Okay, I’m addicted to my computer. I knew that going into this experiment, though.
I basically interact with computers from the second I wake up to the second I go to sleep. While eating breakfast, I flip through my e-mail (Wisc and gmail), check my Twitter feed, browse FML.com (it’s just become such a part of my routine, it’s crazy) and, of course, read Perez.
I have an iPhone, and I’m sure that I would suffer from withdrawal symptoms if it were taken from me. I check it compulsively throughout the day, a lot of the time without even thinking about it. I also have taken to check-in at places via FourSquare when I'm out and about.
Liz’s lecture today and Thursday about mobile spaces was something I could really relate to – I often crack out my phone to pass time or when I feel like a few seconds of time to myself. It sounds weird, but it does create a comfort level to be connected to something that’s so familiar. I can be in a room of 500 strangers and, with my phone, feel like I'm in my own little world.
During my class breaks, I sift through e-mail, Perez again and usually the news. Like Tyla, I was constantly flipping back to the Badger Herald’s story about ticket scalpers (the comments numbered more than 900 last time I checked). I actually stayed up extra late last night just refreshing the page to see the comments; they’re hilarious. I also worked there for two years, so I feel close to these events. It’s been an interesting day in that respect.
On the same note, I continually updated my Twitter feed with links to the same story as it was reported on by other sources, including JSOnline.com, USAToday and the Huffington Post, among others. I, along with a friend, tried to coin a couple hashtags for the event. I posted both through my laptop and my iPhone. I'm not usually so involved with Twitter other than checking it a couple times a day, but because of the Herald controversy, I felt the need to check it more frequently and track the movement of that story. It was an interesting case study in how an event can spread so quickly on Twitter.
Tonight, I’ve been checking out CurbOnline.com, the website for the magazine I’m editor of, because it’s officially live now. And tonight, as is typical of my evening routine, I’m flipping through Perez, Neatorama, Facebook, Twitter and my e-mail.
It seems like you definitely are addicted to technology! Personally I really don't feel like I am that attached to my computer or phone. So i guess I was just wondering how you would feel if all of this technology was suddenly taken away from you, like we talked about it discussion last week. Personally I would LOVE it. It would seem like a relief to me. I feel like there is a constant pressure to check your email and Facebook, and to always respond to texts and calls, or keep up on tv shows. If your not doing these things its almost like your out of touch with your friends and society. I just wish i didn't feel the pressure to do all of these things. And like you were saying with the badger herald story about ticket scallopers, i heard about that and then felt pressured to read up on it so that I was "in the loop" so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI have often wondered the same question myself. Recently, on the morning of the first big snowfall, I went out to breakfast and discovered my phone was dead.
ReplyDeleteAs I compulsively check my email about every five minutes, it was really weird that I couldn't just keep in touch with all the things I normally do - even over something so brief as breakfast. I eventually just put the phone away entirely and tried to forget my technological urges.
And interestingly, I had a far better time. It might've been the snowfall that gave me an illusion of being more "trapped," so to speak, but I focused more on the conversation, the atmosphere, and the overall experience. It's so strange how we want to be so "in the loop" sometimes that we're just taken out of the moment. Those personal bubbles of technology we immerse ourselves in can really distract me from the world around me. Like you said, there's a constant pressure, and were we to do without it, I think we'd all be a little happier.