I’m excited to go home. Like every other college first year, I miss my dog, good food and warm showers. I also love the holiday season, when I spend time with close family and friends. But this holiday season, what I’m really looking forward to is leaving my phone in another room.
This is an unusual Christmas wish for me, but since moving into my dorm this August, I’ve noticed a sharp uptick in screen time. I’m sure I’m not the only one; most students I see carry their phones around like an emotional support blanket.
My newfound phone addiction isn’t my fault, it actually stems from Miami University’s transition to digital student IDs. Students can’t get a physical ID card anymore unless they have a specific reason. As a result, we have to take our phones everywhere, even to the dorm bathrooms (which, let’s face it, is pretty gross).
When I walk across campus in the morning, I often reach to unlock my phone, even if I’m not doing anything on it. It’s become a nervous tick. I even find myself wanting to grab my phone in class when there’s a small lull in conversation.
When I first got my phone, my parents used to get upset with me because I would leave it in the house by accident. Now, I don’t get two steps out the door before feeling unbalanced without the familiar weight in my hand.
I often hear my professors complain about students using their phones during class, or while they walk around campus, but Miami is contributing to this problem. I would love to leave my phone on my desk and have a phone-free dinner with my friends, but, unfortunately, I need my phone to get into the dining hall.
Miami has promoted a culture where students are constantly attached to their phones to function on campus.
Want to log in to a new Miami-affiliated website? Looks like you need to use Duo Two-Factor Authentication. Want to print something? Buy something? You’re going to need that pesky phone.
This problem is not just annoying, it’s also excruciatingly drawn out. I’ve lost track of how often I’ve tried to complete a simple task, like looking up my midterm grades, only to spend five minutes verifying I’m actually myself. I appreciate the dedication to privacy, but the idea that someone could steal my phone is laughable considering they would first have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.
Of course, I would be remiss if I forgot to mention how Miami websites are formatted on phones, which is truly its own special kind of hell. I’m not even talking about the amount of broken links. I once spent ten minutes trying to find the start date for the spring semester, only to have the page jolt me back up to the top any time I got close. I almost started screaming in the middle of Armstrong.
This year, as a Christmas present to both myself and my parents, I will attempt to limit my screen time. This is both a cost-effective and practical present. It may even stop the seemingly inevitable shouting match that occurs when I’ve been holed up in my room all day, caught in an endless doom scroll.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Shannon Mahoney is a first-year student with majors in creative writing and strategic communications, and a minor in journalism. She is part of the editorial staff for Inklings Arts and Letters. She also works as a tour guide.
Read More
A ‘heads-up’ would’ve been nice
By Shannon Mahoney | December 5, 2024Miami University can cancel classes if there are not enough people registered, but they don't tell students. Opinion writer Shannon Mahoney suffered through this pitfall and has advice for Miami.
Watch where you’re going
By Gina Roth | December 4, 2024Opinion writer Gina Roth has enjoyed the walkability of Miami's campus. But is staying in designated crosswalks enough to keep me safe? Not anymore.
Russia, the truth and us
By Anya Revelle | December 3, 2024There is a second war happening in Russia: the war against information. And young people in America are taking their freedom of information for granted.