Looking Around Lecture

Graphics by Anika Dua

Let’s admit it… we all get a little bored in our 200 person lecture. We find our eyes wandering to see what everyone is up to. The girl next to you is scrolling Instagram, the BDJ boy is watching some sports game, and no one is taking notes. No one. Even I’ve been called out in lecture because other people were looking at my laptop. Luckily it was just LinkedIn (maybe that’s more embarrassing, who knows?). So, here is a collection of what I usually see on other’s laptops in lecture .

First comes first, online shopping. The most common sites I see are Zara or Urban Outfitters. And good for them! Personally, I would’ve expected to see a lot more Shein or Princess Polly, considering we are broke college students. 

The fashion sites are definitely my favorite to look at. I love to play the game of: do they have good taste in clothes??? If someone clicks on something that is a little ugly, I cringe a bit.  But sometimes, I do see some hidden gems. Just the other day I found this sweater for my sister while snooping. 

Next comes the online games. Most frequently I see Wordle or NYT Crossword. Which is very amusing that people are still keeping themselves intellectually stimulated while in lecture. 

Looking at what people play, Wordle can be fun but more often it’s a stressful event. You can’t advise them on what moves to make, so if they do something you wouldn’t do and it fails, you must suffer in silence. Crossword is harder to track. If they are sitting too far away and I can’t see the prompts my eyes will just wander elsewhere. 

Pinterest also provides some second-hand entertainment. First, it’s interesting to see what images are recommended to people in your lecture. It usually matches their overall aesthetic and can give an inside peak on who they really are. Then, it’s fun to see what boards they put the pins on. 

In an ideal world we would want to be fully locked in during lecture. But, as we all know, our eyes always end up wandering. I pray every day that no one is looking at my laptop, but I know it’s inevitable. I just hope they don’t cringe at my online purchases.