“Emily,” I say, sitting in the backseat of the car, trying to get my sister’s attention. My mom is driving and my sister is in the front seat. I wait and listen for an answer, but I hear nothing except the wind outside. “Emily.” My voice gets louder this time, yet still nothing. She is literally two feet away. Why is there no answer? “Emily!” I yell it this time, but I am still answered with silence. “EMILY!!!!!” I scream as loud as I can.
She turns around, pulls the earbuds out of her ears, looks down at her phone screen, and presses the pause button. “What?” she finally responds, turning her head up to face me. I look at the earbuds and her iphone; they are two objects that stand in the way of something as simple as conversation.
This is not the first, nor the last time, that I had to call my sister’s name many times just to tear the attention of her ears away from her earbuds, but I can’t judge her because I myself am a victim of the thing called technology.

It’s obvious that technological advancements being made are common in current times, but with advancements comes the aftermath of the wreckage in social change. The small devices that can fit in a pocket become distractions. All the tablets, cellphones, computers, gaming systems, and so on are an escape from reality, a way to block out the real world.

Sometimes, when I don’t want to think about what's happening in my life, or if I just need to escape, I’ll turn to my friend- technology. I’ll lay there, use her, and avoid my problems. When I’m done, my problems will still be there, and she didn’t help me at all. I could have spent the time that I wasted listening to music or watching TV to finish an essay or hang out with my family. Those minutes I’ll never get back.

I remember, years ago, when I had a Motorola Razr flip cellphone. Phones and cellphones were once used for the sole purpose of calling people, and that is exactly what my cellphone did. They were used to communicate with someone who was at another place. A smartphone was a rare creature back in the day, however now, they seem to be everywhere, all the time, taking over people’s minds, including my own. There is really no use for all the extra apps and space that a smartphone has besides entertainment. Sure, it is fun to download games and social media apps, but is it really necessary? Yes, you can communicate and connect with people around the country and world, nonetheless, it is not necessary to use social media to talk to a person you can see everyday.
The internet is a very useful tool. We can look up information and get help on work or learn new facts on topics just by typing words or phrases into a search engine. The internet is everywhere, and we use it constantly, but does anyone have any idea how it works? I sure don’t. What is going on inside a wi-fi router that opens up a network gate to unlimited entertainment? The internet is useful, but it has also made people lazy. We can do anything online so we don’t have to go outside at all. I remember when movie rental stores used to exist. They are not around anymore because we can watch movies, and just about anything else, online. These “advancements” are just another way to distract people from reality.

The device in my sister’s hand is a distraction from the real world. Right in this moment is my chance to bring her back into reality. We make eye contact, and I start a conversation. For the rest of the ride home all we did was talk, and it was nice.