You’re checking your phone simply to see your assignment grade that was just posted on Blackboard, next thing you know your scrolling on your Twitter timeline for a good 45 minutes.

Sound familiar? You are probably wondering why this always happens. No matter how hard you resist, your phone is just like another limb.

Why are we always connected to our fangle devices … and why are we becoming so heavily dependent?

PocketPoints seemed to be a minor solution because it encourages students to stay off their phones, in return, they rack up points for redeemable coupons and discounts. But truthfully, the deals are great enough to prevent me from not checking my Instagram feed during lectures.

In my case, I would say I have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I always assume that if I am not connected to my phone at times when I will be missing an important text or call.

In reality, when I have not been on my phone for a while then I check it, I have no new notifications.

According to the Pew Research Center, “67% of smartphone owners have admitted to checking their phone for calls or messages when their phone didn’t vibrate or ring.”

This is just one of the many subtle signs of cell-phone dependency. You might be thinking, this is not a huge issue because everybody else can relate to this. However, take a moment to put it in perspective of all the ways technology has gotten become a distraction in your life.

Sometimes, when I have found myself getting overly distracted by social media, I delete the apps on my phone for a few days. By deleting social media apps, I notice a huge difference in the amount of time I spend checking my phone.

Sophomore Eli Lacayo said, “I probably spend about four or more hours a day on either my phone or laptop. I would like to say it is because I am doing my online assignments and course-related work.”

Lacayo admits it can become a struggle when she has one tab opened on Netflix and the other on her Blackboard assignment, it explains her procrastination.

Danielle Cortes can be reached at the [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.