I had the opportunity to upgrade my iPhone SE to an iPhone 8+, and can I be the first to say I shouldn’t have done this. I am sure my suitemate has thought it a bunch in the last couple weeks, but I will be the first to say it: This was a bad decision. A terrible, horrible decision.

I’m absolutely obsessed with this thing. I can still put it away for classes and restrain myself from checking it for the most part, but because I have more storage and a bigger screen and better definition and because the phone runs faster, I’ve taken it upon myself to download stupid games and check it more often because it takes less time to load. 

Here’s what’s up with all this: I have never, in my life, been someone who was super dependent on their phones. Like, I can think of three specific times since getting a cellphone where I’ve gone without one for months and months at a time. Don’t get me wrong, phones are nice, they’re convenient, whatever, but I was never super jazzed about having one and I’ve never been super distressed without one.

Now, though? I am literally having trouble leaving it alone. It’s like when Nick gets a new phone on “Big Mouth” and they’re, like, in love? It’s very much like that. The amount of time I’ve wasted on this thing is ridiculous — and it’s not like anything I’m doing on this phone is productive. I literally played “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” for about three hours straight the other day. I’m becoming concerned.

Before I upgraded, I used to leave my phone unchecked and untouched for hours. I would leave it charging in my room while I conducted other activity for literally days. Can I do that anymore? No, the phone is with me wherever I go. 

Think of all the things I could be doing instead of running missions on “NARUTO X BORUTO NINJA VOLTAGE” (yes, the title is in all caps because “Naruto” is that intense, OK). I literally sat down for a second to obtain some new shinobi — flash-forward to an hour later and I was still trying to level up my team so that they could beat Minato.

I’ve been neglecting all of my responsibilities, my friends, my family, my homework, my reading, my shows—you name it, I’ve neglected it. I don’t want to be that person who can’t put their phone down. 

I literally spent 99 cents on a game my sister and I used to play on addictinggames.com, way back in the day just because it was there. If you’re not shaking your head at me, you should be. I am hyper-aware that I am spiraling out of control.

Megan Keane is a senior English and psychology major.

She can be reached at 581-2812 or at mkkeane@eiu.edu.