Blog Assignment 13

Engage in an E-Media Fast

Assignment:

Do no use any electronic (powered by electricity or batteries) entertainment or communications device (except a land line telephone) for 24 consecutive hours.

            Banned:

            - Any use of television, video records or players

            - Computers, tablets, notepads or similar devices

- Video cameras, audio recorders or equipment, radios, iPods, iPads, iPhones  (or any cell phone)

- Telephones other than land line telephones

Response

Needless to say, this was an thought-provoking challenge. So for this activity, I got up at about 6 A.M on Friday morning. My boyfriend and I went fishing and we were on the lake by 6:30. At this point, my phone was turned on silent and was given to him. The only reason we had my phone was for emergencies and his phone was dead (by the way we ran out of gas, but I did not use the phone, he did). Fishing is peaceful and a great get away from any stress and considering finals are next week, I figured this would be the best way to keep my mind off of school. Reading a book, at this point in the semester, is out of the question because guilt would take over, and I would have ended up getting online and studying. We fished until 6 o’clock P.M. and finally got off the water and back to the house at about 7. From here we had to clean the catch from the day. I still have not used my phone and it was pretty easy to stay off of Facebook because I have not even signed on in the past week. At about 8 P.M., I headed to the store to get stuff to cook for dinner. Since we were at his parent’s house, in the country, electronics, like the computer, are easy to stay away from. We are also on an “E network”, so the internet connection on my iPhone, without WiFi, is unbearably slow. After eating supper, the activity was done for because we have a music room for karaoke and listening to music, and every night of the weekend is a party, especially if we are cooking. By 10 o’clock P.M. there were friends and family at the house and in the music room singing and dancing and using almost every electronic device possible. Ranging from the TV to microphones that use batteries to cell phones to the computer containing all of the music, I gave up. There was no escaping the technology. Maybe if I would have spent the night in the boat on the river in the pitch-black dark surrounded by water and woods, I could have lasted a whole 24 hours with technology; but I doubt it, considering I play solitaire on my phone every night before I fall asleep with the TV on. I lasted about 14 hours, give or take a few minutes, without technology.

Now, the interesting part about this activity is I do this almost every weekend. I rarely keep my phone on me and my computer is turned off unless I am doing something for school. Whether I am laying out by a pool, in a hunting stand, or fishing, technology is away from me, so this Friday was not any different than any other weekend. I enjoy the peacefulness of not listening to a phone ring and ding and not looking at a computer screen.

Honestly, I do not think it would be possible to last a whole 24 hours without technology. I believe that we have, for lack of better words, become addicted to having these resources, like phones that do anything and everything at touch of a button, around us all the time. In my house, the TV is always on and I will literally go crazy without the background noise of Spongebob, or something of that nature, playing while I am typing my blog assignments. Thoughtful project, but everywhere you look, you are surrounded by technology.