You are digital natives. You have grown up with electronic media. Think about what it would be like to live, even briefly, without these tools and toys. Go to the link below and read the article. Then write a reflective comment. Your comment should be one or two paragraphs in length and should demonstrate that you have thought about the article. Your writing should express an opinion and should address questions that I ask in my posting. Spelling, punctuation and grammar count as part of the assessment.
How would you feel if you were required to go without electronic media for 24 hours? What sorts of things would you have to give up if you did this? Are you dependant upon electronic media to the same degree that the students in the article are or are you different? What do you think that you would do with the extra time that you would have? What would be your biggest problem and how would you deal with it?
Longest Day Article
12 comments:
A day without electronics, is almost like a day without food. We do not NEED it for that one day but you just want to have it, your body believes it needs it. That is why as I read the article I began to wonder about the struggle the world would have even if all of our friendly electronic devices ceased to work for that one day?
Many ideas hit me, and one of those ideas hit me because it was discussed in another class. It was communication. We need it to survive, to keep up with the latest news. The ability to speak over two languages isn't as "special" as it was 200, 300 years ago. And for one reason now you can translate over the net. Work no longer needs days, weeks, months and even years to reach its required destination, instead it is replaced with seconds and with those with a low broadband connection maybe a minute.
My 24 hours without media could only be accomplished by one simple remedy, which is sleep and reading. However even now I can read the best of books online, but that is a thought I would have to put away. So instead I would sleep more, read more, and even, dare I say it go outside.
And so as I reflect on our need for technology, I also reflect on our wanting for technology. The new high for the 21st century. The internet.
A day without the media is like a day without a life’s necessity. A humans body gets used to the technology untill the point you say, if I don’t get a car instead of a bicycle, i am staying here for the rest of my life. That is why as I go along reading this article, I think about all the conflicts a human with have without the technology used daily from MP3 players to robots.
Many of those paragraphs I read, made me think what if I were in the place of those students having to take that class? Would it make worse or better than I am? After thinking of these two questions I answered my self, my life would not be pleasant without my cell phone, asking for homework, friends to come over. And it would not be any helpful without my iPod, hurting my grades from avoiding the listening to music while having a mile run in PE class.
In my opinion the use of media either it is iPod, internet, cell phones, ECT…, is one of life’s most needed necessities. They are just like the three golden aspects of a human’s life.
After reading this article I’m quite surprised at how electronically dependent some people are. Because when you think about it, nearly all of our everyday inventions weren’t around 100 years ago. I am definitely not as electronically dependent as these college students, but the reason probably is that I don’t have the same freedoms that a nineteen-year-old has.
Well how would I feel if I had to give up my media requirements for one day? Well that has happened to me as a punishment. It was quite frustrating, but I’d imagine if you’re an outdoor person, or a person who likes to play board games it’s quite all right. For me I easily give up IM and Face book because they bore me and I don’t use them, I had a little more trouble with giving up personal ring tones and cell phones, but the hardest thing was giving up TV and the internet because they are the spinal cord of media entertainment, and they’re something I hope I won’t have to give up again. My biggest problem was frustration and not knowing what to do, and dealing with it, would be using my extra time wisely, by reading books, magazines and articles (which I usually do without a media fast), or play outdoors. Also a person could play board games like chess and monopoly. So having dealt with the same thing as these college students, I know what there frustration is about.
When I read this article I wasn't the least bit surprised at the reaction of the students who endured "the longest day". Just name a normal teenager who doesn't use facebook or IM or cellphones at least once a day. It is part of our society and the number of people using it is growing larger and larger.
If I had to endure these e-media free 24 hours, I would feel like a prisoner, totally isolated from the outside world. People nowadays are so dependent on their cellphones that if your cellphone breaks or just isn't turned on you're basically declared dead. Sometimes it seems scary that we just HAVE to switch on our cellphones in the morning, or we just HAVE to check our e-mail when we get home from school. It's become like an addiction or the whole world. However I don't think this addiction will be the world's end, we've got bigger life-on-earth-threatening things going on.
As I said earlier, name one teenager who doesn't use facebook, IM or cellphones at least once a day. I definitly use electronic media as much as the students in the article. You probably have to be VERY different to be different from the students in the article.
With the extra time I got from my e-media fast I would probably read more and sleep more. These are the two things that I feel deprived of because i use e-media, the two only things. My biggest problem would probably be resisting the temptation which I'm sure it would be for most people, just because e-media is all around us. I think it would be very very noticable for someone trying to fast from it that e-media is a major part of out society and we just can't live without it. Now if you'll excuse me I have to check my facebook.
This article, basically, explained our strong attachment to present day technology. The professor, Danna L. Walker, assigned the students a simple task, asking them to break the bonds with technology for twenty- four hours. In other words, no usage of television, I- pods, computers, or any other electronic object was permitted. They were also assigned an essay explaining their feelings during that day. Most students stated that it was nearly impossible, saying that television and internet was part of their culture. Few said that it opened up time to perform activities they did not usually do, such as read a book for fun and spend time with their families. Some explained that it was a pleasure to not hear your cell- phone ringing in inappropriate times.
If I were sitting in one of the students places and was given this assignment, I would share the majority’s opinion, that it is nearly impossible. Television, computer, internet, and music are part of my life. I spend hours a day on the television, watching shows and hours on the internet instant messaging and checking my e-mail. Moreover, my cell- phone is essential in my daily schedule. How can I contact my friends or contact my family, when I need to talk to them about certain things, without cell phones, land phones, and e-mail? But, because one of my characteristics is always putting in all my effort to finishing an assignment, I will spend 24 hours without the usage of electronics. To achieve my goal, I will have to stop watching television, stop using my computer, stop listening to music, stop calling friends and family, and stop playing video games. Furthermore, I will have to avoid temptation for using the electronics. To prevent temptation for using electronics, I will unplug my computer's cord, my Sony PlayStation 2 cord, and give them to one of my parents to hide, along with my I-pod.
During the time, I will probably perform activities I rarely do. For example, I will wake up and take a jog. When I return from my jog, I will take time to read the newspaper, instead of watching the News. Throughout the afternoon, I will visit my family. Before I sleep, I will sit down and read a book of my choice. From my experience, I know that planning your day is better than doing things randomly. Close to the end of my fifth year in school, we were given an assignment similar to the one in the article. We were not allowed to watch television for a week. For me, this was extremely challenging. I was tempted to watch television, as I heard the conversations coming from the television, in the living room. In our time, communication is mostly made by telephone and research is made on the internet. The usage of books has become rare.
In conclusion, I would have to say, from experience, that today’s generation of people is dependent on electronics. It has become a necessity in a average person’s life.
A day without technology is a day of disaster for me. I completely understand how these college students feel. Except I was surprised that no one cheated and used technology.
These days there is nothing to do that doesn't have modern-day technology. If you wanted to have fun you would probably go in the computer or watch T.V. If you wanted to go out with your friends you need cellephones to call them. If you wanted to order food you would need phones. About everything needs electricity.
24 hours without electricity on a holiday is a big pain. If it was on a school day it might've been okay because the school takes away half your day awake. so when you come back you won't have as much time left as you would on a holiday.
If I had to stay 24 hours without technology I would probably end up cheating. Because I could go out and play basketball or soccer but that would only be an hour gone. And I already sleep the maximam people can so I would have nothing to do. But if you had to do it or else I would get shot or something like that. Then my day would be like this:
-I would sleep as much as I can
-Take as long of a shower as I can
-brush my teeth for as long as I can
-have my breakfast in a restaurant and stay there for a really long time.
- then I would go play basketball sweat a lot
- I would swim for a really long time
-then take another really really long shower
-Then I would hang out with my friends for a really long time
-then have dinner
-then go have desert in another restaurant
-then go home and sleep
That would probably be how i would spend my no technology 24 hours. Hopefully I will never have to do it.
In our generation, not only are we finding it harder to survive without electronic media, but we are truly addicted to all the technological devises surrounding us. Before reading this article I thought I could survive 24 hours without using any electronic devise. But the more I think it through, the more I notice how much it is part of our everyday lives. Not only would I feel lost, but also worried that it would take me much longer to find out what is happing to the world around us. To many of us, books have faded to something only from the past. Now, internet, television, cell phones, and radios are what keep us up to date. Video games, iPods, and MP3 players are also devises that make us entertained. These are the type of electronic devises that I would have to give up in ordered to live without electronic media for 24 hours.
Personally though, I think an entire day without television, radio, or an iPod would not affect me as much as it did with the students in this article. I felt like they were over exaggerating things since they only had to survive without electronic devises for one day and not the rest of their lives. In one day, I could actually think of many things to do without using electronic devises. Alone, I could read a book, sleep in the afternoon, and do more exercise. If I wanted to hang out with my friends, we could go to a restaurant, shop, or even play board games or cards to keep us busy.
Personally, I would have two major problems in not using electronic devises for an entire day. First, I cannot go through an entire day without using my cell phone. Not only would it be harder to connect with other people, it would also be annoying not to be able to talk to friends that are far away. But more important than that, is not knowing what is happing to the world all around us by watching television or checking the internet. Especially since I would be tempted to know what is happing in the Middle East every hour. I could read the newspaper but it would be hard since it is not updated every hour. That is especially important to me because I always want to know what is happing to my country Iraq, during the war.
In conclusion, the electronic media is part of our everyday life weather we relies it or not, and living in this generation only makes it harder for us to survive without it!
When I first read the article, I thought I would be traveling back in time into the Stone Age and probably my name would be Wilma Flintstone!!!!! How fun. I don’t think I can survive without my cell phone or even my laptop for half an hour. If I had to do this assignment I would probably feel like a loner. I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things with my friends or my family because it would require the use of "technology". I don’t even think a lot of people had the problem with not using a car for one day? But I can't help but think how in the world I am going to get around without one. I wouldn’t want to spend my whole day at home just to pass the 24 hour assignment! I'd want to do something productive with my time… but in order to do that I'd have to give up some things of my everyday schedule, such as:
- My cell phone!!!!!!
- The Computer and internet
- Transportation; cars etc
- My Ipod & PSP
- my electric toothbrush (the spiny thing)!
The students in the article, I felt, were sort of more dependent on the use of electronic devices more than I am. In the beginning I thought they were making a mountain out of a molehill. But I realized that I feel the same way the students felt, but I think I'm a little less dependent. Maybe I would be swimming in dunes with a friend, playing a board game, reading, writing, going out to eat or shop. There are lot things you can do without electronics and yet there are lot things you could do with electronics. So it’s a struggle of balance with me.
Adaptation is the secret for surviving. So, I understand why we, in the 21rst century would find it so hard to adapt without technology. My hardest problem would be to go without my cell phone and communicating with my friends and people not in the same country as I am rite now. I would probably deal with it by going around, for that day, trying not to phone distant calls and talking face to face.
This article really opened my eyes on what is happening to the society we live in and how it's affecting us on a daily basis. Immediately, I thought sure I could survive 24 hours without all the electronic media. But then as I read more and more I started to have doubts in myself and some what I think I would react as those college students reacted. If I had to do this many if the basic stuff I do each day would change dramatically. I mean usually when I'm at school nothing would defer much but if it was a holiday it would be hard for me. I would have to keep thinking of alternatives, I mean how could I possibly arrange an outing with my friends on the week-end, I would probably have to go visit them just to tell them lets do something today. It kind of sound ridiculous but that's the only way.
I could probably find alternatives for watching TV or using the computer like reading a book, spending more time with family, going to restaurants, and many other things. But in my opinion the main problem is the phone; I think I would really feel trapped without this electronic device. This is a huge problem because the phone feels like my connection with other people, and now thinking about that TV would be a major problem for me too. I think TV is like my gate way to the entire world, I mean without I would have plenty of time doing absolutely nothing, I mean in normal days that would be my time of watching TV, whether its on entertainment channels or news channels to catch up on the world. To fix my issues I think I would replace TV with newspapers for news, going to the mall instead of watching shows, but for the phone part I think the only replacement is to talk with the person you want to talk with in person.
I think I'm some what less than those college students some of them said the wouldn’t survive. I think I will but it would be really hard especially nowadays where everything revolves around technology.
accidently put mine on test
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