This week we're going to try something a little different.
In place of the memory exercises, we're going to do a little experiment out in the real world. Your task, quite simply, is to temporarily "disappear"...to turn off your cell phone (could be for as little as your lunch break, or as much as a whole day) and report what happens. Good luck!
Tommy May
ReplyDeleteNarrative- unplugged
Walking down the street on my way to church I decide this is the perfect time to turn off my phone because it is a Sunday and I have zero business to be done and just my life to live with no distractions.
It was a dull breezy midafternoon with only a few clouds in the sky. I was walking up Chestnut Street I noticed that one of the clouds was shaped like a hawk. Well at least I though it looked like that. Thoughts are forming constantly of what going on around me. I am noticing things in a different light because my headphone is not on and my eyes are up instead of looking at a screen. I made it to church and decided to take my seat in the back. As I’m sitting the only thing I was thinking about was how much simpler life seemed in that short walk from my dorm to the church. Instead of thinking about what else is going on I was focusing on the present and where I was.
The priest kept mass moving along very quickly and had some great reading which kept me very occupied. The walk back toward campus was just as pleasant and refreshing as the walk to church was. Again the surrounding seemed so much more real without any distractions. Halfway back to my dorm I decided to take a detour to my friend Skylers house. Instead of calling him and telling him I was there I simply just knocked on the door and yelled out “Skyler!”. This is yet another thing that we have become dependent on. Instead of doing things the old fashion way we rely on electronics to help assist us with these simple tasks.
We just hung out and watched to SNL skits on his 50 inch plasma TV. That is always one of the bonuses on going to Skyler’s. His TV just makes everything seem so much better. As we were watching the show I also realized how much more I was engaged in conversation as the show was playing. Again I went back to the thought of me living in the present and not worrying about what is going on elsewhere. All I cared about is what was happening in the room I was in.
The show ended and I started to walk back to my place because I knew I still had some homework to get done. As I was walking I wondered what time it could be. I looked in the sky and it was already dark. Cell phones seem to always be a constant reminder of the time. At this point I was tempted to just turn on my phone and check the time, but I stood strong and just stuck it out.
I walked into our suite only to notice all of my roommates on their phone either texting, checking twitter, or physically talking. It actually seemed pretty ironic to me because I was doing such a study. I just went straight to my desk and started to open my book to start studying when I remembered it told my mom id call her a long time ago. So I gave in and decided to turn on the cell phone.
I ended up opening the phone to a bunch of text messages, emails, and voicemails of all kinds. Instead of feeling stressed about the situation I had the great feeling of refreshed. I understand during the week that this may not be possible to do because of business and other reason but I definitely think this experiment is worthwhile and shines a new light on life and gives you a different perspective on things.
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Nearly every single weekday here at Drexel, I can remember having the feeling of disappearing off the face of the Earth. What I do is take my book to a quiet area, usually somewhere with very few other inhabitants. The book I normally dive into is the second in the series, the Hunger Games. After reading the first book, I was hooked to it. When I dive into my book, I completely ignore the outside world. My phone is in my backpack, never to be looked at the whole time I am sitting waiting for my next class, reading.
ReplyDeleteI love the time I get to spend solitary. It is my time to relieve stress by not caring about anything except for the twists and turns of the plot of my book. If I had to picked my favorite time I spent time disappearing, it had to be one day two weeks ago. Labs ended an hour early, and then I had another hour after that because I had no class. So I went to the bookstore and sat in one of the chairs. There was no other people there, I kept my phone away from me, and sat in a comfortable chair for two hours just reading. I felt so refreshed afterward. Over those two hours, I had finished over a quarter of my book. And the best part about it was that most of the stress of exams and homework just melted away over that time.
It seems as though those escapes from the world that I have help me quite a bit to not be overwhelmed by the massive amount of work that came with the 19 credits of classes I take this term. Without these times, I would probably go insane, thinking about how much work I have to do before the quarter is over. I recommend that everyone at some point try just turning off their phone, and just sit somewhere and disconnect themselves. It does not have to be reading a book; you could just sit somewhere and ponder the world. Having that escape helps me so much, so I could imagine that it would help most other students out a lot.
This past Sunday I took the battery out of my phone and left it in my room as soon as its alarm woke me up. The first thing that I did was go to the gym. The lack of phone did not really affect my time at the gym because I don’t usually bring my phone with me. When I got back my day began to get a little more difficult. I wanted to get lunch, but I was unable to get in contact with my friends easily if they were not in their rooms. I had to wait for people to arrive back in my floor’s common room before I was able to eat. From this point on, being without a cell phone was not as bad as I expected. I sat in my room and read one of my books until someone knocked on my door to go to dinner. When the night arrived my friends and I watched Space Jam in my common room. Not having my phone didn’t bother me because I was able to laugh and watch the movie with friends. After the movie was over I went back to my room to read until I fell asleep. When I turned my phone on to set my alarm, I discovered that I had a few texts and messages from my parents. They were slightly upset that I didn’t answer my phone all day, but this was the only problem that the lack of a phone caused. It was actually a little relaxing not having to constantly check my phone and I wouldn’t mind leaving it behind more often.
ReplyDeleteAs I turned off my cell phone and logged out of facebook, twitter and gmail the first thing feeling that went through me was panic. “What if someone texts me or emails me? It could be important!” But as panic left my system I started to calm down, “This is ridiculous.” I thought, “How can I depend so much on my phone? It’s not like it’s my life, I could live without… right?”
ReplyDeleteOf course I can, I’ve done this before for way longer than a day. My dad has grounded me and taken my phone away many time before, this will be easy. So I went about my day and got ready for class. As I headed to class I pulled out my phone to call my dad, which is what I normally do on my way to class in the morning, then I realized it’s not on. “Wow, I can’t believe I forgot ALREADY.” I thought. So I slid my phone back in my pocket and continued on my way to class.
Class went by pretty quickly today since I didn’t have my phone to look at every 20 minutes to check the time. Next thing I new I was free for the day since I only had one class. But I wasn’t actually “free,” I had so much work to get done in the labs so I stayed there after class. I got all my stuff together and started working on my projects. Then I realized I couldn’t use my iPod to listen to music because my iPod was my phone! “Oh man” I thought, “This is going to be a long day.” When I work in the labs I always listen to my iPod, it gets me in the zone and makes me work faster, so it sucked that I couldn’t use it that day. Although it was good as well because then text messages didn’t distract me while I was working, this made me work faster and keep my mind on what I was doing.
A couple hours later I was done with everything I needed to get done that day. Then I headed home to make dinner for my roommate and me. Unfortunately I didn’t know where she was because when I called her the phone was off. So I decided to just make dinner and save her some, which worked out fine since she came home about a half hour later. After dinner I decided to turn my phone back on and sign back into my facebook, twitter and gmail. Immediately my phone started blowing up. I had loads of text messages and missed calls. All the missed calls were from my dad so right away I called him back, he wasn’t happy my phone was off all day because he wasn’t use to it, he was worried.
All in all, not having my phone was pretty hard. I felt lost, like I was constantly missing something throughout the day. I’m sure I could get used to it if I had to but it’s not something that I plan on partaking in the near future.
Who knew that technology was the biggest distraction in my daily routine? I never realized how much time I spend, on a daily basis, either browsing through Facebook or texting my girlfriend. On Monday, February 20th I decided to disconnect myself from my two biggest distractions by turning off my cellphone and signing off Facebook. It was necessary to sign off Facebook because within the first hour of my experiment, I made the mistake of typing in facebook.com as soon as I opened my internet browser. Therefore, by signing off I am able to catch myself from allowing my habits to make that mistake again. My goal was to stay “disconnected” from the minute I woke up until the moment I decided to go to bed. Thus, my experiment lasted sixteen hours, possibly the most productive sixteen hours of my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteWhen I woke up at eight o’clock I recognized that I would somehow have to relay the message to my girlfriend, explaining that she will not be able to contact me via text or Facebook. On a typical day if my phone was “dead” or broken I would have the convenience of Facebook to get ahold of someone. However, since that was not an option I decided to use the old fashion method of e-mail. The dilemma with sending her an e-mail was that I was not certain if she checked her inbox very often. Thankfully, I got a reply within two hours and she assured me that she would, also, turn off her cellphone and tag along in experimenting how different our daily lives would be without having a mobile device as our sidekick. In effect, our only means of communication was via e-mail for the remainder of the day.
The beginning of the day was not much different since I had morning classes to occupy my time. However, after classes ended I began to realize that a part of me was missing, my cellphone. I decided to occupy my time by getting a head start on some homework. Before I knew it I was able to finish my tedious chemistry lab report, a business article review, and two sections of calculus problems before the sun finished setting. As a reward, my roommate and I went to play a classic game of tennis, something I have not been able to manage into my schedule since the beginning of September. Moreover, after tennis I was able to go to the gym and not worry about rushing through my routine since I was already ahead of my studies. When I arrived back to my dorm, I grasped the great feeling of not having any homework to get done. While watching TV I found out that I had a passion for watching a channel I never even heard of, HGTV.
At midnight I could not believe how quickly my day went. When I woke up I was dreading not having a cellphone to text people and not being able to post a status on Facebook for a full day. However, I recognized that technology is the biggest distraction in my life. When I finally turned my phone back on, before going to bed, I seen a text from my girlfriend stating, “Hey I just wanted to let u know that I couldn’t do it so I turned my phone back on….sorry I tried lol.” What she does not realize is how much more productive she can be without her phone. This mini-experiment led me to conclude that all the geniuses, such as Einstein and Newton were able to be scientifically acclaimed because they did not have a cellphone distracting them from their daily studies. Therefore, I made a decision that from this point on I will no longer use a cellphone or Facebook on Monday’s until I finish my freshman year of college. This will be my secret to academic success
I turned off my phone as I went to math class at 10 AM today. After, of course, I texted my girlfriend to let her know why I wouldn’t be responding to any forms of communication today. I’ll admit, however, that I disappeared when it was most convenient for me. Tuesday’s schedule is always the same: Math, Physics, Engineering until two, then Hans, and, if it’s a lab day, Chemistry lab from 4 to 6. One thing I noticed immediately is that I should have worn a watch. I have one simple watch from high school that I wear places where checking my phone for the time may be seen as rude and immature. I didn’t really have anywhere to be late to though, so I just went from class to class as usual. Disconnecting helped me live in the present. I wasn’t thinking about future plans or connecting to people in other places: I was chilling.
ReplyDeleteThe situations around me were the ones I was engaged in. At one point, around 1130, a horrible thought crossed my mind: what is something bad has happened and my parents are trying to contact me. From first hand experience, I know how frustrating it is to repeatedly call a number, just to hear the same, distorted recording again and again. I heard that sound can be a form of torture. Anyway, I let that thought sink in, then I realized that I couldn’t be contacted. I couldn’t be informed that a tragedy had struck; therefore, I was serene for the time being. Now, if was a doctor or a firefighter, this would be a corrupt mindset. Luckily, I’m just a student.
I turned my phone on around 6 PM this evening. I missed a few texts (I forgot to meet a friend for the job fair), but all in all, my disconnect let me be free in the places I was. Without my hand slipping in to my pocket every so often, I could give 100% to the world around me.
I decided to turn off my cell phone on Monday after my last class, which ended at 4pm. I choose this time because Mondays are my busiest days for homework. Before turning off my cell phone, I let my mom and my girlfriend know why I would not be able to respond to them that night. I decided I would keep my cell phone off until all of my homework was completed for that night.
ReplyDeleteMy experience started off with no abnormalities. However, after a few minutes had passed, I began to search for my cell phone. I realized, as I was about to pick it up, why I did not have it with me in the first place. At that moment, everything seemed to become quiet and a feeling of loneliness overwhelmed me. I used to feel so close and connected with my friends and family when my cell phone was turned on, but now with it turned off, I felt so far away from everyone I knew and loved. I felt like I was stuck on an island, like I was completely isolated from the world. I decided to proceed with my homework after that moment.
As I was doing my homework I realized that I understood my homework better than I normally did and I was completing a lot more work in a shorter amount of time. I determined that this was due to me not checking my cell phone every minute or so for a new text message or Facebook notification. Also, while I was doing my homework with my cell phone turned off, I noticed that my mind was clear of any extra thoughts, I was able to work out problems faster in my head, and my focus stayed on the homework I was completing. I realized that this was all because of my cell phone being turned off. With my cell phone turned off, I was no longer worried about my friends texting me or what the latest news was on Facebook. Also, I was not thinking about what to text back to all the people that texted me because my phone was off. I was able to finish all of my homework with extra time to spare with my cell phone not distracting me.
After I finished all of my homework, I turned my cell phone back on. I found out that I had received only a few text messages. I noticed from my experience that because I had not texted anyone for almost half of the day, the people that I normally texted had much more to talk about and were more eager to talk about their day. I received mixed feelings during the time of this experience. At some moments, I felt disconnected, lonely, and depressed. Yet, there were moments when the experience felt very peaceful. For example, I was not worried about everything else going on in my friend’s lives or what was happening on Twitter. Also, I was able to finish my homework because my mind was clear of any outside thoughts. This experience has definitely helped me appreciate the technology that we have today, but sometimes being disconnected from the world can be a wonderful, peaceful, and relaxing experience.
When I read the assignment, I already knew that I’d be nervous about turning off my phone. It’s funny because I felt anxiety and I know that I’m super paranoid without my phone on me. It’s one of those things that no matter where I go, it would be the one thing I would take with me, if nothing else. Although there are times that I appreciate being away from technology and the world full of busybodies and emergencies, the practical side of me knows I’d never survive without it. And I don’t say that lightly, either.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it’s because I know I would turn on my phone up to text messages blowing up the screen, or the missed calls from my mother and the hundreds of voicemails she would leave in an increasingly frantic voice, but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to turn off my phone. (Sorry!)
Instead, I decided to make tabs of the messages and calls I got and the amount of times I used my phone.
On that note, I’m pretty certain my phone bill may possibly pay for someone’s apartment rent each month.
Within the hour, I had 75 messages, not including my responses, and four phone calls. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a lot for an hour, but knowing that I used my phone every hour except for the 7 that I sleep, that’s quite a formidable number.
I guess this assignment really showed how uptight I am about having my phone on me. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’d be completely lost without it. You probably could tell, considering I couldn’t even bear to turn it off for an hour. I know I need to learn to not obsess over my phone, and I’m definitely going to work on it!
I turned off my phone and went to bed. The next morning when I woke up was fairly routine, got dressed, brushed my teeth, grabbed my keys, but when I went for my phone I had to stop myself. I knew that I would not need my phone, in fact I almost never use my phone, but in the back of my mind I just kept saying what if I do?
ReplyDeleteI went to my first class, nothing changed by not having my phone, because I rarely check it. I back to my dorm to do laundry and as I was leaving I realized that I did not have my phone so I had no alarm to tell me when it was done. This forced me to constantly look at the time on my computer. I still manage to lose track of time and was a little late to get it but no big deal. I proceeded to work on my homework till next class.
Next class went quick and smooth, but afterwards I have a thirty minute break before my new class and without my phone it was difficult to gauge how long before class. I found a lounge near class and read a book. I checked whenever someone walked by, when I found someone from class I left for class, getting there right on time. This was my last class and was two hours. It felt as if it dragged on forever, I had on reference of time so I had no idea how much longer till class was over. I felt burnt out and less able to work not knowing how long class was.
Happy to be out of class I went to my dorm to relax and do work. The rest of the night went fast and I did not notice that I did not have a phone. Not having my phone and having to check every twenty minutes did make me more productive. I went to bed and woke up the next day and instead of getting my phone I left it in my dorm. I had pushed the need for my phone so far out of my mind I did not relize I forgot it till after class when I went to check the time.
When I got to my dorm and checked my phone I expected maybe five text but instead saw fifteen texts and five missed calls. After reading the text and listening to the voicemails I realized that it was not the best day to turn off my phone. I missed the texts and calls from my day reminding me to call mom for her birthday and I missed the calls from my girlfriend who was sort of having a panic attack over school work and needed comfort… opps. Needless to say I had to call them all and explain why I did not call. I generally don’t feel the need to have my phone but its defiantly nicer to have it than not.
From noon to 6:30pm on Tuesday, I turned off my cell phone. It was the first time since last summer (while I was on vacation) that I couldn’t reach or be reached by anyone. It opened my eyes to the amount of time I spend on my phone and how much I rely on it. I honestly didn’t think that turning off my phone would impact my day that much. After all, I’ve only had a cell phone for a few years. I must have been able to function pretty well without one. I didn’t feel the need to stay connected with everyone at every moment. Apparently I don’t remember how to live like that, because I was a wreck without my iPhone.
ReplyDeleteNot only is my phone a link to my friends and family; it is my clock, my source of information, and a means of entertainment. I must have caught myself reaching for my phone fifteen times over the course of six hours. Each time I tried to think of what I did when I didn’t have a phone. In engineering class I wanted to send a text message a friend. I decided I would just have to wait out the assignment before talking to him. If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to communicate with him at all. Maybe I could use Facebook or something, but the technology element is still there. What about when my parents went to college? Maybe they would have to wait until they saw someone to talk with them. I realized that the majority of my social life runs through my cell phone. Be it making plans or talking on it, my iPhone is the basis for my interactions. Without such ease of communication I probably wouldn’t have as many friends. Nor would I be able to entertain, or in some cases distract myself whenever I want. I reached for my phone in physics, because I was bored and wanted to play a game. It was probably for the better that I didn’t have my phone as a distraction. On the street I wanted to take a picture of the skyline. I reached for my phone. Between classes, I wanted to try to meet a friend at the Hans. Again I reached for my phone. But there was no way for me to meet them, unless someone I knew happened to be at the dining hall or we had discussed it earlier. Spontaneous plans are much more difficult without the use of technology. It’s hard for me to imagine living every day without a cell phone, especially in such a social environment.
There were at least five instances from 12:00 – 6:30 where I wanted to check the time. During this time, I had engineering lab, physics recitation, and chemistry lab- with a forty minute break between the latter two. I didn’t have any idea how much time had elapsed in each class. For the most part, Drexel classrooms don’t even have clocks in them. In high school each room had at least one clock, which made following a bell schedule easy. My phone is my only source of telling time. Granted, I would probably wear a watch if I didn’t own a phone. But if my phone suddenly broke, I’d be in trouble. During my short break between classes I went to the Hans to grab dinner. Without my phone, I was nervous to get food and get back to class on time. I went for it. The whole time, I had to rely on my internal clock to know when to head back to class. I tried to think back to the point in my life where I didn’t have a cell phone. I guess I just looked at clocks around my house or on the wall at school. Luckily, I made it to class on time. After class, I eagerly turned my phone back on and checked my messages. I felt relieved to be back in touch with the world. Even a few hours without a phone made me feel extremely disconnected and almost lonely. In a way, it was nice though. I didn’t feel like I was waiting for my phone to ring. I had the ability to forget about everything that was going on with people outside of those whom I interacted with face to face. It made for a sort of peaceful time. With that said, I would still rather be connected with people, because the negative feeling of being out of touch overpowers the freedom that comes along with it.
Very insightful, Andy. I really enjoy the last sentence.
DeleteI decided eliminate the use of my cell phone while at work. This is for two reasons; the first being that while I'm at home I tend to not use my phone since I don't get reception inside my house, and I use a laptop or tablet to browse the Internet. Secondly I thought it would be kind of fun to be unavailable to take the constant, pestering calls from the office. So when I left the office to go out on the road I turned my phone off. I was in the passenger seat of the truck and on a normal day I would sit there and browse the Internet on my phone, or read a book for school on the kindle app. Without this crutch I'm afraid an hour ride in a truck is incredibly boring. So I sat there, and sat there....Jesus what did people do before smart phones? I thought back to when I had the old standby, the Nokia 5110, and how back then I thought it was great that I could play snake in waiting rooms. Oh those were much simpler times. As I stared out the window at the breathtaking scenery of of the blue route, I wondered what the weather was supposed to be tomorrow; I had heard it was going to be nice out this week. I reached into my pocket to whip out my weather app so I could know exactly what the weather would be like tomorrow...wait...I came to the slow realization that instant gratification wasn't available to me. I couldn't just google some obscure question and get an immediate answer. But what if I wanted to know how old Kate Upton is? How was I supposed to look up restaurant menus at Epcot? How did Jeremy Lin do the night before? All of these questions had to wait, and so I sat.
ReplyDeleteMy boredom was relieved once we arrived at our destination as I was preoccupied with the job at hand. This is when not having a cell phone was nice. Unfortunately upon failing to reach me, the office called my co-workers phone instead and then asked for me. I explained that my phone's battery was dead, but I would say that the number of calls I received through his phone was much less than the average.
When we finally packed up and headed back for the day I had to break down. There was just no way I could sit through another hour plus with nothing to do but stare out the window. Finally I could find out the answers to the questions that nagged the back of my consciousness.... All of the food at Epcot is incredibly expensive, Linsanity continues to roll and Kate Upton is only 19 years old. She does do a mean dougie though.
“Brent, get down here. I've been cooking all morning.”
ReplyDeleteThe promise of food after a late night should evoke the kind of ecstatic reaction in my ear drums that human targets feel during Cupid's audition for archery club. But not this morning. I won't be parting from these seemingly Velcro sheets. It would be unnatural to get up before 10 after being up past 3AM. It would be...extraordinary for my mouth to share the same scent of bacon that my nose now has the luxury of sizzling in. Time to get up.
Should I bring my phone? Nah, no one's calling or texting this early...except my mother. She probably wants to know about my car repairs, filing my FAFSA, filing my taxes, filing my brain down with a cruel wood shop tool! Yea, I think I'll leave the phone in my room.
The joke with my dad is that we're bachelors and don't cook anything (Well, that's not entirely true. I cook a mean Elios pizza). Every sunday morning he goes down to the local grocery store hot plates and brings back all the breakfast foods you could ever want. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast, french toast sticks, and even cream-chipped beef and biscuits. Yea, I'm not exactly missing my phone right now.
My dad and I are pretty weird as far as modern culture goes. Yes, we have cell phones but we refer to people that often receive calls and texts as “Borgs” (apparently a Star Trek reference that I am too young to understand). But either way, we make it a point to not live in our phones. Yet as time goes on and the world becomes more and more technologically-based, it will become increasingly difficult to not succumb to the Borgs. Even now, as I sip this horrible cup of coffee that my brother made, I feel a delicate pull on my upper back. No, I wasn't sore from lifting weights (I don't think I've been to a gym since 'Nam). It was that god awful phone. The transmitter that one uses when one wishes to come into contact with other Borgs. That pull on my back, as if that 4 x 2.5 x 1 inch piece of plastic had it's own gravitational pull. This breakfast was the only place I wanted to be in the world and yet the world was calling me up to my room. No!
I had left my laptop downstairs last night so no need to go up to my room to get it and risk looking at my phone. As I surfed the web and did anything but homework, I started to wonder if someone had called or texted. I hated this feeling. I'm not attached to my phone and yet, I couldn't help but wonder. But it was this tense feeling that I strangely enjoyed. It was as if the longer I waited, the better result. Maybe I'd have a voicemail telling me that I'd won the lottery or something if I just hold out and stay away from the phone. And the “no news is good news approach” was implemented here as well. Speaking of news, what's on tv?
Sunday morning television is so bad that it should be illegal. It should also be noted that watching tv is a form of Borgism. What to do. That pull on my back has increased significantly. No, I can't! Maybe, I'll do something outside. The weather is fantastic for February. As I walked toward the front door, I became aware of my attire; t-shirt and underwear. Well, maybe I can change my clothes without looking at my phone.
Throwing some Old Spice under the arms and pulling a fresh shirt over my head, I feel the pull. No, now it's a burn. The Borgs are calling. They want me to join their Borg party in PittsBorg. I...accept the invite. One new text message
“Brent, did you get your taxes done?”
On Tuesday of this week, I decided it was time to turn off my cell phone and enjoy some solitary time. I had no classes and realized I should do something productive with my day, so I shut off my phone around 11am and left it in my room. I went on with my normal daily routine, but the entire time felt like I was missing something. I kept reaching into my pockets but then forgetting I had no phone. For the past 6 years, I've rarely been without this piece of technology. I had trouble keeping track of time, but other then that I enjoyed my day. Around 4pm I turned it back on and went on with my day. It was an interesting experience enjoying the outdoors of Temple's campus without being in communication with anyone.
ReplyDeleteRemoving myself from technology acted as a mirror into how much I rely on being constantly connected to others through my cell phone. In the not, so distant past, if someone were late for an appointment, you would be kept in suspense, and wait for a explanation when they arrived. Present day, that scenario is a socially inept situation because texting grants immediate access to the requested party. I turned off my cell phone for a few hours. I was out of the loop of the virtual conversations so I was more connected to the physical landscape I inhabited. My friend and I rode the subway and instead of us just texting to others we talked. I was also more aware of the colorful passages around us, like the man with the eye patch and camo bandana on his head. He was staring into the mirror located on the door that read “employee’s only”, near the end of the car. This also being the first time I noticed there was a mirror on a subway.
ReplyDeleteLater on, I went to lunch alone which can be for some a lonely or awkward experience remedied perhaps with a distraction like a cell phone. Occasionally, I fall into that safe guard but with the experiment, that option was out. I sat near the windows and with no book to read, I observed the drama of the world play by me. What caught my attention was a semi deflated red balloon, entangled in the bare branches of a tree. I was intrigued by the reasons it could be alone up there, as it tried to escape when the powerful wind gave it false hope for departure. I ate my Caesar salad, Winnie the Pooh came to mind, how disheartened he would be in seeing this once happy balloon now mangled by nature. My thoughts left that bear and I decided I wanted to incorporate the idea of this balloon in my stage play I was working on. A few hours later, I turned my phone on and as I suspected I had missed no emergencies, just a few texts and a phone call. The next time I need new material for a project I’m doing it “unplugged.”
Unplug. Just unplug from technology. That is the assignment. Turn off the cell phone and disconnect. I decide to turn my cell phone off (after I’ve used the alarm to awaken me) one morning before I go to work. I also decide I am going to turn off my work cell phone, and I am not going to answer any calls at work. Courageous, I know. My thinking in regards to work is that if anything is important the caller will leave a message and I can listen and call back as deemed necessary. I am not able to turn off or disconnect from my work email.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I really loved being unplugged. I was a bit anxious at first, but once I relaxed I was able to settle in and concentrate on work. It was amazing, I was able to start and complete a task without being interrupted. My day was so much more productive. I was able to give my direct reports my undivided attention, and the best part, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I was even able to leave work an hour earlier.
I decided that I am going to make this a part of my “Lenten” sacrifice. While I am at work I will “unplug” and simply return messages left on my voicemail and email. Hopefully, I can make this a part of my daily routine and quiet the noise and rid myself of the unnecessary clutter. I want to go back to the time and space where you weren’t expected to be available to all people all the time. The time and space where people simply left you a voicemail or called back if you didn’t answer the phone or if the line was busy. The time and space where we respected the quiet in our lives…yes, that is where I want to be.
Three hours with my cellphone turned off: quite a challenge and experience that brought upon many realizations. I turned my phone off when I got back from my 9 am class and then kept it off until after my chemistry class was over. As soon as I turned my phone off and put it in my pocket, I grabbed it seconds later and tried to unlock the lock screen. It was an automatic reaction; I check my phone a lot. But then I put it aside and out of my view and got some work done. I finished my online chemistry homework, made some important emails, and finalized my schedule for the spring term. However I still was able to get sidetracked, now on the internet instead of on my phone. Around quarter of one, I left my dorm for my next class. I now began to realize the significant role my phone plays in my life. First of all, I had to take my phone with me to class. Not only is it normal that I always have it with me, it is a sense of security and comfort even. More so, I almost always listen to music when walking to class. Since my phone acts as my iPod, I walked to class without the beat of music filling my ears. My head was consumed by just my thoughts instead; mainly thoughts about how turning my cellphone off had make such a difference in my daily routine for just a few hours. I could not check the time to see how close it was until my class started. I usually do not wear a watch considering I have my phone for such purposes. While walking to class I also remembered that I wanted to go to the bank after class to cash a check. However I had my bank account number stored in my phone, since I have yet to memorize all of the numbers. Once I made it to the classroom, I knew I was early by seeing the teacher continue to wait to start her lecture, not by looking at the time displayed on my phone. Once class actually began, I was not distracted with texting in between writing down notes or even checking my email to see if the people I emailed earlier had replied. I will admit that even before class it was difficult not being able to text my boyfriend. I text him all throughout the day and I realized just how much I tell him all day long. Now I couldn’t randomly text him a thought I had, like the idea to pick up flowers from the train station florist for my Oma (grandmother) when he takes me home Friday. I also realized that I wouldn’t be able to tell him I was going to the bank after class and I like to tell him where I go, especially if it is off campus. While it was nice to just focus on taking notes in class, as soon as we were dismissed, I turned my cellphone on, texted my boyfriend, and put my headphones in.
ReplyDeleteEarlier today, I turned my cell phone off for about an hour an a half. I was just sitting around at my house doing some homework, I didn't really do anything besides that and watch tv while hanging out and talking to a few buddies from down the hall. Not having my phone on me was a weird thing to do because I almost always have it on me and use it to talk or text a lot. I felt slightly disconnected from the community of people that I know besides the ones I was with, because there was no way for me to contact them. Just not having a cellphone in my pocket was a weird thing; I thoroughly enjoyed the free pocket space though since my phone is fairly large. I don't normally have a large number of people trying to contact me at one time, but I do have a good amount of contact over the cell phone throughout the day. When I turned my phone back on, to my surprise I had a ton of missed notifications. My friends Sarah, Ashley, Mike, Alex, and Chelsea all had called me in the ninety minute span. Also, I had four missed calls from my mom, and several unanswered text messages from various people. First I called my mom back because she seemed the most urgent. It turned out that she desperately needed to talk to me in order to get the access code for something in order to pay a bill on time. Also she had informed me that my sister was in Philadelphia for a bit and wanted to come by since we haven't seen each other in about a month. Since my phone was off I couldn't help my mom out and missed hanging out with my sister because I never answered. Neither is a big deal really but it opens up my eyes to the importance of communication and the advancement in technology we have nowadays; being able to instantly communicate with others, or at other times just completely separate myself by turning my phone off. This was a weird experience for me because I am not accustomed to many people trying to contact me at once, especially for important matters. Just my luck though that I missed everything important when my phone was off, typical.
ReplyDeleteYou can call it fate, or it was the idea planted in my mind about losing technology. Upon boarding the train for the ride into work, I realized my pocket felt lighter. It almost felt like I lost a piece of my being. Oh man, I've forgotten my cell phone. It will be a lot more peaceful today not hearing the phone ring at the worst possible times, or the e- mail alert tone. Well, I guess I can do the experiment with- out my cell phone at work. Maybe I can complete an extra brake unit today.
ReplyDeleteAt the first part of the day, it was almost a pleasure not to hear the phone ringing and announcing you have mail. In fact, I noticed I was more focused on the radio and enjoying the music. I was commenting about different songs with co- workers. We also talked about the activities scheduled throughout the day, of course, when their cell phones rang, it broke up the conversation and distracted their thoughts. If a call is a family crisis, it can change the mood for the day. One thing I did notice, there seem to be some jealously with my co- workers. Vic made a statement, that my phone- for at least- emails were quiet today. He said, "My wife and daughter would brain me if I didn't answer my phone or have it with me". We all had a laugh with his statement. Then, it hit me. We use this technology as a way to stay connected most of the time; just as Vic deemed it almost like a ball and chain, and it must be with you, or you will pay the consquences. As I see the device, it is a useful tool with a excellent capability of keeping you in touch for emergencies, but you are in reach of anyone at anytime, such as, telemarketers, junk e-mails, and spam. But, you can block these calls out. The interaction with my co- workers and concentration on my job was much sharper, and the day weny ny faster. I did enjoy the quiet, but it started getting to me by the end of the day. What calls did I miss, and who sent me e- mails especially banking and Drexel e- mails. At times, I do listen to music on the train.
I have adapted to this technology, and I need it. It is a convient tool to reach someone quickly and to perform tasks similar to your computer. I can only imagine what this generation would do with-out this technology. They were born into it. I grew into it, and we always wished we had a way to call our parents to say we will be a little late, instaed of looking for a payphone that was working. But, without the technology, human personal interaction is greatly increased, and you notice more things instead of glossing over items or subjects. The cell phone is a good device; you might say a necessary evil. By the way, I had 9 missed cals and 18 new e-mails.
Don, I still remember the pay phone days. It was one of my favorite traditions to "collect call" after school for a ride home...the operator would say, "Hello, you have a call from....heymomit'smattpickmeupatthecornerokaythanksbye!!! Will you accept the charges?"
Delete“Did you do homework for class?”
ReplyDelete“Are you coming to class?”
“Where are you going at 5?”
These are just some of the exciting messages that are transmitted into my phone on a daily basis. Because the majority of it is not actually important, turning off my phone was not a big deal. For some people, it may have caused a disturbance in the force, for me, it is less time for me to stare at a four inch screen wondering when my date will text me back.
I powered off my phone and computer during the majority of my Saturday. Saturdays for me consists of ten hours of sleep and six hours determining how I am going to finish my work for six classes and still maintain my sanity.
As my phone is off, I am finally relieved of my alarm clock, my text messages and also my emails. There is a small amount of paranoia involved by turning it off; my conscience asks questions like, “What if my boss emails me” or “What if the professor posted a grade on an assignment”. This paranoia is eliminated by the peaceful notion that it was a Saturday, a day in which I can finally relax and unstress myself.
There were a few instances I resisted the urge to use my phone that Saturday and there were also instances where I was relieved it was turned off. When I woke up on Saturday at around 10:00am, I started working on building a server that I had planned to build for quite some time. I usually consult my friends for advice whenever I am doing projects like these, but my cell phone was turned off. Animal instinct told me to turn it on, but I resisted. “This is not a life or death situation so my message could wait”, I told myself. As I connected the components and wires together to get my server running another question pop into my head, “how the hell do I use sudo code”. Again, another important process in completing my project and something I would consult someone or an online source to figure out. Surprisingly, I resisted the need to turn my phone on again, as my reasoning being, “this can wait later”.
Throughout the day, I was concerned about what emails I was getting. I handed in a research paper for sociology class on Thursday and wondered if the professor had posted the grades. I also had arrangements to drive my sister back from volunteer work, and wondered if she still needed me to pick her up. Questions started to arise from my phone being off but I did not surrender until 4:00pm.
My phone did not cause any detriment to my day surprisingly. Asides from the pain of not knowing who emailed, called or texted me, it was a relaxing day. It was a day in which a four inch screen did not display the audible and annoying “DING” of a text message or email. A day that was filled with the absence of stress and anxiety caused by such a simple device.
Had someone turn the phone off for me. Felt like an assisted suicide of some kind or a hired hit man. Of course that person immediately asked me if she should wear a dress this weekend. I said if my phone “was on I would check for the weather for you.” She laughed. It was indeed a funny situation. She then proceeded to bore the shit out of me.
ReplyDeleteI’m only doing this for an hour. The full effect and potential of the situation to end horribly has already streamed through my mind. I can see someone needing to talk to me right now and being very angry that my phone is off. The world could be ending and I’m late to battle formations. Something must be up, it’s only been 20 minutes though and the world seems fine.
It’s great day for this exercise. I finally had a break in classes, which wasn’t consumed by homework and studying. Lots of things were happening that normally don’t. I opened my window to let the breeze in. He chilled out for a little. It was very refreshing to enjoy and open room, in climate and mental thought. A fresh page is turning as this glorious day takes hold.
Thanks to the window being open my friend’s cat almost escaped into the great outdoors. Had to grab him by the skin of his neck to keep him in. I felt I was doing a spirit injustice. He only wanted to go out. He felt the breeze just like I did.
Despite being pretty necessarily locked into technology by nature of being a college student, I'm pretty comfortable without being attached to technology. I learned that when I went a few weeks after my computer got stolen laptopless last summer. So it wasn't that difficult for me to turn the cell phone off, head down to the Hagerty library and read books for six hours. I took out 6 books in the end - a few books of poetry (Octavio Paz's 'Configurations', John Berryman's 'Short Poems', Roberto Bolaño's 'The Romantic Dogs'), Andre Breton's Manifestoes of Surrealism and a collection of letters from William S. Burroughs to various friends. I enjoyed sitting in public reading books and silently judging strangers with their Ash Wednesday markings. The one noticeable difference between reading books without a cell phone and reading books with a cell phone is that I had no idea what time it was. But we are in the city after all so everyone had the time when I asked for it. This did screw up my plans to clean up our house with my roommates for our visiting landlord but they handled well enough on their own (besides, I clean way more than them anyway). All in all not a bad experiment. And now that I know the library actually has things like Bolaño's 'The Romantic Dogs' I will be bothering to go back there much more often.
ReplyDeleteWhen I turned off my phone, I constantly found myself wanting to check it. It felt weird knowing I depended so much on my phone. I felt like I was not connected to my friends as much, I couldn't know what was going on right almost right when it happened. I thought "what if someone needed to tell me something really important?" It also felt weird not being able to talk to someone at anytime of the day. When I was in a really boring class, like chemistry, I couldn't text someone or use my phone for games or Facebook to entertain myself. Class felt like it was more boring than usual. I did find myself a little more productive than usual though. When I was working, I wasn't constantly on my phone distracting me from the work. Besides not knowing who was texting me, or having something to do in class, having my phone off did not do too much to my day. Overall, once I got past the not knowing, it was a rather enjoyable day not being on my phone all day.
ReplyDeleteI turned my phone off Wednesday morning hoping that my busiest day full of classes would make me miss it less. I was walking to class when I realized that today, unlike most days, I forgot to put on my watch. How could I ever know what time it was?? I got into Creese and immediately looked for a clock. I found the time being displayed on one of the TV's, thankful I wasn't late. Then I had an hour break so in order to not be late for class I went into Bossone, sat down in front of a tv and started doing some work. During my next class things weren't much different. The basement room I'm always in inside CAT has no reception. While not ideal, I always seem to pay attention to what's going on in class. Heading home I realized the main reason I use my phone: protection. While I don't live in the worst area, it definitely isn't the best. I like being able to hold my phone in my pocket knowing that I can immediately call someone if something happens. I remember doing something like this when I was in my suburban town in high school. Without my phone I felt so much more lost and worried every time I stepped into my car that I wouldn't be able to get in touch with everyone if something happened. I think that while we all rely on technology, some situations may require it. Sometimes I wonder how my uncle survives without owning a cell phone
ReplyDeleteTo be entirely honest, I'm not really one of those people who is attached to their cellphone. There have been numerous times when I've gone without a cellphone. Sometimes by choice, some times by force. But, let's just say it would never have been a tactic that my parents would have used to punish me. There are always ways to adapt and get around the feeling of being detached from your social network( i.e. hang out with your friends in person, internet). Furthermore, I really feel as though the constant contact with one another is getting to be almost too much. I'm not saying I strive to become a hermit and shut myself off from the world, but it is nice every once in a while to take away the worry of checking my phone for text messages, or e-mails, or missed calls. Shutting off my technology, reminds me of a time when I was younger. When I was 11 or 12, I would come back from school, soccer practice, or playing with friends and I would lie down on my bed and just sit and stare at the ceiling. I would do this for a while, sometimes even as long as it took until dinner. It was my release. Such a simple, and you would think boring, act. But really it's just a relaxation of the mind. It's the act of doing nothing. This is not a privilege for me anymore. I never get to just lie and stare at the ceiling. So I interpreted this exercise a bit differently. Since losing my phone is not really a detriment to me, I decided to turn off all technology. The murmer of my laptop was silenced, my phone still with no power to vibrate, my iPod shut down with no glowing screen, and then I lied down and just...stared. To be completely honest, I felt much more relaxed after the fact. I didn't have to answer to anyone, I silenced my mind, and just meditated.
ReplyDeleteI turned my phone off on Tuesday. I did not have any classes that day so I decided I would go into center city and just enjoy my day. I will have to admit, it was kind of relieving at first. I didn't have anyone to answer to. I didn't have a single obligation to anyone. It was later in my day that it became frustrating. It forced me to step outside my box and talk to strangers. I have never worn a watch and every time I needed to find out the time I had to ask someone. It was also frustrating not being able to contact anyone. It made me a little lonely. I couldn't call my best friend to see if she wanted to grab a bite to eat or talk to my mom. It also was hard because my boyfriend is away training in the army and sometimes he can contact me. It was frustrating not knowing if I was going to receive a call or a message from him. As freeing as it was to not have my cell phone which can be a burden at times, I felt so much better when I had it back. If the rest of the world had to put away their cell phone for a little, it would have made it a lot easier on me.
ReplyDeleteI do this a lot actually and I’ve always been told it is one of my faults. I’ve “disappeared” for a week before and I’ve never got more reading done. There is a peace that we are no longer afforded with this idea of multi-tasking. It is a determent if you are not doing ten things at once; we have products to cheat our necessities, like sleep so we can keep doing more. Which is something that has always bothered me, why are we supposed to rebel against basic make up of our humanity? If only I could move to a small cabin overlooking Walden Pond, maybe I’d write a book with a title resembling the name the body of water where it was conceived. Today when I disappeared it was peaceful as it usually is in the beginning. I lied in bed, daydreaming until I ran out of things to want. I always find that as I am awake longer and longer doing nothing, my thoughts take over, as does my obsessive nature, specifically of the past where it becomes unbearable, promoting pure and true motivation to do something. I am an escape artist, whether it is through reading a book or watching a movie, I’m always trying to wriggle my way out of the entrapment of my own mind. So I decided that I would read, I’ve been trying to read Atlas Shrugged for about a month now but always find that I have something else to do, today I didn’t so I read for two hours until I had to go work. Until then I hadn’t seen anyone all day (excluding my roommate who was asleep that whole time.) it gave me time to miss somebody, which is a luxury we as a society have decided to discard, how do we decided what we truly think if we don’t spend anytime with ourselves? However, every once in while I would get lost in Francisco’s psychological chess and I would begin to think of wanting to be wanted and where wanting to be alone, more than the regular dosage comes from. If you aren’t wanted properly, do you choose to be a “loner” or is that sort of designation thrust upon you? I like being alone, I like listening to the clock tick, I like long bus rides with moving scenery, I really like dancing by myself to music no one knows I listen to. Until I disappear I always forget how much I missed myself, excluding any comparison to vanity, a connection and understanding of you is so incredibly important to be able to properly care for others. With all that in mind I still want to be wanted, maybe I disappear not only to miss but to be missed a little as well? But I really don’t know.
ReplyDeleteThis week's topic came quite naturally me today when i got home from class. I took off my jacket, leaving my phone in my pocket, and began to take care of a bunch of things that I needed handle. I honestly didn't even notice my phone was not on me for quite some time, but thought why not complete this assignment while being productive at the same time.
ReplyDeleteTo somewhat of a surprise to me, a lot of people actually tried to make contact me while I was busy. I honestly feel like people don't hit me up too often, but people always seem to contact you more when you don't focus on it. In some regards I do enjoy the feeling of being disconnected to the world. The world is simply too fast paced and everyone strives to stay connected and it always seems so easy. I like to somewhat manipulate people's ability to contact me and it always seems to throw them off. Everything seems increasingly more urgent to people now-a-days which is sort of ridiculous.
For reasons similar to this i deleted my facebook last year and have not missed it. It did connect me to a bunch of people but at the same time made me more distracted than ever. I don't believe that the general public should be able to find out what your doing at any time of the day through facebook. Personally, being more disconnected at times makes me appreciate what I have, when I do have it. Most of my friends and even I became too consumed by facebook and I knew that like anything else, I had to stop my addiction. Everyone should disconnect themselves from society more often, a lot of good could come out of it.
7:15pm Wednesday, February 22nd, Year 2012: Powering down...
ReplyDeleteI am trying to think of the last time I had my phone off this year. As I ponder, I realize that technically, my phone has not been off even once this year. This is partly due to the fact that we are only 53 days into the new year and partly due to the fact that I never have a need to turn it off. Also, with the swanky and posh Iphone, the battery can not be removed which means it will never experience the "Oh crap, I dropped my phone and the battery blasted off into the next room", moment, which will turn your phone off due to lack of battery.
I chose to turn my phone off on a Wednesday evening for a reason. I have no class, no work and I am not expecting any important phone calls. I am able to check my email on my laptop, so I really don't think this exercise will be too bad. I feel that I am cheating on the core concept of the exercise, but the rules did not specify at what time of day or when the phone needed to be turned off. This should be a piece of cake!
10:30pm Wednesday, February 22nd, Year 2012: Still powered down...
I am curious at this point, very curious. Even though I planned when I was to turn off my phone in order to avoid any concerns of not being able to be reached, I find myself slightly concerned. Is someone trying to get a hold of me? Has my Mother called trying to inform me of an emergency? What if I won a special giveaway and they only call once to inform me of my winnings? The curiosity is definitely about to kill the cat right now. I try to drown my curiosity with some mind numbing homework. Every few minutes my mind drifts away and I wonder if I have missed any communication. I can't focus on homework under the current circumstances. I jump into bed and throw on an episode of Top Gear on the big screen to save cat a perilous death due to curiosity. It's working.
12:45am Thursday, February 23rd, Year 2012: Still powered down...
The concern and curiosity has slightly dissipated by now. I feel tired and I suspect that no one is trying to contact me at this hour of the morning. But what if I have a missed call, voicemail or text from earlier? What if my phone is desperately trying to inform me of some important message but it is being vigorously snuffed by the overpowering lack of power? I figure it is too late now to do anything even if I have a missed message. I turn the lights off and lay down, swiftly losing consciousness.
10:07am Thursday, February 23rd, Year 2012: Powering on...
I've done it! Over twelve hours off the grid. I am anxious to see if I missed anything during the power outage. As the phone comes to life is see: 1 missed call, 1 voicemail, 2 text messages, 6 unread emails. It a relief to find out that none of the emails or texts were desperately important, but what about that missed call and voicemail. The call was from a manager from my most recent co-op that I have been in touch with about a possible job after graduation. I wonder what the voicemail could be about? Well, ladies and gentlemen, after checking that voicemail, I am happy to report to you that I have two job offers within two different departments of my former coop employer! Maybe I will try turning my phone off more often. It may very well be my new good luck charm.
After having no phone for 3 months upon studying abroad, turning off my phone for an hour seems too easy. I can easily recall scrambling to say my last words to my boyfriend and parents via text message after hearing the devastating phrase “please turn off all electronic devices.” I turned off my phone longingly, and threw it in my carry on. I felt out of the loop immediately, and wondered who forgot I was leaving and was trying to contact me at that very moment. I felt like I was breaking up with my little silver flip phone, and it wasn’t easy.
ReplyDeleteI got used to it, though. And began to really enjoy having no phone. It was a released stress because I didn’t need to worry about texting somebody back about plans that Friday or having to respond to something explaining why I was responding 2 days later.
After reuniting with my silver flip phone after our 3-month break, it was oddly annoying. It was constantly going off and I didn’t want people to think I was ignoring them, but I certainly didn’t want to respond. When I got to try the break up again, only for an hour, the same relief hit me.
I wondered if Lora would text me and then call me fifteen times because my phone was dead, I was sure she would facebook me after 30 minutes.
I worked on a History of Costume paper, concentrating and reading. There was no light flickering and a loud buzzing next to my on my leather bag. After all, I hated those people who didn’t silence their phones in the library, but I had somehow become accustomed to not silencing my phone. If I silenced it, whose call would I miss?
I wondered if Emily would text me “whats up?”, followed by a line of “??” bouncing off my dead phone every five minutes. Eh, won’t miss that.
I found three sources rather quickly in the library. While I probably could’ve stretched out the information in one source, I found two other books next to the first that would have solid information. I started reading and documenting good information and took a break to grab a coffee. When I came back I worked and finished up gathering information from one of my sources. I look at the top right screen of my laptop and two hours elapsed.
I wondered if Derrik would call bugging me about those stupid discount tickets. I don’t even have them and he contines to think ill get them for him.. I won’t miss that.
Maybe I should keep my phone off
I turned it back on and saw a few missed texts. I responded to all four, and held an ongoing conversation with two of them. The last two sources took 2 more hours to gather information than the first one did.
It was 3:30PM and I decided to turn off my phone finally. I was texting and BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) a couple of people, but I wanted to do this little experiment and hang out with my friend without my cell phone for just a couple of hours without any distractions.
ReplyDeleteI shut it off and my friends starting fighting, playfully of course. Savanth was hitting Lajja with a pillow repeatedly, covering her in blankets, disrupting her while she was on the phone with Jamie and all Lajja did was whine "Oh my God! Stop! Why do you hate me? Hahahaha." Once she finally got off the phone, she gave Savanth a look and before I knew it, she was choking him. I told her to stop, but she would not, so he grabbed her and basically pushed her down to the floor. He dragged her around my small room and all she could do is laugh. Usually, this was the typical thing for us to do because we love fooling around with each other like that, but today it seemed funnier. Even though, I basically knew what was going to happen because I know how they fight or goof around, it made me laugh harder because I was actually sitting there, watching them act dumb, without my phone. Usually my attention would be mostly on them, but I would also concentrate on my phone to respond to friends or emails.
Once Lajja left for a meeting, Savanth and I were discussing something personal about him and even though, I can give advice and listen to people while texting, without my phone, I felt like I was giving him even more attention. Because there were no vibrations, I did not have to worry about my phone going off. I was able to share my opinions and give him my undivided attention all at once. When I started joking about kicking him out because I had a date to go to, he was bugging me because he was extremely curious about whom I was going out with. I told him I would tell him after my date and because my phone, turned off, left me unaware of the time, I had to ask him what time it was and he ignored me. Typically, if anything of this sort came up, Savanth would simply take my phone and go through my text messages or BBMs and try to figure something out; however, because I did not have my phone in my hands or in my pockets, he did not waste time taking my phone. He did not even think about interrogating me about who I was texting because I was not using my phone at that time.
When I thought about it, a lot happens without my phone. I would have to rely on an actual alarm to wake me up in the mornings and I would have probably lost connection with friends that I do not see daily. Even though my cell phone is important because I get updates and emails and have important reminders on it, not having a cell phone makes life a lot less stressful and involved. I am not constantly looking at my phone or being a part of many conversations or situations at once. I get to be myself in the present with people or things in front of me without my phone. I like it.
I do not consider myself to be very attached to my phone which is good because I have a Juke. This phone is practically an antique and the fact that it can still call is a miracle in my eyes. Jukes are the phones that were extremely popular four years ago because they could play music. That was a big deal then. In 2012, my juke is a big deal because it is a novelty. When I checked my phone on the elevator this morning, a worker commented that it could be used to kill people with its switchblade spin. Like I said, it’s a novelty.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm clock on my phone. After showering I checked my phone for any last-minute texts from my friend who I was joining for breakfast. As I said, I used my phone in the elevator to leave my dorm, but it was immediately turned off after leaving the building. Halfway to class, I realized that I needed to text my friend about something later that night. The entire day I was preoccupied by the fact that I needed to talk to her. It drove me crazy.
The concept that I could not call anyone for anything made me uncomfortable. My grandmother has been in the hospital for the past few days and I have been calling her daily. After worrying about contacting my friend, I came to the conclusion that I would have to wait until later to call my grammy. This saddened me and I worried that I would forget to call her later in the day. I ended up not forgetting and I called her immediately after turning my phone back on after dinner.
Fortunately, in this day and age, I never have a need to wear a watch; unfortunately, when I am not carrying a cell phone, I suddenly do need a watch and I was not prepared for this. Not being able to constantly tell the time did not affect me much as all of my classes were a mere 50 minutes long and it is fairly easy to estimate time for that short of duration. While not in class, such as during lunch, I was able to look to the InfoNet televisions for the time. Thanks to the TVs, I was never late anywhere, despite my lack of a timekeeper.
Overall, my day was not overly affected by my disconnection. I felt slightly uncomfortable about not being able to get in touch with those people who I contact daily or had promised to contact; however, I did not have a dire need to contact anyone else. My lack of Smart technology probably affected my comfort level as I do not constantly check my e-mail or play games on my phone. Some people use their phones nonstop and are practically connected to them. This is not my situation because my phone can only be used to text and call. In that respect, the Juke is good.
Yesterday I turned my cell phone off at about 10:00am and did not take it out and use it until 11:30pm. It was a very unique experience. People do not generally just take time and turn off their cell phones or computers. The occurrence brings with it a sense of peace as well as a sense of anxiety. The peacefulness comes from not being constantly interrupted by phone calls or texts. It does take some time to get used to, however, because without your phone it is much harder to contact or get together with other people. It was difficult to have my phone off for most of the day mostly out of habit. I am not a particularly avid texter, nor do I make many calls in a day. However, just the habit of regularly checking my phone for messages or updates was hard to go without. The worst part of not having my phone with me was definitely not being able to tell the time. I do not wear a watch and I use my phone in order to keep track of time. Throughout the day it was also inconvenient not being able to contact people so that we could meet up for lunch or go to class together. My friends also commented that it was problematic in that they could not get a hold of me during the day. Overall, the experience was eye opening in showing me how much our lives have been changed and depend on technology. I may even consider taking time some day to just shut off from all technology as I believe it could be a truly peaceful time and it would be a chance to just relax and think more deeply about my life and see how much technology interferes with how we live.
ReplyDeleteI own a fake Longchamp bag. The actual brand is of French origin, but the fake is more likely of illicit New York City make, perhaps in the basement of some forger’s house. This information would be mostly irrelevant except for one fact about the style of fake Longchamp bag that I own: it is a straight-up fake high-class grocery bag. There’s only one compartment. It is literally a bag with fake leather trim. Most girls I know prefer multiple compartments to keep themselves organized. Longchamp seems to have missed this idea.
ReplyDeleteI bring this up because I always lose things in my dear fake bag. Papers mysteriously disappear as if the bag has eaten them up. Little things get lost because there are no side pockets.
Little things like phones.
It is for this reason (mostly) that I forget to respond to texts. And calls. And pretty much everything else that has to do with my two week-old (free) Samsung Solstice II. Friends know that it’s better to see me in person than try to text or call. It’ll take me at least an hour to get back to them – assuming that they call or text at four PM, because I typically check my phone at five PM after the end of all my classes.
So in essence, this week’s challenge wasn’t that difficult for me. I basically retrieved my long lost phone from my bag (oh hey, the battery’s dead), and, like every day, forgot about it.
It was a little different because I did not have the convenience of looking at my phone for the time. I typically do so because I don’t bring my laptop to class, and none of the lecture halls or classrooms that I typically attend on a Wednesday have clocks.
By not having a phone on me in lecture, I realized that time goes by faster. I was neither more rested nor more attentive; I tend assumed that time passed more slowly than it actually did, so it was a surprise when my lecturer announced the end of class… three minutes late, no less.
It wasn’t all positive though. I missed my typical 5 PM text asking me to go to dinner at the wondrous Hanns, and subsequently missed dinner with friends. I instead had Chik-fil-a, which was probably a bad idea, but at the time I was perfectly content to do work in my dorm like my antisocial self while everyone returned, fat and contented with oh-so-delicious Hanns food in their bellies.
I retrieved my phone from its charge at 9 PM, almost exactly but sorta kinda not really twelve hours since turning it off and plugging it in. It didn’t really have that big an impact on my day, but I think that was because my parents never emphasized technology as a means of communication; they were very verbal people. I can’t say that this was a particularly fun experience, but it was an interesting one. Having my phone off definitely affected me, though it affected me in a minor way because it is not a piece of technology that I most often utilize.
I decided to shut my cell phone off this morning at 7:30 and leave it off until I finished my classes and went to lunch with my friends. I am not really the type of person who lives off my cell phone so this experiment didnt have too much effect on my day. The one thing that did bug me about not having it was not knowing the time. It seems like cell phones have replaced watches for alot of people these days because a cell phone can function as a watch. My 8am class always seems to take an eternity because I'm usually extremely tired in it. I religiously pull my phone out in that class to check the time and it was a bit of an inconvience not having it there. I sat there thinking "WHEN WILL THIS END!?". Besides that, I still met up with my friends for lunch without my phone. We are always outside between classes so I knew when they would be coming up to the bench we chill at. I can see how this experiment could have more drastic effects on other people in our current time period.
ReplyDeleteUnplugged
ReplyDeleteAround 2 PM I turned my BlackBerry off, even went to the point of taking the battery out. Deciding that since my phone was disabled, thinking to myself why not go without TV and the computer also. Minutes went by, I found myself cleaning. Starting off with cleaning my bathroom, moving on to the kitchen. Since I had no technology to occupy my time, since starting why stop. Beginning to clean my apartment rapidly having to omit I was filled with joy doing such a task. After that was said and done, moving onto organizing my desk and began packing to go home Friday. Deciding on having a smoke outside, sitting on the front steps I rated to one of my friends Therefore; conversing back-and-forth for only a few minutes, then she had to leave. Thinking to myself walking up the steps, what possibly could happen next. Figuring that enough time remains to change my sheets and pillowcases as well. When done with everything spending 90 min. without technology was manageable for me, unable to use my cell phone was hard Therefore; Unable of knowing what was going on was especially hard for me. Prof. Smith's idea of having the class unplugged their cell phones was a very good experience for myself. There's a possibility that I might do this unplugged experiment again, next time to benefit myself.
Around 7pm to 8pm Thursday afternoon I turned off my phone. I chose to turn it off in these crucial hours because I really wanted to see what would happen, how many people called my phone, and how they would react to it. To my surprise, it was actually how I thought it would be.
ReplyDeleteWhen I turned off my phone, I was in my dorm watching television enjoying my Thursday night. I was watching Black Entertainment Television, which happened to be playing one of my favorite classic movies, “Menace to Society.” When my phone was off, I felt really tranquil and like I could relax because I cut off my only connection to my peers. Even though I probably could have gotten on the internet to chat with my peers, I chose not to because I wanted to see how it would be to really disconnect with the world. Nevertheless, it was odd that the hour went by so fast. The cause was probably because I was so engaged in the movie because it’s one of my favorites.
Furthermore, when 8pm hit, I turned on my phone and looked at it. To my surprise, it actually turned out like I thought it would. I possessed 10 unread text messages and 2 missed calls. This event, gave me a warm feeling because it made me feel like people really want to talk and interact with me. Also, ironically, this girl that has a boyfriend texted me 3 times out of the 10 text messages. I think this is really odd because she has a boyfriend yet she really wants to talk to me.
Overall, I actually enjoyed my experience because I was not bothered by anyone and I could actually enjoy the movie without having to answer a text message.
In my Tuesday experience of “disappearing” by turning my cell phone off, I did a few things that I normally do when I don’t have to speak to people or read something quickly from my phone. Much of the day I spent with my phone off, I used every opportunity I had to sleep, daydream, or catch up on a book I was reading. Much of the time I spent taking naps to catch up on sleep that I had missed during the past few days. Not having to worry about emails, text messages or phone calls because I had an excuse left me in a peaceful daze much of the day.
ReplyDeleteTuesday was the perfect day to do this experiment since it was during of my light days. I only had one class to go to on Tuesday and that was early in the morning leaving the rest of the day to myself. I went home and after completing some homework went straight to sleep for two hours. I woke up around 2 p.m. and began reading a book. The house phone went off, but staying true to being disconnected, I didn’t answer the phone (though I don’t really ever answer that phone). I read for about an hour and then left again because I remembered that there was a dodgeball tournament for all of the engineering majors being held at 4 p.m. Of course I was excited to go to the tournament and hopped on the next bus to school.
On the bus since I could look at my phone or listen to music since all of my mp3’s are in my phone, I looked around the bus and looked outside not really thinking about much. I did the same thing during my train ride to school. Worry free, I went and enjoyed myself during the dodgeball game, though during long matches between teams had to fight off the urge to play with my phone some. My team played hard and though we didn’t win the tournament, we did come in second place.
I got home and turned on my television to watch nothing. I Just needed some noise in the house since I was by myself. I ate dinner, read for another hour, heard the house phone ring, but didn’t answer it. Eventually, I fell asleep on the couch, only to have my mom barge through the front door, throw a pillow at me, and ask why I hadn’t answered my phone all day. I told her it was off, forgetting to tell her it was for school purposes and losing the opportunity to so. She just looked at me and gave me the I think you are lying look then told me to “quit using that same old excuse”.
Simple test to see the influence technology has had on one’s live this far is to simply take away their most believed machine for an hour or two, and sit back watch and review. For many of us that machine would be our phone, something that keeps us connected, when we are still far from home.
ReplyDeleteI spent an hour all alone, I was surrounded by people but did not have my phone. Now I am not obsessed and need it all the time, but I like to have a passcode on it to insure what’s on there is mine. So the phone was turned off for an hour or two and I started on my way to class with no iPod or headphones either. While I usually take the same path each day I decided to change it up a little bit for this experiment and went a slightly different rough, changing the turn and lights I stopped at, with hopes of making the experiment more interesting. One of the first things I noticed once I didn’t have my phone was how I wish I could have it as I passed anyone that was using theirs during their daily commute.
While I did catch myself reaching for my pocket to check the time, and sometimes admittedly out of habit, I did not feel the world was going to end without my phone. The alarm clock on the phone is what I tend to use to wake up in the morning, and that is dependent on me remembering to plug it in to the charger the night before.
The observations that accompanied the powering down of cellphones and iPods were nothing too unexpected, but included smaller scenes we take for granted, such as a food truck selling a warm breakfast to a probably too late to be ording this now and I should really just go to class kind of student. A slightly irritating observation was the number of people that ordered from a food truck that after saying their order, many people went back to texting as if they needed it more than the food they were ordering.
Overall, It seemed somewhat refreshing to be out side of the mediated world for an hour, not living with the pressure o checking a phone for a message or reading a post online, and feeling the need to reply or post back in a short amount of time. Seemingly leaving the social world to escape to what we live in everyday was certainly humbling and I may conduct a similar casual experiment in the future.
For the weeks experiment, turning off my cell phone was an easy task. On Tuesday, I decided to shut my phone down for the entire day starting with my class at 9am. Usually throughout class I frequently check my phone to check the time, because most of the time my 9am is dragging on and on even though it is only a 50 minute class. By not having my cell phone I wasn't inclined to keep checking my cell phone for the time, so it seemed as if the class went by faster on that particular day. Tucked away in my backpack I did not have any reason to check it, my day started off smoothly, and it was nice out. I soon started to loose track of time though, while freely walking around campus without a care in the world I realized that I had 10 minutes to make it to my next class. The only way I was able to check the time was through my iPod, and that didn't even help much because the clock on my iPod is off. I successfully made it to all 3 of my classes that day, not a minute late, right on time. I felt more alert without my cell phone, more social, and more open to conversation without having that little distraction in my hands. I have done this experiment once before in the Appalachian Mountains while on vacation. I had no reception so I turned off my phone for the entire week and loved not having to care about anything else other then myself. Once my day was over I turned on my phone, I had a few messages and missed calls but that was it...not to much activity going on. I think that by not having a smart phone it was easier to do this experiment because I was never distracted my email, games, apps, and mobile social networking. It's so much easier to be less connected by just turning off your phone, it can really open up yourself as a person in the smallest ways.
ReplyDeleteI found this weeks assignment interesting because I know for a fact i check my phone way to often. I almost feel that its become a nervous habit, and when i feel awkward or nervous in a situation I'm likely to be staring at my phone trying to distract myself from whatever situation i'm trying to avoid. On the other hand i absolutely hate texting. I never answer my friends when they text me, i'd rather call them and quickly discuss whatever they need rather then sit and have a drawn out conversation over texting. As pathetic as it sounds-i find texting takes way to much effort.
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday, i hung out at my friends house after my classes. My phone was close to dying, so instead of plugging it in i decided i'd let it die for this assignment. I'm not sure when it died but i left it in my purse downstairs around 8 and then went upstairs to watch a movie. I ended up leaving around 1 in the morning, and plugged my phone in once i got back to my dorm. I had various texts from my roommate worried about where i was and why my phone was dead, and a bunch texts from other friends upset because they assumed i was just ignoring their texts. I hate how big textings become because now everyone does it, and i never remember to answer people anyway and they end up getting mad. I remember my ex boyfriend was furious because i told him i wasn't going to pay attention to my phone during a concert. He couldn't understand that i wouldn't be able to enjoy myself if i was staring at my phone the entire night. You need to disconnect yourself from society every once in a while, its the only way you actually open your eyes to whats going on around you.
Along with I am sure what everyone else in the class must be saying turning off my phone was probably the most difficult thing I have had to do. I am every day using my phone to listen to music on the way to class and to check my text messages and calls. It was hard the resistance of being able to avoid checking it often but opened me up to communicating better with others. I left my phone in my room off and walked out of the room without it. Probably one of the hardest things to do because I am used to having it with me on a daily basis. But I had more fun chatting with people and such without it. But I am so used to the routine of carrying it around that it is a hard adjustment living without it.
ReplyDeleteI honestly did not have any trouble turning off my cell phone for an hour. I once participated in a challenge where a group and I went away for a weekend without our cell phones, iPods, or Internet and was alright with it. I am not a person who sends many text messages to have a conversation. I prefer to use texts to meet up with people I want to hang out with or call people I cannot meet up with. An hour was easy. I was just in my room doing homework and ended up getting caught up in a paper and not looking at my phone for over two hours. When I returned to my phone after I finished my homework and was heading out for class I had three text messages, one from my mother, one from my friend at Drexel, and one from Twitter (one of my favorite athletes retweeting something sassy about how he is not a smart player). I did not feel that I had missed out on much and as I was not connected did not particularly miss my phone. I understand that this is not the norm, and I can’t pretend that I don’t have the habit of looking at my phone every two or so minutes when it is on and simply sitting in my pocket. I believe it is important to disconnect from society every so often so one can reflect and spend important time with oneself.
ReplyDeleteA "phoney" to me is someone who is constantly on their phone. Texting is enough of a distraction and now with smart phone technology, society's dependency on constant handheld amusement has progressively gotten worse. People can be distracted by their phones at any time and any place. My biggest pet peeves of a "phoney" is when they are distracted by their phone walking/driving or mid conversation. Looking at your phone mid conversation is extremely rude, half of us don't even realize we're doing it. As much as I'd like to think I'm not a "phoney", I am guilty as well. There is so much that can be done on what was once just a phone; it is incredibly easy to get carried away with the little handheld LED screen in front of your face. I've gone days with out my phone on trips camping, backpacking or skiing in the mountains and frankly I enjoy the time away from constant contact with everyone.
ReplyDeleteI went to the gym for an hour and told myself I wouldn't look at my phone until I got back. I was able to resist throughout my trip to the gym, however, I did catch myself a twice attempting to look at the time and once in hopes of seeing a new text. It's almost like an acquired instinct when I look at my phone while I'm bored, even if it's just for a second. I've tried to be better about constantly looking at my phone and I've noticed that when I wear a watch, I don't fell the need to look at my phone as much. For the longest time I didn't wear a watch since I just relied on my phone as my clock. I fell like there is a new phone etiquette and often people unknowingly break the social standards. As much as I love having endless knowledge at my finger tips, I must admit it's incredible distracting. I've found that remaining busy or essentially distracting myself from the distraction i.e. my phone, I am more focused and aware of whats going on in my life.
I had no problems whatsoever with turning off my cell phone. Honestly it's like my phone is off most of the time anyway. I have a tendency to not notice my phone or just ignore it all together, so turning off my cell phone wasn't something I had an issue with. I'm not like most people with cell phones in that sense. I rarely reach out to others with it. Either people text or call me or I talk to them when I see them next. I just went through my day like I normally would. However, of course the one time I turn my phone off, a bunch of my friends decided to text me, which I thought was funny. It's the type of thing I would expect to happen to me. When I explained to them why my phone was off they either said that it was weird, a lie, or just went on with whatever they wanted to talk to me about.
DeleteDisconnected. That very word nearly makes me shudder, as I know that I drink constant flows of information. Although turning off my iPhone for an hour is bearable, if you were to ask me to completely disconnect myself—no internet, computers, or perhaps even electricity—we may not end the conversation on happy terms. As a Computer Engineer, it is literally my job to develop these technologies that allow people to communicate and begin the streams of knowledge that end up in the oceans of social networking and news media. But what if I could really convince myself to unplug?
ReplyDeleteWell, I have done it. A few Saturdays ago, when I had a rather full day planned with my extended family, I left my laptops at home, flicked my phone off, dug out a paper map (though, I’ve always been partial toward paper maps anyway) and set out to see the folks. I’ll admit, this trip wasn’t totally disconnected as I still had several CDs of Handel’s Messiah accompanying my ride. Still, I knew nothing of what was going on in the world, or what traffic conditions may lay ahead. Also, my phone serves as my primary time piece, so for most of the day I had little idea what time it was. Ultimately, that’s about how the full day went; nothing in particular to distract me from the most loving people in the world.
The planet kept spinning. When I got home at the end of the day, I found that I had missed a call from my boss, a few texts from friends, and my normal mas of emails. Turmoil was spinning in the Middle East, and some American politician said something stupid, but the world was still spinning. As much as I like knowing things closer to when they happen, it usually isn’t necessary. The event had no effective cost to me other than a bit of irritation from my boss on my missing his call, which is both standard and bearable.
I decided to disconnect my cell phone from my fast texting fingers between the hours of 7pm and 8pm. I thought this would be a prime time since I do my homework around 7pm and at times texting and making phone calls really distract me from completing assignments. During that hour I found myself being so productive. I was completely into the subject I was reading. I finished about twice as much work without my phone. After an hour passed, I decided to look at phone. Only five texts from friends, two voicemails from my mom, and 7 missed calls from my parents. I guess they were really concerned and worried. Phone calls and texts can always be returned at a later time. A study session should be free from distractions.
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday of this week i decided to turn off my cell phone from the start of my classes at 11 am until the end of them at 4:40 pm. Turning off my cell phone wasn't that big of a deal to me. I went about my day as I normally would. The only real noticeable difference I had was looking at the time on my phone during class. This made the time go by a little slower for me during my classes. I have a smart phone but during class I usually don't go on facebook or twitter so that wasn't an issue for me. There was no real difference in my day. The only thing was I felt like I noticed more around me because I wasn't occupied with my phone. Once my last class was over I turned my phone back on to see a few text messages and a missed call. Nothing that I missed when my phone was off was really that important or urgent. I learned that my phone isn't the most important thing I have and can be turned off for periods of time through out the day.
ReplyDeleteThis past Friday I decided to turn off my cell phone between the hours of 1pm and 5pm. It was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be. At first I knew it was off for the first hour so I didn't really go to text anyone. But after that I knew I needed to talk to some friends about plans for the night and it was a little bit frustrating. After a couple hours passed my friends came by and we were all just talking and I had completely forgot that my phone was turned off. By the time 5 o'clock came I did not even realize and actually left my phone off an extra hour because I was pre occupied by other things. Overall it was not as bad as I had expected. I expected to be constantly glancing down at my phone to check the time, weather, FaceBook, and many other applications that I have on there. After completing this experiment I came to realize that even though technology is a huge part in most people's everyday lives, it is not as bad as someone would think it would be to be disconnected for a period of time. I know if I had to do this again I would definitely be able to keep it turned off for much longer.
ReplyDeleteon Friday, I decided to turn off my phone while I was on the train. It was as hard as I thought it would be. normally when I'm on the train I play games, check facebook, text, or listen to music. I turned off my Ipod too to get the full effect. I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't think to bring a book or magazine along so it was just me and my window. I just sat there and stared at the trees and fields racing by til I got to my stop. I never realized how much i rely on my phone. It's kind of sad considering my train ride was only a little over an hour. However, even though it was difficult, I feel like i should try disconnecting more often. It really let me just sit there and think and not worry about what was going on everywhere else
ReplyDeleteI lost my phone two weeks ago, so i've been doing this project for a while. After I first lost my phone I was in a state of depression. I couldn't keep up with anyone and didn't have anything to do. It helped me focus on schoolwork and other more important things though. Studying, cooking, and cleaning without distractions is always easier. Also when my boyfriend from home came to visit he didn't have to keep hiding my phone from me. Now I feel more relaxed and free. I have no one to keep up with and no one that can directly keep up with me. Social Freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part about turning off my phone was the loss of the internet. This sounds bad but it's even worse when in action. Any questions I had about pretty much anything went unanswered and I couldn't look at any of the bus schedules I needed. The first bus that my friend and I needed to take to the mall sped by on our way to the stop, my friend and I debated on whether we should go back but I figured we wouldn't be able to know when the next one came anyway. It took an entire half an hour, thank goodness it was a nice day. Once we got to the mall it wasn't so bad, she kept going on her phone which made me occasionally grab mine, only to remember it was off. Fortunately we only waited about ten minutes for the bus home. When we got back to my house I turned on my phone and I had one missed call from my sister and a text, neither of which was of great importance. Although, I came to the conclusion that, if you can have it on you should have it on because anything can happen at anytime.
ReplyDeleteWell one time I had to turn my phone off for a psych class for the whole weekend and it was kinda cool not using any technology, but when it came down to making plans or finding stuff for the weekend it made things a little more difficult. I found it hard to get in contact with people who weren't in my immediate group of friends or it was hard making plans stick and it was definitely different trying to do things without my phone because I basically use it for everything, GPS, on the go internet and such but not having to text people all the time or be interrupted by a phone call was very calming.
ReplyDeleteI rarely use my phone, I work on weekends, I turned off my phone Friday night after I text goodnight to my loved ones and about two hours before I fell asleep, I slept very comfortable that night fresh air from my window moon light hitting a wall in my room, was just great. I woke in the morning feeling great, I had work at 9am, the only problem was I woke up at 12pm. I turned on my phone I had 33 calls and 47 text from my boss at work, this was not good at all, my phone has always been my alarm ever since I got it. When I don't have my phone everything seems to go slightly wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs I turned off my phone, for the first time in months, I started to realize just how hard the next couple of hours would just be. From checking my email Drexel email to personal email, Facebooking to Twittering, or just having a phone with the ability to play a game or doodle. I decided I would disappear during the course of my first two classes on a Monday morning.
ReplyDeleteDisappearing decided to take a huge toll on my daily routine. Instead of waking up to alarms set on my phone I was required to set the old fashion alarm clock I brought to just keep the time. My morning started with a wake up to a ringing alarm instead of the Marimba ringtone set on my phone. The absence of my phone also posed the problem of my personal clock, for it replaced my watch. For the time being I constantly would look around me to find clocks in order to find out what time it was. As the day went on the little details added up from the lack of my phone. While walking to class I did not have the leisure of having conversations through text messages to plan the day or having the ability to listen to my daily playlist.
Through the time I did not have anyway of communication besides face-to-face, I started to pay attention to the smaller details of everything around me. I started to watch those around me and see how they interacted with one another. This allowed me to see a whole new world of types of interactions. We don’t need our technology to talk to each other or to consume our daily lives.