Going into class on Thursday afternoon I had no idea that I would soon be subjected to some of the worst mental torture imaginable, at least to a tech guy with no mobile connection to the internet. A friend in the class thought it would be funny to take my phone and give it to another person to hide. Unfortunately, they both forgot and I spent the next 4 days phone-less.
Now you may say that this is nothing in the grand scheme of things, to which I retort, "Don't lie to yourself!" but losing a phone for that period of time can leave a person isolated from the digital world in a way that greatly affects his or her life. I too thought that losing my phone would be no big deal and assumed that I would continue on as if nothing happened. Besides, I had already gone tech-less for 6 long hours for another course this semester; however, I soon realized that there is a great difference to being disconnected and being cut off. While going on a tech "fast" it was only mildly uncomfortable, going phone-less, even though it was only one piece of technology, was much worse!
With no way to communicate quickly or efficiently, I was forced to rely on others for information. I was so used to being in control of my information intake that this came as a major shock. Not only that but there was the nagging realization that no one cared and even fewer recognized I was “disconnected” during this time period. With no way to talk to anyone it was easy to feel that no one was watching. This was a great way to put perspective on my digital life. I don't consider myself a person who lives for attention or recognition, but I quickly realized that on some level I use my digital life as a support for my reality. It really put in perspective just how reliant on technology I am and, in the end, how little I really affect others in the digital media space.
The situation was not all bad, however, as I realized that I relaxed significantly more during this time and I worried very little about many of the trivialities brought on by a life connected to technology. I no longer worried about constant information updates and this allowed me to reflect more on my day. I noticed that this extra time to reflect allowed me to put the events of the day into perspective and, consequently, not rely on the opinions of others. The days also seemed to progress slower and I tended to be much more productive.
While I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about losing my phone, this was a valuable experience to me. Beyond the 6 hour "tech-less" prompt I completed earlier in the year, I learned a lot more from my time without my phone. I was forced to adapt and to see just how much the tech world affects everyday life, for both the good and the bad.
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