Nothing is more annoying than trying to concentrate on a task at hand, then suddenly be distracted by either a text or call.  Usually this new topic supersedes the prior topic, and before long this new concern is overtaken, and this repetitive nature continues until the original problem becomes a memory of the past.  Distraction, as illustrated above commonly can distract someone from not only finishing an assignment on time, but also it can cause an assignment to be sloppy or not flow properly.  This problem of schoolwork being affected by social distraction can then be broken into a few different main problems.  These main problems include the worsening of attention span, dealing with multitasking inefficiency, and worsening of memory and knowledge retainment.

Originally, the reason I chose technology as my main field for research is because of the fact I have aspirations to become an engineer, and I have always been interested in technology and its development.  By looking deeper into the category of technology, the most contradictory point that I could have selected is the nuisances of technology within daily life, especially relating to college.  At first, I was not interested in looking at the social problems of technology, but after reading some articles about how eliminating technology from your daily lifestyle it can increase your attention span, I then began to warm up to the social and mental aspect to technology.  This initial idea of "attention span" also relates to the first complete analysis done in "Hooked on Technology, and Paying a Price" because of the social relations caused by email, social media, and video games.  This topic of attention span and multitasking within a schoolwork environment also applies to most students attending USC because of the fact most students either play video games, use social media, or have other technological influences which distract them from their daily schedule.  Relating to a specific personal experience I have had relating to distraction caused by my phone, the occurrences are endless: to bring up the most recent time where technology made me put socialization over schoolwork was when South Carolina's men's basketball team had a game against Mississippi State.  I originally had plans of finishing my Algorithms homework, but instead I decided, completely unexpectedly, to go to a mediocre basketball game and lose three hours of productive work time for algorithms.  Even though that example was a very drastic and exaggerated situation, less severe versions of this happen on a daily basis: whether it is watching Netflix, or meeting people at 5 Points, every social scenario nowadays starts with either a text, or a call, or through social media.

This concept of dwindling attention span and lack of attention span would not have been considered without the first article "Hooked on Technology, and Paying a Price" by Matt Richtel in the Carolina Reader.  This first article added some personality to technology because of the fact that the main character, Mr. Campbell, became an example of technology controlling life.  First of all, Mr. Campbell's career as a Computer Programmer can definitely create addiction to technology, as it is a very concentration based career that is centered around development itself.  Campbell considered his constant relation to technology to be a weakness because of the fact he was putting technology over socialization with his family, and his traits were being directly passed down to his son.  Mr. Campbell's son is an accurate description of what attention deficit is for students today.  This author can be considered credible, however some assumptions are definitely made.  Richtel's main assumption is that he assumes that daily life, including a job, is going to be centered on technology.  Even though most jobs do require some form of technology, most are not concentrated around the computer itself.  

The next writing which further zoomed into the idea of distraction around technology is "Addicted to Distraction" by Tony Schwartz within the New York Times.  This article isn't centered as much around the positives of technology, but instead describes the consequences of becoming addicted to technology.  This article claims that technology is something that becomes habitual, and that technology is a harder habit to break than drinking soda and eating unhealthily.  This extended metaphor is very useful in explaining the attention downfalls of technology, but it also creates more bias than the first article.  Schwartz's article is laced with bias mainly because he never talks about the positive aspects of technology.  Schwartz almost makes technology seem like it is making humanity worse as electronics become more advanced.  

Connecting to Schwartz's writing, the article "Is the Internet giving us all ADHD" by Caitlin Dewey in the Washington Post goes even farther upon Schwartz's concepts by proposing that the mental reconfiguration ADHD is created by the internet.  ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a condition where the brain is easily distracted and has a hard time concentrating on one topic for an extended period of time.  This article does pass as more credible than Schwartz's article mainly because of the fact that statistics were a staple of Dewey's article.  Dewey's statistic on the recent rise of ADHD for kids has been startling as the percentage of kids with ADHD rose from 7.8% in 2003 to 11% in 2011.  

Relating to the topic of distraction caused by technology within a school environment, this is definitely a feasible topic.  Not only is it possible to provide multiple accounts of first person experience, but also it is possible to provide credible Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and Kairos.  For Logos, credible statistics can be found for multiple topics include the diffusion of smartphones and processor speed comparisons over the last 10 years.  For Ethos, it is easy to find multiple political figures and intellectuals who are trying to promote reading for children.  For Pathos, the concept of describing ADHD and losing the "family dinners" because of the growth of technology can be used to sway people toward the argument.  Lastly, Kairos is possibly the easiest to use considering every day technology is becoming more advanced overall.  On the other hand, some people will definitely contradict the viewpoint of this argument.  Within the technological community, the concept of "is multitasking possible or not" is highly debated overall.  Some intellectuals say yes people can multitask, while others say it is not possible.  Other issues which can develop while answering this topic is how narrow will this topic become.  Currently, the width still needs to be trimmed down to the point where more specifics can be used, however 12 sources need to be used and cited so the argument has to be broad enough to encompass all of the necessary articles somehow.

In conclusion, creating an argument on technology within the workplace will not be easy, however it is accomplishable.  Many people agree that technology is an enemy to the average person's attention span, however proving this point is going to be difficult overall.  I have to prove that the average person's attention span is going down through technology without being overbiased, or sounding like a pessimist.  Speaking with a negative tone when describing the benefits of technology is also going to be interesting considering I came into this article as a definite advocate for anything relating to technology, and now I will have to look at technology with a different eye.  Articles such as the ones written by Schwartz, Dewey, and Richtel will definitely provide me with a solid base and more sources that can assist me to creating the necessary argument.  Lastly, it is definitely evident just through the brief research I've conducted so far that the rapid advancement in technology has vastly changed the environment throughout schools all over the nation.  

