via madamenoire.com
Contrary to popular belief, my phone is not a problem. Having a phone is a privilege, one that comes with both benefits and limitations. I see it has become culture to focus on the negatives of cellphones and overlook the positive and productive uses a phone can have. I hate being frowned upon for having my nose in my phone as though I’m sitting around and wasting time. So, here are the top ten things I do when I’m buried in the contents of my four-point-seven inch screen.
#01: Read eBooks
My favorite app on my phone is a reading app is Wattpad. I feel that printed books can be slightly restrictive in the way that they don’t feature story lines I am all that interested in. I often times feel limited in terms of books starring teenage characters of color, or of diverse cultural backgrounds. On Wattpad, though, people from all over the world are able to write full-length books, short stories, or poems and share them online for all to view. Users can read, comment, and vote on stories they like. The fact that people from across the world are able to post, I am met with multi-racial and ethnic characters with unique (or lovably cliché) storylines. Wattpad is extremely progressive and an excellent app to fall into a good book. So if I’m on my phone, don’t tell me to pick up a book; chances are I’m already reading one.
#02: Read Articles
I’m a social studies nerd, so I love to research topics that interest me. I am always looking up the latest news to stay in the know and expand my knowledge. Then there is obviously the Affinity Magazine. Even before I was a writer, I was a part of the Affinity community, looking for new articles to read every day to hear the ideas of other teen writers. As an intellectualist, I love to be able to read about topics I’m passionate about and listen to different ideas on them.
#03: Write Articles
Whenever I’m out and about, and don’t have my notebook with me, my phone is perfect for random ideas that sprout in my mind to write about. Between Google Docs and Notes, I have multiple documents with bulleted points of interest and short thoughts that I need to get on paper, thus making my writing process just a little bit easier.
#04: Listen to Podcasts
Every month, the ladies of Two Brown Girls (a social justice / pop culture podcast hosted by journalists Fariha Roisin and Zeba Blay) grace me with their raw opinions on the month’s happenings. From racism and islamophobia to music and Penny Dreadful, the two friends provide insightful, real, relatable conversations about hot topics that can start conversations and break taboos. Listening to them is not a distraction, I promise.
#05: Check My Grades
To my knowledge, schools across the country use PowerSchool rather than traditional pen and paper grade books. As the world grows more technologically savvy, it’s no surprise that this is something that would be revolutionized. This is extremely helpful because it is functional to not only teachers, but students and parents alike. Students are able to check their upcoming assignments, grades, and GPAs on an attractive application layout. Students will also be able to check their schedules, fees, and school calendars. (Plus when you shake your phone, it will show your GPA with cheering and applause. Nothing like some positive reinforcement!) It’s just an additional way to insure my academic prosperity.
#06: Track My Homework
As a pro at procrastination, I often allow homework assignments to drag until the point when it’s inevitably late. I usually allow my memory to remind me if have have something due, but it does lapse at times. I’ve tried having agendas, but I either lose them or just stop writing in and checking it. For this reason, having a homework app is something that has helped me with keeping up with work so far this year. One I really recommend is myHomework, an app available on both the App and Play Stores. Here, it allows you to build your schedule, pencil in your homework, and send reminders all on your mobile device. As someone who is “always on my phone,” it’s helpful to have a resource that allows me to periodically check and be reminded about getting my work complete.
#07: Use a Calendar
In addition to it looking good on my transcript, I like to get involved with as much extra curricular work as possible. Be it volunteer work, school clubs, meeting with my counsellor, or organizing my life, my calendar is a good way to keep track of my plans and making sure I’m managing my time wisely, a good skill to practice for career planning.
#08: Practicing Photography
In the past year, photography has taken a major interest in my life. I drew inspiration from two YouTubers I watch that go to my dream college (HU, you know!) and started to search for sites that could make for a good photo. I’ve toyed with angles, lighting, and editing apps to learn the basics of photography. This is important because it’s taught me to be aware of my surroundings and allows me to find beauty in the most awkward places. It gets my creativity flowing, and with good reason being that am interesting in working in the field of media production. With an iPhone and a dream, I’m slowly working on my possible career. Or, maybe this is just a hobby. Whichever, it is something that makes me happy and I’m passionate about it. Having a phone makes it even easier.
#09: Talk to My Friends
Adjusting to life as a high school student was an extremely difficult experience for me. From fourth to eighth grade, I attended a small school where my entire grade level had as many people as classroom at other schools. We were very close knit and familial, especially since we rarely saw new students in our class. But at the start of ninth grade I was catapulted into a new school without knowing anyone. For some this might be invigorating but for me, a moody, pessimistic, level ten-thousand introvert, the transition was painstakingly hard. Perhaps it was just me, but the people I was exposed to weren’t the easiest to talk to, and feeling so alone took a toll on my mental health. I would say that being able to text and talk to my best friends was a lifesaver when I felt so alone, something that would be extremely difficult to do if I hadn’t a phone.
#10: Use Social Media
Okay, okay. Cue the groans and eye rolls for it is the moment you have all been waiting for. I am a teenager, and it is extremely common for teenagers to use social media. I can’t be the #StayingWoke, enlightened one at all times. I love to watch funny YouTube videos, view my friends’ Snapchat stories, and scroll through Facebook or Tumblr to choke on air laughing at memes and witty captions. However, I feel there is an unfair stigma placed on social media platforms that give people the impression that it’s all rubbish and unproductive. It’s an unfair assumption that is just incorrect. Websites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are notorious for promoting conversations about social injustices, and without them we might not know about events worldwide that can’t be covered on the 5 o’clock news. It was social media that alerted the world about the Arab Spring. It was social media that showed us documentation of police brutality and created a national conversation. It is social media that keeps us in the loop about issues that are important but otherwise disregarded, and I don’t think it’s fair to generalize it to pervs and tomfoolery.
I know phones can be a distraction for many teenagers, but in the same breath it can be a very productive tool in our lives. It may seem as though I’m on mine all the time, but it’s not as though I’m aimlessly finding something to occupy my time, or getting involved with anything that will keep me from succeeding in life. Many see my phone as a limitation, but I see it as something that helps me grow, learn, and progress as a person. Plus, it can be something fun to use. I’m not saying it’s good to stay on your phone twenty-four/seven, of course that comes with bad. Generalizing it as a waste of time, however, is erroneous and I shouldn’t be prosecuted for enjoying my technology.
