With new technology, people are starting to forget their manners. People are constantly on their phones or computers chatting to others who aren’t even in the room. It is getting hard to pay attention in class with all of these technologies tempting us as we type our notes, and we need to find a way to stop these temptations. It is important to pay attention and give respect to those we are around instead of surfing the web. Our manners are disappearing and transforming with these new technologies.

Today, almost all students have laptops and bring them to class to take notes. However, most students are not just taking notes; they are on the internet updating Facebook, checking their e-mail, chatting to friends, etc. Instead of paying full attention to the teacher and actively participating in class, students can be found engaging in other activities.

Teachers are not getting the respect they deserve for coming to class with a planned lecture and practicing their passion for educating. Also, our fellow classmates are not getting the respect of maintaining the attention of their peers when everyone is multi-tasking with their electronic toys. The attention span of our generation has shortened dramatically and we find ourselves updating our facebook statuses to pass the time.

Students should at least try harder and give teachers and their fellow classmates the respect that they deserve.

Another issue that came with the advent of new technology is how much people use their cell phones even while they are with their friends or family. Our generation has their cell phones glued to them.   When you go out to lunch with friends, almost everyone is on the phone texting other people or surfing the web. It is not respectful, and why even go out to lunch with someone if you cannot even talk for a full meal without being distracted by getting a text? This habit might make the people around you feel as if whomever you are texting is more important than them. It seems that people spend more time talking to others on the phone or through the Internet than in person.

Have we remembered any of our manners that our parents taught us? Or, because of these new technologies, are there new sets of manners that we have to learn? It seems as though everyone needs to stay connected to the world and they cannot take a break from technology by turning off their phone or internet for a week, or else they will feel lost or out of touch. How did anyone survive before the Internet?

Don’t get me wrong, I love going on the internet and using my phone to chat with friends. However, I think there are times and places to use these new gadgets and those times are not when you are in class and not while you are out to dinner with someone. Those are times when you are supposed to be paying attention to someone else instead of the mini-world created by our technological advances.

We need to give respect to others and not be preoccupied with other daily tasks; those can wait until after class or after lunch. Our lives have become so fast paced. We need to slow down and just enjoy the moments that we are in instead of thinking about what we are going to do tonight.

Elizabeth Anton is a senior media studies major.

Last 5 posts by Elizabeth Anton

• BART Prices Increase, Environment Suffers - November 11th, 2009
• Obama Should Not Have Won Nobel Peace Prize - October 21st, 2009
• San Francisco Off the Beaten Path - October 7th, 2009
• How Safe Do You Feel On Campus? - September 23rd, 2009