I dropped my life.
Only hours ago, I was sitting at my desk in the Beacon newsroom and I dropped my iPod Touch to its death.
Essentially, I dropped my music, my Twitter, my Facebook, my Instagram, my photos, my contacts, my camera, my voice recorder, my My Fitness Pal and my newsstand.
It was a crushing blow to my virtual activity.
I picked it up, caressing the scars of broken glass across its face and winced as a glass splinter entered the tip of my index finger. My immediate thoughts went to how quickly I could replace it and how I couldn't live without it for long. Even driving to the Apple store would be painful without my "Joyride" playlist spilling from my car speakers.
What about my iPod is so important?
I have pondered that question on numerous occasions. It could be the immediate access to the outside world at any moment. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's it.
I argue that my job requires constant availability, communication and information. Twitter, Facebook, my New York Times app and email are invaluable to my work as a journalist. Writers have to be able to contact me anywhere at any time, as well as my co-workers. I need to be available to my editors at my other job as well. If something big breaks, I need to be the first to know so that we can bring our readers the most up-to-date information.
You cannot do that without the internet. Technically speaking, you could say it has the ability to make or break my career.
Unfortunately, what I really use my iPod for is much less glamorous.
Yes, I use it for my job, but much of what I use my iPod for is unimportant. I would still do it even if I didn't have a job.
When I'm bored, I respond to emails. When I'm antsy, I tweet incessantly. When I'm tired, I scroll down my Facebook newsfeed.
This present world is fixated on the internet. As more and more jobs go online and more and more people connect via Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., the importance of being connected becomes vastly greater.
In all honesty, I don't see a problem with it. As with any other pastime or entity, there is nothing harmful about it, until misused or overused.
For me, the most important aspect of my job (availability/information) is also the most difficult part of my job.
Not having my iPod/iPhone/computer means that there is no way for people to get in touch with me and no way for me to get in touch with people. It means that if something important takes place, I won't know about it in time to write about it and inform others.
This would be a terrible position to be in as a journalist, but being available and informed at all times holds great drawbacks as well.
It means I'm available at all times. Whether I'm at the office or at home or at my friend's house or taking a nap or at a wedding, I'm on call 24/7.
This doesn't just apply to journalists. More and more companies supply smart phones for their employees. This might seem like a bonus, but the reality is, companies want to be able to get in touch with their employees at a moment's notice and purchasing smart phones for them is a kind of insurance on that.
Dedication is important when you accept a position and it's important to be available at a moments notice (esp. in my line of work), but there are times when I see the gift and the curse that constant availability is. As addicted as I am to the internet and cell phone service, there are those times when I'm in an important conversation with a dear friend and I hate that my phone is beeping, buzzing and ringing, loudly demanding my attention. Ignoring that message could make or break my career, but ignoring that conversation could make or break a friendship.
A close friend of mine recently told me that it's difficult to talk to me when I'm checking emails and texts and Twitter during our conversations. The comment affected me because I know how frustrating it can be to be on the other end of a distracted conversation. I never want to give the impression that an electrical device holds more important information than the human being sitting next to me.
Yes, any job I take is a commitment that I will honor, but relationships are a priority that I will not jeopardize. The difficulty lies in discovering boundaries between availability and obsession. Am I checking my phone/internet because of a commitment I have made as an employee or am I checking it out of habit, with no concern for my job or my relationships?
That doesn't mean I won't be getting my iPod fixed in the next 24 hours.
â€" Lauren Kittrell is a senior in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at lkittre1@utk.edu
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