Technology Deprivation
Technology is one of the most important parts of my life. Cell phone, internet, and tv are 80% of my day. So when Dr. Bracey challenged us to see how long we could go for without using any digital media I thought he was crazy. I decided that if I was going to do it I was going to do it right. No phone, no problem.
I started on Saturday morning. The first thing I did was reached to grab my phone to text or snap chat. I took all my might not to click on the apps. The most frustrating thing I noticed right away was the badges on top showing I had notifications. On any other day I would be on my phone until I got rid of all the notifications. To get by this, I decided to call people because thats not against the rules. A couple of my friends were confused on why I was calling them. One even straight up asked why I didn't text him.
I found that the only way I could do this is to take my mind off of it. Golf!!! I had to uses the phone book to look up the number for the club house. It may be the first time that phone book has even been open. Once on the course I found it easier to not use my phone. I did however have friends that used their phones, so if I need anything I would just talk to them.
I was on the course until 9 pm. Their were times where a grabbed my phone for one reason or another and had to catch myself. To be honest, I may have used my phone and not even realized it. I found it was a constant struggle to stay ahead of this challenge, but I just had to keep off until i went to bed. So to do this, I left my phone at home when I went out on Saturday night. Once I got home I went to bed and made it!!
I could go for long periods of time without a phone. I have had to before and I don't want to do that. I use my phone for everything. Games, tv, sports updates, social media, and communication all at least once a day!! Its not a fact of being able to, its more about wanting to do the challenge. I don't think my girlfriend would like me not having a phone for a long time. All in all, I missed my phone to much to do that. That's not to mention the internet and tv that I use all the time. Fun experiment but no thanks!!
I also had to fight the urge, and not respond, when I saw notifications lined up on the top of my phone. The thing that probably drove me crazy the most was seeing my notification light blinking at me all day long. I could have gone in and turned it off, but I had a feeling that the more my phone was in my hand, that more tempted I would have been to check my notifications. I also found it funny that one of your friends asked you why you called him instead of texting him back.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I would recommend changing the layout of your blog because I found it very difficult to read. It just seems like the text is rather small. Other than that, good job on making it the entire day without the use of technology in your hands!!
I agree that the notification center is the most annoying part of the phone. I absolutely hate having a notification hovering around and reminding me of stuff going on. I found it easier to turn off the notification center and to move my text message, snap chat, Facebook, and anything else to page 3 on my phone so I couldn't see if something was pending or if people were trying to get a hold of me. Also, turning off the alerts for anything other than a phone call was crucial for me. I basically became a hermit during this assignment and just did home work and napped.
ReplyDeleteI think it is crazy how we reach for our phones out of habit. I can completely relate to how being with friends made it easier, but at the same time seeing them on their phones made you want to look at yours. It's weird to me that say 50 years ago people just had their phones to call each other to make plans. Once the plan was made there was no further communication. No last minute text saying "can you grab me a hoodie" or "I'm gonna be a little bit late." People had to be more accountable and responsible.
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