Connected
As I sat on my bed anxiously watching the clock, my hands shaking, I waited and waited for the clock to strike midnight. No, this was not New Years Eve; it was the last few minutes of my experience without using mass media devices for the 48 hours prior. Yes, this meant I had not used my cell phone, ipod, computer or television for the past two days.
At last it was midnight, I quickly turned on my cell phone and opened up my computer. There amongst all the missed text messages, e-mails, voicemails, and Facebook notifications, I realized how much I relied on media and also how much my roommate didn’t appreciate all the noise at midnight (sorry Patrick).
My experiment began on Friday. I woke up at 7 o’clock to the radio station 92.3 FM, again my roommate must have been so happy. After getting out of bed, I got on my computer to check the weather for the day and dressed accordingly.
I then rushed out of the door to make the long trek from West Village to class. Yes, I do take 8 AM classes, and yes it is horrible. After class, I came back to my room where I listened to music, completed homework, text messaged friends, and sat on Facebook for the rest of my day. Living the life of a typical college student. The following day I got to sleep in and did not have class, it was Saturday after all. It was a typical weekend for me. Filled with sitting on the computer, text-messaging friends, and even watching movies. After logging all the times I used mass media, I felt exposed and mindless. The media had successfully entered almost every aspect of my life; it was as if “Big Brother,” was watching my every move.
Unplugged and Unconnected
The next day, I woke up dwelling the next 48 hours of not using mass media devices. I quickly turned off my phone and put it in a drawer, along with my laptop and the remote control to the television. This way I was completely submerged in the project 100%. I sat aimlessly on my bed for the next twenty to thirty minutes; I had no way of occupying my time without using media.
Soon I was interrupted by a knock at my door. I found my friends standing in the doorway, “Ryan, why haven’t you responded to my text messages? We want to go to lunch.” Without my phone, people could not get in contact with me as they usually would. This situation put both a burden on myself, and those trying to contact me.
On the last day, Monday, I didn’t wake up to the smooth sounds of 92.3 FM at 8 AM; instead I awoke to an annoying buzzing noise. This would be the start of a bad day. Filled with lonely lunches, quiet dorm rooms and endless amounts of homework assignments, the day was far from my what they normally are. As a person of routine, I still found myself checking my pocket for my phone, even though I knew it was not there. This concerned me the most as to how much I relied on my cell phone, even to check the time. Later that night I had my first club swim practice, afterwards I was excited to call my mom and tell her how it went, but unfortunately I had to refrain.
Without a cell phone, I was disconnected from the world. It was a lonely feeling, almost nakedness, not having my phone in my pocket.
However the experience was not all bad, not always being connected had its good points. For once I could sit down and concentrate fully on my homework or readings. From this trial, I realized how much of an impact the mass media has on my everyday life. The littlest tasks, such as waking up in the morning, have been infiltrated by mass media.
Overall. The experiment made me realize that sometimes I should be conscious of how much mass media affects my daily life. I would suggest this same experiment to any other “Media Junkie,” such as myself. Before this assignment, I thought it would have been impossible surviving without my cell phone and laptop, but afterwards it was definitely an eye opening experience for me.
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