On Wednesday, I made it through to page 37 when I finally admitted defeat. It was the third time I had tried to pick up “Crime and Punishment.”  

Somewhere in the midst of Raskolnikov’s drinking and his mother’s letter about Dunya’s engagement, the plot slowed, and then, buzzzz. Oh, a friend texted me a photo of herself, wondering if she should update her profile picture on Facebook. “That’s cute, definitely, definitely.” Bloop. That’s a G-chat linking me to some GIF. “Oh, hehehe, pretty funny.” A marimba ring tone plays. Looks like I’m getting a call from home. “Gah, I should answer this.”

I was never going to finish reading “Crime and Punishment.” Not like this, at least.

I’ve admitted defeat, and I will share this defeat with you because it’s how I’ve begun to notice the toll our immersion in the Internet and tech world has taken on our attention’s endurance. And the first step to recovery is identifying the problem, right?

Today, Internet access is nearly universal, an almost assumed necessity in every individual’s home. According to a study published by the Pew Research Center this week, nine out of 10 teens have a computer or have access to one at home. Moreover, 37 percent of teenagers have a smartphone, a significant increase from 23 percent in 2011. 

The ubiquitous nature of easy access to such technology has obvious benefits that need not be overstated: It’s a faster means for acquiring information and transmitting messages and, better yet, it can all be done from wherever you are. 

But as cell phones and laptops are being adapted for even more personal uses, such as conducting our social lives, it becomes more difficult to juggle the increasingly ever-present social and work life we live via our smartphones and computers and whatever else we’re trying to accomplish out here in the real world. 

The Internet-takeover isn’t the only tech phenomenon that’s succeeding at diverting our attention. A study published this week in PLOS One, and  conducted at the University of San Diego, examined the difference in our attention to a one-sided conversation over a phone versus a two-sided conversation in person. The results showed that people were more attentive to cell phone conversations, which may indirectly cause negative consequences in the workplace and other busy environments (like driving). 

This is something we all might have known intuitively, though. The numerous studies, like the one published in PLOS has prompted many legal courses of action. On the legislative level, precautions against the dangers of such behavior are taking place by instating regulations on texting and cell-phone use while driving, for instance. But what about in other, less consequential, situations in life? How about if we’re trying to listen to a 50-minute lecture without paying a visit to Reddit? 

First, it might come down to a lot of little things: allocating certain amounts of time per day to checking your email, Facebook, visiting Twitter; keeping your cell phone on silent and away from your being when you need to be focused; staying caffeinated, maybe. 

And then maybe it’ll take a bit of training. If you’re working up to running a marathon (reading Crime and Punishment), you’ll need the physical stamina to run the 10K, 5K, starting with a 10-minute jog (the length of this column). 

Nora is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @NoraAIbrahim.