Reflection of #1wknotech

The challenge of 1wknotech was actually something I struggled with. I couldn’t picture my life without technology which was actually kind of sad. Writing out the hypothetical schedule of what I would do without technology, was actually kind of hard. As I read the #1wknotech feed, however, I thought a lot of people really agreed with me. Like me, not everyone was an avid twitter user but a lot of us really like our phones.

What I really noticed was that there were a wide variety of themes found in these posts. A lot of people posted photos of them holding objects pretending it was their phones. A lot of people talked about how the time without technology was the perfect time to spend with family. There were many common themes found throughout both the Facebook and Twitter feed but there were also plenty of differences.

What I really want to focus on in this essay is three ideas. I want to first focus on how everybody handled the conclusion of #1wknotech and how people responded to being on the last day of  “no” technology. Then I want to talk about how people thought that no technology would mean spending a lot more time outside. Lastly, I want to talk about how the students that participated thought having no technology would affect their homework.

The last day of the project so many of us counted down the hours until we could use technology again. Post after post, hour by hour there was excitement that the project was coming to an end. In a world where technology controls everything, it’s easy to see just how much people love their technology. Just like the tweet from Regina Phalange, there were many tweets that produced a similar response.

There were also plenty of tweets that reflected the opposite idea. The idea that not using tech for a week was a simple activity that ended quickly was found in some posts as well. It is perhaps reflected best by Twitter user Ashlyn Beierle.

“I’m free! Its been real Twitter, but I can’t stand you. Its gonna be nice to resume enjoying life instead of tweeting about it #1wknotech“-Ashlyn Beierle.

There were also tweets that were indifferent about the whole experience. The results were definitely more in favor of one side over the other but there were still plenty of people who didn’t make the last day of #1wknotech known to the entire Twitter world.

Lots of people used the experience as a chance to enjoy the outdoors. It seemed like nature was the perfect way to escape technology. Twitter user @courtnueyun340 used the opportunity to go to the beach.

 

 

Twitter user @jv_pw also used the challenge as a way to get more in touch with nature. There is a picture of the user sailing on a beautiful body of water from sunday, the last day technology was “banned”.

Unlike California, where the sun is shining and you can go to the beach the participants from our class used the experience to joke about the cold weather and snow. Below is a tweet from @lylewhyle that shows a pretty view of the lake, but instead of the California sun the land is covered in snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly the idea that technology is prevalent in our school work is found throughout the feed. I thought it was pretty noticeable throughout the feed that a lot of people mentioned their school work. Obviously some people were excited and used the tech break as a homework break but other people were angry that they couldn’t use the tech. Twitter user @Chris_Gnarley used the project as a chance to poke fun at group projects.

“Can’t work on the Google Doc until midnight. Sorry guys.” Group members weren’t having it #1WkNoTech

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A lot of people felt that without technology, the amount of school work a person would have to complete would be out of control. Would you automatically fail your classes? Would you be able to catch up on all of those moodle posts? A tweet from @KelsieJ738290 reflects the use of technology uses in all of our classes.

“I think I might just continue #1wknotech …. Thinking of all my emails and moodle posts I didn’t do is going to make me cry.” -KelsieJ738290

 

In conclusion, I really noticed that most people didn’t like the idea of not having technology. People appeared to be more comfortable with the idea as the week went on but were definitely more excited to get back into the swing of things. I think that our world has become so technology dependent that the idea of not having technology is strange and unnatural to us.

I thought it was easy to think of things I would probably actually feel if I didn’t have technology. Writing the actual schedule was kind of hard . I also thought it was hard to think of what I would do instead of using technology. I thought that maybe I would do a puzzle or something but if I were to do the project in real life, I have no idea if I would actually do that.

Personally, I learned a lot about my technology dependence. I never really realized how much I loved my phone. The idea of not being able to use it whenever I wanted was a weird one and it made me realize that I am super dependent on technology. I did like the idea of not using it, however, and I think if I were to actually not use technology it would become a lot more comfortable towards the end of the week.

 

Tentative no tech week schedule

Monday

In a great mood about setting aside technology.

Sit in my room for a little bit thinking about what to do.

Go outside for a while.

Go to bed.

Tuesday

Still in a decent mood about not using technology.

Probably starting to wonder if someone tried to reach me today or yesterday.

Shrug it off.

Play cards with a roommate or something along those lines.

Go to bed.

Wednesday

Starting to get a little bored without technology.

Starting to want to watch a movie or tv.

Feeling a little more guilty about not responding to people who may be trying to reach me.

Start a book.

Go to bed.

Thursday

Starting to get a little irritated without technology.

I’d probably start to wonder what other people besides my roommates are doing.

Starting to get really nervous that people will be mad at me for not responding to their texts, emails etc.

Continue reading the book I started.

Go to bed.

Friday

Really starting to miss technology.

Really wanting to contact someone who doesn’t live with me.

Getting sick of alone time.

Probably starting to get a little crabby.

Keep reading the book.

Maybe start writing.

Saturday

Sleeping in.

Starting to get moody mostly because I am nervous of what I missed over the week.

Hoping that my job didn’t or professors didn’t try to communicate anything crucially important via phone or email.

Hoping my friends will understand why I did the experiment.

Really wanting to use my car.

Wanting to leave my house so I’ll take a long walk.

Started writing again.

Went to bed early.

Couldn’t sleep mostly because I’m still nervous that I missed important stuff over the week.

Went to sleep.

Sunday

Less nervous about the week then I was Saturday.

Excited that I get to use technology again tomorrow.

Would probably do board games with my roomies.

Starting to get use to not using technology but ready to use it again all at the same time.

Learned how to enjoy the quiet.

Maybe debating whether I should actually look at my phone. But ultimately deciding I should.

Ready for bed.

Falling asleep and in the morning I wake up to technology.

Top five worst things that would happen if I gave up tech for a week

1. In the beginning, I would be super bored. I just have always had technology at my fingertips so I think it would be really strange to give up tech for a week. When I’m bored, my first instinct is to almost always watch tv. Or go on my laptop to check social media or go on pinterest.

2. It would be hard to not know what’s going on in the world. I actually really like staying up to date on the news around the world. I do, however, get most of my news from online news sources. I follow most of the news media I watch on tv on Twitter and they tweet throughout the day the news. I also like watching news on tv. Very rarely do I actually get a paper copy of a newspaper and read it which would be a strange adjustment at first.

3. Not being able to contact people. As much as I like alone time, I like being with people just as much if not more. I think one day of not texting, checking email, using social media, etc. would be nice but any more than that I think I would start to really miss talking to my friends. Sure I could go visit the ones that live near me but what about the people I keep in contact with that don’t live by me?

4. Not being able to watch tv. As sad as this sounds, let me explain. Sometimes after a long day of school or work, I don’t want to wind down by reading a book. I don’t want to do anything that really involves active thinking. Sometimes it’s really nice to just put your feet up and not do anything.

5. So much of our world involves technology that it would be hard to not use it. Going a full week without coming in contact with any technology would be hard. Sure you can put your laptop, tv and phone somewhere where you can’t get to it and not worry about it. But what about things like work? Using a cash register is using technology. Technically using your car is using technology. What about the things we use daily not necessarily to entertain us but to just use? Things like alarm clocks that make sure we wake up in time to go to work and school are things we use almost everyday. We have so many uses for technology that we don’t even think about. We just live in a world where almost everything is technology and we can’t just completely stop using it.

Top five best things that would happen if I gave up tech for a week

1. I would get more stuff done. Since I wouldn’t be able to use Netflix as my default, I’d probably get random stuff that I’ve been meaning to do forever done.

2.I feel like I would do more creative stuff. I used to love writing for the fun of it and I still do, but I definitely don’t do it as much anymore. My excuse is always that I don’t have enough time. In reality, I probably do, but I do other things first.

3. I would spend more time outside. If the temperature was nice enough out, I would definitely go for longer walks. I love being outside anyway but I would definitely do more outside if I had less technology to worry about. It’s hard to say I want to go outside today with it being so cold and snowy, but I would still go out more if I couldn’t stay in and watch movies on a snowy day.

4. I would have more alone time. I am actually a really social person but I crave alone time. I like being by myself sometimes just to collect my thoughts. I think I would feel a lot more relaxed sometimes if I wasn’t constantly getting messages from someone about something,

5. Sometimes I feel like I would be less distracted. I am guilty of sometimes using my phone too much. Like everyone else, I sometimes don’t focus all my attention on what I am supposed to be doing. I feel like I could get more stuff done if I wasn’t constantly distracted by technology things.

Top four ways tech makes you feel worst and why

1. It can feel like you’re never alone. Sometimes people crave alone time. It can be hard to not check your phone when you hear it ping or vibrate.

2. Less face to face interaction. Although there are plenty of apps that encourage face to face interaction, there are plenty of things that do not. Just think of how much easier it is to email someone or just text them.

3. It can make you envious or jealous of other people. Social media usage can make you feel jealous of certain aspects of other people’s life.

4. Sometimes you just know way too much about other people. With phone apps for social media, you sometimes just know way more about a person than maybe you should. You can easily find out just about anything from someone.

Top five ways tech makes you feel better and why

1. I grew up with technology. For most of my life, I remember having the internet. Cell phones really adapted to be an everyday thing just as I was turning old enough to use one. I have always had technology at my fingertips so it’s nice to have it.

2. It really helps me out with classes. I can’t tell you how many times Google has helped me out in all my years of education or just life in general. It has helped me better understand homework topics and if I ever want to learn more about anything I can.

3. It’s great when I am bored. I hate to admit it, but anytime I have nothing to do I can always use my smart phone to look at social media.

4. It can help you avoid awkward situations. As bad as this sounds all people are guilty of it. We can use our phones, laptops, etc. to look like were doing something when we want to avoid a really awkward situation.

5. In a strange way technology can make you feel like you’re not alone. If you’re feeling lonely it’s never been easier to stay in contact with anyone via text message or phone calls. You can email someone, Facebook someone, tweet at someone. There is literally so many options to get a hold of someone.

Top five worst public tech behaviors and why

1. Texting and Driving: I feel that driving is something you should give your complete concentration to and it’s extremely dangerous. Most people aren’t in the car for more than a 25 minute drive so I think that texts can wait until you get home.

2. Cell phone usage when you’re out to eat: I think it’s rude when you’re hanging out with someone and they can’t put their phone down. If you choose to hang out with someone especially if you’re out for a meal give them your full attention.

3. Texting and walking: If you can walk and see where you’re going when you’re texting, then go for it. The problem is too many people can’t do both at the same time so they completely stop paying attention to their surroundings.

4. Talking on your phone when you are at a retail store: I am a cashier so this is my own personal pet peeve, but I can’t stand when someone gets a call when I am ringing them out and they answer there phone. It takes thirty seconds to get through a check out line and 9.99999999 out of 10 times the phone call won’t be important. Wait to answer your phone.

5. People who talk extremely loud on their phones/talk about something extremely private in public: I get it: I am a loud talker too. However, if I talk on my phone when I’m out in public I do my best to use an inside voice. I also never talk about something that is not someone else’s business while shopping. There is a time and a place to talk about private things and it’s never in a public place.