In our world today we are constantly surrounded by
technology. We use laptops to surf the web, do our homework, check social media
websites, and many more other uses. From our cell phones we can gather news
instantaneously. We are constantly using digital technology through every facet
of our life. For two days I tried to do the impossible. I attempted go without
technology for two full days.
This test was both a failure and a success at the same time.
It was a success because I was able to make it through two days without technology.
I was able to prove to myself that I was capable. Also, it showed me through all the little
things how important digital technology is to me.
It was a failure because it showed how dependent I am on
technology. In this sense I felt somewhat ashamed of how much of a struggle
this fast was for me. It proved how essential technology is to my life.
One thing I noticed was that technology wasn’t as much of a
problem during class. I prefer not to type notes or use my laptop during class.
So that did not pose a major issue. It was after class on that seemed to pose
the most trouble.
Upon completing my homework around 5 p.m., I was faced with
too much free time on my hands. Usually I would surf the web or catch up on a
television show on Netflix. Unfortunately under these circumstances this was
not possible. What ended up happening was that I tried unsuccessfully to read a
book. This did not help in slightest for me, as I was unable to focus. My mind
was unable to focus on reading at this point in time. I was thinking of a
million different things, which didn’t help. I knew there was no way I was
going to sit down and read a book right now.
After about three or four hours of trying to read or do
anything productive I called it a night and attempted to go to sleep. Then
another problem came up. Every night I listen to a radio podcast to put me to
sleep. While this may seem odd it proved to be difficult to go to sleep without
it. It usually takes me twenty minutes at the most to fall asleep. It took me
what felt like hours to fall asleep.
While the first day of the technology fast was similar to
hell for me, the second day proved to be much easier to deal with. On my second
day I was a much busier person. I start class at around 8 at and end at 5. This
provided very little time for me to use technology. The only awkward part for
me was using the trains without any music whatsoever. It was such a daily
routine that it just felt odd for it to be taken away. Other than that I’d say
that the second day of the fast wasn’t as heart wrenching as the first day.
In the end what did I learn? I learned that I’m not entirely
co-dependent with technology. I co-exist with digital technology. I need it for
so many things of my life. I read a lot of the news and articles on the web. I
use it to go to sleep and pass on the train and walking. I use a recorder on my
phone when working on a story for a newspaper.
This fast re-affirmed to me how important and essential
technology is to me. It was such an essential part of my life that while it was
nice to have a break I cannot live without it.
From this graph we can see that 7% of peoples friends are
people they never met before. This tells us a lot about the users of social networking
sites. The word friend is evolving. If 7% of Facebook friends have never met
what do we call this? These people are complete strangers and aren’t friends in
any way.