Triton High School has specific students and teachers who will decide to participate in a ‘Media-Fast’, for one day. Now what is a media-fast? What does it do for people and what is it all about?

The Triton Voice team set out to find which members of our community are participating in this fast, or maybe some who have opinions about the specific event. Media-fasts are supposed to benefit areas of life, such as more sleep, less stress, and more free time. The cell phones, television, and computers in high school are extremely popular and are in a part of every student’s life. Now what will happen if these internet connections are removed from the everyday lives of these people?

Sean Hirtle, senior, who is not participating in the media-fast has some opinions towards the topic. “I just think it’s stupid because I feel like it isn’t a problem (too much social media) for our school work and I feel like I should feel comfortable using the things I own,” Hirtle stated.

Josh Hemmerdinger, senior, who is for the media fast. “I’m not doing it for a class or anything I’d just like to do it honestly,” said Hemmerdinger. He realizes classes are doing it specially Mr. Allen and Ms. Flaherty’s, but wants to do it for himself. “I feel like everyone is a little too much into their phones and everything,” Hemmerdinger said.

Most importantly, we have Margaret Flaherty, who is one of the most important people who know about the media fast. She has been doing it with classes and she will this year as well. “This idea came up organically in a senior class discussion. We were reading a book that took place in the 1890’s and analyzing how society was different then,” stated Flaherty. The students also explained how technology, “had a disproportionate presence and power in their lives.” Flaherty immediately suggested a Media Fast to the students. She explains that too much technology causes a severe anxiety and stress in lives.

Flaherty also wants this generation to succeed, “I want this generation to be empowered in their choices. I also want them to be comfortable with quiet, with boredom, with sitting in their thoughts, with feeling their feelings,” said Flaherty. She explains how this technology is a good distraction from problems and it can be helpful to use it as a temporary aid but it still will leave the underlying cause unsolved. Flaherty feels as though the media fast can help students or even teachers as well, to take a step back from everything that’s going on, on our phones, or on the internet and to just be in the present.

In the long run, it seems that too much technology can stress some people out, and with some people it just consumes a lot of their time. If students can take a fast from this media for just a day, they can definitely understand how it directly affects them, whether it be good or very bad.