Exiting Technology

Reflection: 

As just about everything around us could be defined as "technology", I was left pondering what it would mean for me personally to "exit technology". I have been video games on my laptop for a couple hours a day these past few weeks and watching lots of youtube on my phone thanks to winter break, so I thought a proper step would be to not use my personal devices (laptop, phone, ipad).

I decided to start my journey upon waking up at noon this past Saturday. I resolved to stay away from my devices until at least 5pm that day. While this wasn't a full day without devices, I wanted to at least start the day technology-free. 

Here were my main takeaways: 

- The day felt longer! Because I couldn't constantly keep myself stimulated by way of instagram reels, games, texts, etc, I was forced to sit in these moments of "boredom". I put boredom in quotation marks because, in reality, these micro-moments, that many of us distract ourselves from by using our devices, are a natural part of life that keep us grounded. I noticed details in the environment that I wouldn't have otherwise, such as decor in a restaurant or the sound of the air conditioner.

- It was almost impossible to actually avoid screens. Between my partner being on their phone throughout the day and the TV being on directly in front of the couch, I found it hard to truly escape even personal devices.

- I found myself itching to check notifications but also found relief in ignoring them. I had my partner check my phone a couple of times to make sure I didn't have any important texts or calls, but aside from that I remained blissfully ignorant of any messages. 

I would like to do this again, maybe for even longer, or I could try to work it into my daily routine in smaller doses. 

Creative Response: 

I had a bunch of construction paper on hand and decided to let these material guide the process. To me, construction paper is reminiscent of childhood crafts including cutting, pasting, collaging, folding, etc. These are materials that I remember spending hours at a time with as a child, before iPads and phones (I remember using an iPad for the first time at the age of 7). I wanted to use these materials as a nod to my life before constant screen use. I decided to start with the simple act of cutting strips and weaving them together. This act is tactile and somewhat mindless, but forces you to focus entirely on the task at hand. Short-form content has dominated our lives through social media and even news outlets, so by utilizing these materials in such a careful yet playful way, I fill my time through one activity rather than multi-tasking as we are so used to. Additionally, I created a collage of sorts using the rest of the scraps from the paper strips, aiming to be resourceful and limit waste.