When I found out our assignment for the weekend was to unplug ourselves I immediately thought that there was no way. Not only was it just a weekend in Madison, it was also Halloween weekend along with my birthday. I already knew of so many friends from my hometown coming to Madison for the weekend to visit me so I wasn't too sure on how I was going to get around that. With that, I knew family members would be trying to get in touch with me all weekend.
After watching the video in lecture I thought I would at least try it out and see how long I could go. Like a lot of people, I have my phone in my hands 24/7 so I knew this was going to be a challenge. I did succeed in not checking my email at all the entire weekend, but that was mainly because I was just distracted by the fact that it was Halloween and my birthday so the last thing on my mind was to check my email. I did end up checking my Facebook, only because some family would contact me from there. Besides replying to them I didn't post anything on Facebook. On the other hand, Twitter was a little difficult to stay away from. I didn't go on it at all during the day but at night I found myself posting away. My biggest downfall was Instagram. I posted a picture everyday because it was Halloween so I had to show off my costume.
Challenging myself with this assignment was not fun and definitely difficult. I use my phone and computer for so much every day so trying to go a day without it was hard. I do believe it would've been much easier if it wasn't my birthday weekend or Halloween. However even if it was just any old weekend, I'm sure I would still struggle with this assignment. It really showed me how much I rely on my phone, which I don't necessarily like but I've grown up with it so I'm so used to it. Disconnecting isn't something I would choose to do on my own.
I though it was interesting that you said you rely on your phone because you have grown up with it. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and if our generation is having these problems with our phones and constantly being connected, I can't even imaging how kids today are going to be when they are our age, because they have truly grown up with these technologies, and in an era in which connectivity is so valued by people. I also had a very hard time staying away from social media, and its scary how second nature it has become for me to open up my computer and log into Facebook. I don't think that it is possible to be completely disconnected, and I also would not chose to do so again, while the rest of the world is still connected.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting that your biggest struggle was Instagram since that was exactly what I said too. I mean Halloween, right, very important to check out people's costumes and show off. I definitely agree that I wouldn't choose to disconnect on my own because although I will temporarily disconnect at dinner or in a similar scenario where I really want to enjoy the company I'm with, I rely on my phone for so many things and love how easy it is to get in touch with people through it. I think it's important for parents and the older generation to realize that while, yes, it must have been nice growing up without a phone back then, it was in a time in which nobody had a phone and so everybody was on the same playing field. Nowadays, if you don't have your phone you're the one who's missing out. The world doesn't stop for you.
ReplyDeleteI found it very hard to stay off Instagram. Not only did I post pictures of my Halloween costumes, but I also wanted to check out everyone's creative costumes! I feel like this assignment would have been easier to complete if it were assigned on a different weekend. Regardless, technology is seemingly unavoidable these days. With such a big campus, it is very unlikely that you will just run into someone you need to talk to!
ReplyDelete