Oh, sweetheart, you look so pale. You’ve got these awful circles under your eyes, and you look so much thinner than we’ve seen you before. Have you been eating right? When was the last time you came out with us? Are you getting out at all?
No, you say? Too busy online? Too busy updating your Facebook profile with your newest favorite movie and wishing half a dozen people happy birthday? Too busy figuring out an appropriate song to tweet for #MusicMonday or people to promote for #FollowFriday?
It’s okay, we understand. We’ve been there. The Campus started tweeting last semester and already we’ve posted 178 tweets. We’ve got a Facebook, but that hasn’t taken us over yet (if it had, we’d probably spend a good percentage of our time commenting on your photos and liking your links). On Wednesday nights, we sit in front of a computer from morning till night, not noticing the changes in the weather or the sun’s setting or even the passing of Meadville’s only ice cream truck.
Computers are an integral part of our generation, and most of us use them for everything from research to paper-writing to socializing. Can you imagine opening up an encyclopedia rather than going to Google.com when you have pressing questions about the color of the sky? What about throwing a party—how did they manage without Facebook events?
This week’s issue of The Campus reflects the increasing importance of computers throughout Allegheny. Their use on campus can be the cause of much debate, as we’ve addressed in our article about changing computer policies in the classroom. Though you might need your computer in certain classes for anything from viewing documents online to watching YouTube clips, sometimes the professor that asks you to shut your laptop so he can see your face is right.
Though you might not use Twitter, it’s a trend that’s sweeping the nation and, increasingly, the college. Over 15 administrative departments tweet, and although they may not always be the most helpful (Allegheny’s official Twitter account, @AlleghenyCol, simply posts links to its press releases) sometimes Twitter can be a great source of information on campus (Computing Services, @ACComputerNews, posts daily updates about tech changes across the school).
While we understand that it’s often imperative to see if that girl from your O-Chem class is still single on Facebook, or to make sure that you untag every crazy picture of you from Friday night, real life is, often, better than the virtual thing. Try to peel your eyes away from your phone Saturday night and really observe the fun going on around you, rather than continuing to live-tweet your party. And you may be amazed at how much more you learn in class when there’s not a flashing screen sitting between you and your professor.
Besides, darling, you’re really losing your color and we think coming to one of our meetings would do you some good. At least get yourself out of your room. Shut down your computer, turn off the monitor, and step away from the keyboard. The world is just as beautiful offline as on.