Last week, I did something radical. At least, I think it was pretty radical. I wish I could say I did it by choice, but to be honest there is no way I would have taken part if I wasn’t getting graded on participation. What was my self-declared act of radicalism? You’ve probably figured it out already if you read the title of this article, but if you’re still in the dark, here it is: last week, I completely unplugged myself from the world and went three days without using any media device.
Every year, Professor Bill Sonnega challenges his students in Media Studies 260 to complete a three-day media deprivation. For 72 long hours, we are asked to go without our cell phones, laptops, music, social media and email, with academic assignments requiring the use of technology being the only exception. So with some reluctance, at 7:00 p.m. last Wednesday night I turned off my iPhone, hid it in my desk drawer and powered down my laptop.
Right away, it became evident to me how much our media acts as a social lubricant for us. If you get to the cafeteria early and have to wait for your friend, you pull out your phone and check your email or Facebook, or at least pretend to be looking at something important to avoid interacting with anyone. If you are walking back to your dorm after a class alone, you mess around on your phone the entire way with your head down, because heaven forbid you actually make eye contact with somebody and then have to say something to them. If you do find yourself in a conversation and it begins to lag, the phones come out right away, as if everyone looking at their tiny screens will somehow get the conversation rolling again. Media helps us feel more comfortable when we are alone, yet it isolates us when we are together.
Honestly, I enjoyed not having my phone for a few days. It was nice to have an excuse to not be in constant contact with people, and it made the contact that I did have seem more meaningful. Of course, there were tough moments – not being able to set up meal plans and trying to write papers without music blaring in the background, which has become a habit of mine, were obstacles that I had to overcome. I don’t think that my three days being “unplugged” necessarily changed me, but they definitely made me more aware of how much media I am consuming.
Most collegiates would shudder at the thought of undergoing three days without their media devices, and I understand. I felt the same way. But if you make small changes, like putting your phone away when you walk to class or eat a meal with friends, you really will notice a difference, as will the people around you. Leave your media behind every once and a while and embrace the moment.
Photos: cover, phone basket