Media is so prominent in contemporary society. People are so connected, so social, so intertwined. How many times does the average person check their phone while out and about? It is no secret that almost everyone has a smart phone. Everyone has an iPhone, or one of the like, constantly in their near vicinity. One of the most common sources media flows into lives, into every one's lives, is a little piece of combined plastics. It is capable of telling almost anything one could ever need to know.

If it is not online or broadcasted, it seemingly did not happen. If an answer to a question does not immediately come to mind, just Google it and there it is! It would been thought of eventually, it was on the tip of your tongue, right? If she can not figure out what to wear to her interview, date, etc. she can look at fashion sites/apps for inspiration, and shop online for a shirt like the one she saw Jennifer Aniston was seen wearing. Want to see the guy your friend is dragging you on a double date with? Look up his Facebook and you can not only see pictures, but get a feel into a piece of his life. Broke the coffee maker? Need a recipe for dinner tonight? All the answers can be found on the app of a smartphone, they are a few touches of the keyboard away. All of these things can be done while waiting in line at the store, or virtually anywhere that has a connection. But, don't stress, it more common to find a $100 bill on the ground than to find a place that actually does not have WiFi. It's 2014, like, who doesn't have a connection?

That is exactly the emerging problem. It is unthinkable, especially for the new generation, to imagine life without immediate Internet. Once upon a time, people, that seem unimaginably foreign to who we are today, sat around discussing common bible verses. Bible verses turned into popular literature, with the birth of the printing press. A more modern version of widespread media was born through cinema. The popularization of certain ideals of human life. Celebrities and fame like never before. As if movies were not enough, TV was added. From TVs to computers to laptops, with convenient access the Internet. As if convenience was not enough, smart phones emerge on the horizon. A once convenience of information and connections, is now a compulsive necessity to scroll through the news feed every ten seconds.

Smart phones are so common, even your grandma has one. It is considered weird if someone doesn't, they must be a caveman or something. How could they even be so disconnected from the world- right? Go to a restaurant, or any outing, and seemingly everyone has a phone in their possession. It goes everywhere, a constant companion. In the back pocket or bag, in the hands and up to the ears of people across the western society. People that are so connected; people who are constantly receiving and distributing influences from everywhere. Not only in the surrounding, physical environment, but also receiving texts from the entirety of personal social bubbles, and notifications from the beyond of the sociological world. Examples of what is possible on the not just the web, but a hand-held device alone, are endless. Work life, school life, social life, private life; they all have their place on our phones. Take pictures, call a friend, text the babysitter, Google this or that, maybe even video call someone in Florida. Virtually anything is possible with a smartphone.

There is no conflict in understanding why these devices are so popular. They are the ultimate convenience. They eliminate the need for so many tasks, tasks that now seem mundane. Who needs a traditional alarm clock anymore- just use the clock app to set the morning alarm before bed; then lay scrolling through tweets until falling asleep, or looking through the photos taken at that party last week. There is not need to go say goodnight to Mom, just text her; she will already have her phone in her hand.
This all sounds normal, because smartphones have moved into a new realm where no piece of technology has been before. It is breaking through to a new side of the lives of the modern society, invading once-precious personal space. It is a drug in its own right.

Growing up, the social norms are drilled into brains. It is not hard to find what music is popular, what clothes that should be worn, or the latest makeup trend to try and fake cheek-bones. Our "“micro-interactions” – rapid glances at email, social media and apps are effecting not only our thoughts but our actions. Our phones stream a constant line of outside influence from everywhere, directly into our brains.

As human beings, we a biologically wired to be influenced. The brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, and this includes our decision making skills. People are making decisions of what influences we take in to become a better version of how we see ourselves daily. Teenagers and young adults, the most common users of social media and the Internet, are not only taking in influences from their immediate environment; but now juggle an entire online world of who they are, should be, could be. With a world where so many people are connected, where so many eyes are watching, and so many opinions and verdicts being dealt- we can claim an overuse of technology. Words may they loose their meaning, when interactions become so common they loose their sincerity. Any sense of identity becomes broadcasted and shared. Any shred of individualization become scrutinized under the microscope of social media, and changed by the influence of movies or music. When every sense someone has of their selves is brought into the lime light, rearranged and reprogrammed like the inside of an iPhone, what will they have left?