Living One Week Without Technology

These days in the dorms, I have found that I am engaging with less and less technology, but the two forms of technology that I do use are becoming more obsessively used and relied on. These days I only need my cell phone and laptop to get through the day. Half of the reason why I use my laptop so much is because I am required to for classes. Therefore if I had to go a week without it I believe I could easily survive. The more important electronic is my phone because it basically holds my life in its tiny frame. Its my access to my friends, family, internet, maps, etc. One night as I was going home, my phone suddenly turned off because it had no battery. I panicked and was seriously scared for my life. I realized that my phone makes me safe and confident. Living without my phone seems impossible.

Response to Article

The article that I chose to respond to was the second one. It talks about how media and advertising through social networks is affective because social networks are addictive to students. Many constantly check their twitter, facebook, etc at least a couple times a day, including when they wake up and go to sleep. The article suggests that it would be smart for the people in charge of the media companies to manipulate this knowledge to their advantage. I agree with the article. If people wanted to advertise their products on the media to teenagers, what better way but to show them constantly every day. It also seems to be supported by the network that they enjoy so they believe it is “cooler.” The only part that bothered me about the article was the statistics. I could not believe that the first thing so many people do when they wake up is check their social networks. It shows how, as a civilization, we are becoming more and more reliant on technology. Therefore, it would be a good idea to live for at least one week without any form of technology and see how life is easier or harder. I say one week and not one day because I once watched a program about four or five different people who were addicted to technology tried living without technology for a week. You need some time to get used to living without technology. Some people might experience something similar to withdrawal but after three or four days, you realize that life is much simpler, calmer, and enjoyably without constantly updating your facebook or tweeting about what you just did.