Time can pass rather quickly or rather slowly depending on a myriad of factors. I had been tasked with spending four hours without technology, a seemingly trivial task. Unfortunately, in this little experiment time was a victim of circumstance and slowed to the pace of a sloth, but why? I had plenty to do in the downtime and I occupied my time well with homework, and friends, yet time still seemed incredibly sluggish.
For starters, while trying to pass the time, I kept habitually reaching to my left pocket for a phone that wasn’t there, and constantly could’ve sworn I felt the buzzing of a text message coming from my pocket, meanwhile, the phone was completely shut off and remained across the room. My mind had begun to play tricks on me, clearly craving the precious dopamine it receives from my phone. It became almost a tick and after short intervals, I would subconsciously start reaching again to no avail, this made avoiding technology increasingly difficult and proved to me what I craved most about it. I could go without video games, TV, movies, and other forms of entertainment, but I felt so disconnected. Nearly all of the people I frequently talk with are only accessible via my technology. I was disconnected from my closest friend, my girlfriend, my family, and others. It also completely threw off my routine, every day after class I immediately go back to my dorm and hop in a discord call with my closest friend, so we can talk for hours on end, all the while listening to music, and playing whatever video game we’re interested in at the time.
Furthermore, there aren’t many substitutes for the things I use technology for. When it comes to certain things like getting the news there’s an analog equivalent to the digital information I get, that being newspapers. Even TV and Movies can be experienced through a slightly different medium via reading. However, for communication, there is no replacing it. I could write a letter, but then each message sent and received takes days to weeks, and for me only furthers the feeling of being disconnected from the individuals I’d be writing those letters to. There’s also no amount I could ever write that would even begin to carry the same weight and depth of a single conversation I have online every day. I’d lose that important banter between two friends just constantly making fun of one another cracking jokes, but most importantly I’d lose the spontaneity of a good conversation among two people who have talked for a minimum of six to eight hours a day every day for a decade on end and never ran out of things to say. Ultimately, when I disconnect from technology it’s not only technology I am disconnecting from, but the relationships that are such a fundamental part of my life. In conclusion, I learned a lot from the experience, but couldn’t shake the feeling that I was constantly, missing out on the precious moments I share with my friends and family via digital communication. Finally, I’d like to end by saying that just as time was a victim of circumstance so was I, and what I mean by that is due to attending a University out of state my only connection to my home is through technology and perhaps if I was back in my hometown this experiment would be considerably less challenging.
Jacob's Blog 