from spending too much time on our phones. I would miss the ease of being able to check up on people I miss, I spent most of my childhood moving from state to state so the only way I’m able to maintain those relationships is through social media and my phone. But I wouldn’t miss the constant checking my phone, even when I should be focused on other things, and feeling sad if no one is messaging me. The only time I’ve truly spent away from my phone is summer camps, only for a week long, in that time I feel very engaged with those around me but I still find myself missing the people who aren’t with me. One of the reasons I spend so much time on my phone is because my family doesn’t have any restrictions in place to get me off of it. We don’t have “family time” like some families do and when we are spending time together we are still glued to our phones, even during conversation.
@Mackenzie Wernicke My family would benefit from living in a “quiet zone” as would plenty of people my age. On the other hand, being away from technology might be hard for some, if you’ve spent your whole life looking down at your phone your real-life social skills might not be the same as someone who is constantly interacting with people face-to-face. Those who don't have access to certain technology-related experiences are missing out on the ability to get information on any topic almost immediately. Although it would be an amazing experience to live in a “quiet zone” where I’m forced off my phone, I feel as though I wouldn’t have the same opportunities and be who I am without access to technology.
I think being disconnected would give me a sense of peace but I would really miss watching YouTube and Netflix. I'm not much of a social media fan so I'd easily be able to let that go. I only got my phone a year or two ago and before I got a phone, I'd read every free minute I had. Our high school provides every student with a laptop, so many of our assignments are assigned through the internet. I rely on the internet for everything related to school. If I need research, need help with math, etc. I go on my laptop. I think high school in Green Bank is more old school and it's probably a very different highschool experience. My mom is a researcher so she spends all her time on a computer, I don't think we'd ever move to a town like Green Bank because of her work.
My life will be completly different if I didn't have a cell-phone. I can't imagine living without wifii and talking to my friends, watching videos and netflix.
I just think at some point having a phone has reallly helped me because, everything is more easier.
You can do so many things with your phone.
So yes, my life willl be different.
I could live whitout a phone and wifii for like 2 months max but after that I would just get bored if I remained idle .
If I live in a place where there is no wifii but I have things to do like swimming, reading ,riding horses I could live without it for much more time like in summer I barely use my phone because I am so busy doing things and I just don't think about using my phone I just want to enjoy the moment.
it's obvious that the smartphone is a real handicap in education and for the development of a child. Kids who don't have smartphone can do whatever they want without worrying about being laughed at or being on the networks. They spend more time cultivating and spending themselves instead of lying in front of a serie while eating sweets.
Without media I would be less distracted. In a way it seems great. It would free you from the world of ads and lobbies and useless cute cat pictures. A real time saving which could be used to developmental things.
But actually it would make me loose all my markers. I've grown with this world and to leave it would let a very big empty space I would not know how to fill.
And don't forget this world gave the possibility to share great creative work and gethered people from all the world in movements of freedom. Those media showed me I was not alone to think something is wrong in this world. Wihout I think I would feel more alone
But I hope I would find an other way to get informed and to take a part in society.