What do allow in your life, in terms of technology? Is it a technology free for all? Do you limit your computer, cell phone, or "media" time, and why?
Has taking this course encouraged you to reconsidered the amount of technology and media in our every day lives? From the ipod, to the cell phone, televisions, facebook, emails, indeed, sometimes it just feels like too much.
What can we do to be sure to include/integrate technology, but not let it over run our lives or take too much of our time?
What about being sure to include more organic experiences in nature? Is this component essential to you in any way? What do you think about the notion that we have created a world that makes us feel excluded/separate from nature, when indeed, we are nature?
Weekly Statement 8
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while I will try to self-impose limitations on using the bits of technology that I consciously consider to be harmful, but also consciously indulge in at unhealthy levels. My most recent technological addiction was online TV shows. I kicked the traditional television habit years ago, but unfortunately most shows worth watching are available online, available to watch anytime you want, and generally, they are 100% legal.
It probably happened something like this: I’m in the middle of watching the Colbert Report and I have a little freak out. “Emerson!” A voice in my head will say, “What are you doing? This is your life! Your time! Sure he plays a convincing character, but how long can saying the opposite of what you actually mean stay funny? You need to shut that computer and climb a tree. Live!”
And so, I’ll convince myself that’s it. No more Colbert Report, no more Daily Show, and especially no more Family Guy (really, it stopped being funny years ago). But wait . . . What about the new season of South Park? There is no way I could miss the new season of South Park. Or The Office . . .I mean, that’s quality humor right? Minimal trash and maximum wit. Let’s be realistic here, every rule has its exceptions. (Self-imposed rules generally have more.) So I let them arise.
At first my self-imposed moderations will sort of work. Though not eliminated, wasteful watching habits would be reduced, and maybe I’d even be a little more productive. But before long the exceptions become the rule and I get back to where I started.
Another technological issue, that I’m sure many of my peers share with me, is Facebook. I’m going to be candid. The only reason I use Facebook is because everyone else does it, and if I didn’t participate I’d feel like I was missing out. In fact, when I’m actually on Facebook, it brings me no joy, and no satisfaction. In fact, generally I find it quite boring.
So why can’t I stop checking the ‘effin thing?
I’ve tried similar self-regulating tactics with Facebook and with a similar lack of success. “Once a day.” I would tell myself, “You can check it once a day. It’s perfectly reasonable.” And it is, but it’s just far too easy to not do. Facebook, unfortunately, has become my 5-minute break from homework. When I can’t think of what to write, for instance, I’ll take a quick peak on Facebook. Maybe complain about my workload in my “status”. Maybe check out some photos. Maybe feel annoyed by how many online quizzes people are taking. Maybe feel tempted to take one myself.
In fact, it is taking some serious mental resistance to not check my Facebook right now. Actually I’m going to do it.
Ah, that’s better.
I wonder though, if I would feel better if I replaced five-minute Facebook breaks with 10 minute walks outside. I don’t really need to wonder; I know I would. So what stops me?
It’s way easier to punch in a URL than to get up and put my shoes on.
That was a sad statement. I’m going to try to not let easiness dictate my actions. No! I will not try! I will do! Every time I feel like checking my Facebook, I will go for a walk instead. Or draw a picture, or punch myself in the face. Anything to not give in to the delicious lure of an electronic social life. Maybe I’ll even talk to someone.
Doubtful.
And the cycle continues.
For this week’s Weekly Statement I want to try answering the following questions: what do you allow in your life, in terms of technology? Is it a technology free for all? Do you limit your computer, cell phone, or "media" time, and why? I’ve been trying to think of different introductory sentences to answer these questions finitely but I’m still not sure of my technology philosophy. I don’t want to say that I am not “into” technology but I don’t want to completely give in and say that I am. I know that I can completely step away from technology for a few days and be okay. To begin, I definitely use my cell phone, laptop, and Facebook everyday. I save television for the weekends and I read my news in a hardcopy newspaper. When people ask me, “why don’t you just get a Blackberry?”, I shut the idea down immediately. The product of technology that bothers me the most is the BlackBerry. I refuse to get a Blackberry for several reasons. First off: I like using my phone for necessary reasons: texting someone about meeting time in places, questions about homework assignments, or asking other quick questions. Second, I think Blackberry’s have given more disrespect than it has given utility. Nearly every person I know who has a Blackberry texts more often than they did when they didn’t have one. I hate seeing students secretly text under the desk or behind their class when their teacher is talking to them. It’s not even a quick text. It is a long, continuous virtual dialogue and this makes me wonder: who the hell are they talking to? What kind of conversation can’t be saved for lunch or dinnertime when you see these people? There is a conversation that can be saved, technologies like the Blackberry have just made people become more obnoxious. So when I am asked if there some limits I have with my technology it would have to be, yes, with the cell phone.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to my computer time, I can honestly say that if I had to I could avoid checking my e-mail for a few days. It might be a hassle to check my e-mail days later but I can put up with a hundred e-mails to rifle through. As for my Facebook, I would have to say that that is where I have my technology “free-for-all” is unleashed. If I don’t check my Facebook for a few days, for whatever rare reasons, I get stressed out as soon as I click the “Login” button. I will see the 10’s of notifications from old or long-distanced friends checking in with which I feel obliged to reply, event invitations from people who just lost their cell phone, or messages in my inbox from people asking homework questions. I have to check this all at once before the next fleet comes in. And that is sad. Considering that other people don’t have Facebook just means that I have given myself one more thing to do for myself.
Overall, when it comes to reconsidering the amount of technology in my life having taken this course, I have. I went to a music festival, Bonnaroo, in Tennessee this summer sans showers, flushing toilets, sinks, air-conditioning, cell phone service, laptops, Ipods and any other electricity or technologies for five days. I was completely able to concentrate my mind on something else other than technologies. However, after those 5 days it came time where I needed to get back to the “real world”. So I have reconsidered that there are absurd technologies that amount in my life but these unnecessary technologies have become our real world.
Laura Gillmore was the above comment.
ReplyDeleteWeek 8
ReplyDeleteThe Spring chapter in Kalle Lasn’s Culture Jam talked about what we should do now that we have addressed the problems of a consumer driven country. Lasn says that we should think like Situationists, who thought we can choose to act normally (reflexively) and to take big risky, but genuine actions instead of cooperating with the demands of consumer culture.
A quote I agreed with was, “Our most intimate gestures have become stereotypes.” However, I did not disagree with Lasn when he said that we live in a “democracy of false desire” and that our “world (is) crushed by wasted potential.” Although our choices of play are reduced to preselected experiences, we are always making new experiences out of them and we aren’t all playing the same game. We can choose to play the same game, but play it differently with different outcomes and experiences. Our society does have creative people who use their ideas to its fullest potential.
The solution that he proposes is that we should “instead of treating vegetative, corporate-driven TV culture as something to be gently, ironically mocked, it’s time to face the whole ugly specter of our TV-addicted nation, the savage anomie of a society entranced and entrapped and living a lie.” I think this is a good thought that we should definitely take action to rid of our addiction to TV and media as a whole country. However, I think this a bit harsh/extreme to say that we are entrapped and living a lie. And although I agree that anyone can make a 30 second TV campaign that challenges the government, no one is willing to spend (nor has) that much money to create one. I think he should address the problem that our society is indeed controlled by big companies with money and connections. Our society is very media-based and activists are almost powerless because of the lack of control they have in the media.
To allow myself to not be controlled so much by technology and to limit the amount of time I use it, I will have to use my Ipod much less. As much as I love walking to the beat of music, I can force myself to listen to nature so I can actually enjoy walking outside rather than making my walk from class to home a hassle. As for television, I don’t even watch it that often. I just have my three shows that I cannot miss: South Park, Glee, 30 Rock. I also consider these shows (especially south park) as something that is educating and not limiting my time. As for Facebook, I’m screwed. My hands automatically type in “fac” and then the “down button” and then the “enter button” immediately after I gain access to the Internet. I definitely have to take Facebook off my history tab.
Connie In
Weekly statement 8
ReplyDeleteJEN SILVERSTEIN
In terms of technology, I think I am very dependent. Yesterday my cell phone died around 4:30 and I didn’t have a charger until 10:30. I felt very disconnected. When I finally turned my phone on, I had 3 voicemails from home wondering if I had died- and 3 texts from the same person asking what was wrong with my phone because her texts were not going through. It is assumed that we have our cell phones on and available at all times; if we don’t something is “wrong”. It makes me wonder how my parents grew up without cell phones, and how we can possible be so reliant. They are possibly more attached to their cell phones and laptops then I am.
I do not, however, think I am as involved with technology as my peers. I grew up without a TV in my room, wasn’t aloud to watch TV on school nights, and only on the weekends when my schoolwork was done. Nobody in my family is aloud a phone at the dinner table; if the house phones rings we don’t answer it. Because of these habits that I grew up with and have instilled in my life I am very far from a TV watcher. I can’t fall asleep with a TV on, which is increasingly difficult as I now live on a bunk bed with 2 roommates who are TV obsessed.
I do limit my time. I think part of limiting your technology time and taking a step back from it (for most of us) is a result of being over indulgent in it. When AIM was the big hit, I would go on my computer every single night for house in chat rooms with my friends. When facebook came out I spent hours uploading and thinking of what clever things I could put on my profile page. I do think that MY generation might finally be over the new technology “fads”. The new popular sites such as twitter, have zero interest to me. I have no desire to even see what its about. Because we know what its about, its going to be another way to be MORE connected with others. Thanks- but I’m connected enough.
This course specifically has changed my view on certain aspects of our culture and the environment. I am disgusted by acts that blatantly waste resources. The other day my sorority had to take a vote on the new house positions. The president of the house passed out an entire piece of paper to each of the 190 females in my sorority to simply check a box of yes or no. After the votes were counted, she put the enormous stack of paper into the garbage can next to her table. I was appalled. After moving all the paper into the recycling bin, I confronted the president about the issue. What would be wrong with raising our hands to take a vote?
Weekly Statement #12
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing Culture Jam, the questions posed in this prompt seem relevant to ask ourselves. We’re heavily surrounded by the influences of technology, and I believe it is beneficial to step back and evaluate our own use of these “conveniences”.
I don’t think this class in particular has influenced how I view being my technology and media consumption. Since beginning college it has been something that I have questioned. This is mostly due to how I was raised. Similar to what some other people had said, my parents tried to limit the amount of time we spent with technology. There was never a set hour limit, but after school I have memories of my mom telling us to go outside, or at least turn off the TV. We got a computer when I was around six years old, I loved playing Oregon Trail and Storybook Weaver with my sister. We helped each other play games, which is probably why my mom tolerated more computer time than television time.
This probably explains why most of my technology use is computer based. I rarely watch TV; there are a couple shows that I like and will turn on maybe once or twice a month, but aside from that I don’t usually turn on the TV. I love movies, but since it’s usually a couple hour investment of time I usually only watch a few a month (maybe more when school isn’t in session). I know that when I have my own house (not rented or shared) I won’t bother paying for cable, and just have a small television for the occasional movie night.
My cell phone is used mostly as a pocket watch. I have that thing in my pocket at all times, to make sure that I’m not running late (I loose track of time very easily). I feel more secure having my phone with me, knowing that in an emergency I would have some way to get help. It’s a little sad to think that in our society we can’t rely on strangers to help us in a tight spot, that if my car broke down at night I would feel unsafe flagging down a stranger to help. I usually only text-message when I need a short question answered. If it starts to go back and forth more than a couple times, I’ll just call the person because I’ve found that it gets the job done much faster and more clearly. Living away from home, I feel like having a phone helps keep me in contact with my family that I can’t afford to visit every weekend.
In those areas I feel I’m fairly conservative and aware of my use, but my computer and internet use is a little out of control. There are three web-comics that I check almost every day for updates (I’ve gotten really involved in the storylines), I check my email a few times a day, and I probably check facebook at least three times a day, and I leave it open while I’m doing homework. That is a little ridiculous. Email I only use to contact my boss and my professors, I could definitely go without if it wasn’t how everyone prefers to give homework. I would never know what to prepare for my art history class if I ignored my GSI’s emails, for example. Instead of being such a die-hard webcomic fan, I could spend the time reading an actual comic book, or an actual work of literature. While facebook gives me a way to easily get in contact with my friends who live far away, there’s no reason to be logged in constantly. Even every other day would be more than sufficient. I have a friend who gave up facebook for Lent, and I think I might do the same this year. It’s hard to just unplug yourself without any sort of incentive or motivation (especially when everyone around you is equally or more connected), but I think with the forty day goal that Lent provides will be a good starting point to “detox”, if you will. While not everyone believes in or celebrates Lent, I think self-imposing a time frame to try limiting your technological intake would be helpful to simplify our information and technological intake.
POST SPLIT IN TWO PARTS BECAUSE THERE IS A CHARACTER LIMIT AND WON'T FIT INTO ONE :(
ReplyDeleteADP III and its topics about the environment and our culture, has made me aware of how big of an issue this is. In my other art and academic classes, there has been a lot of discussion and assignments that relate or mention everything we have talked about in ADP. From culture jamming and consumption and consumerism to environmentalism and saving the world from human destruction – all these topics crossover between classes. All of our lives up until college, our subjects and topics we learn are very compartmentalize. We have social studies, math, science, English. There was very little crossover and we are trained to see each topic we learn into categories. Oh this is mathematical, or oh this is scientific. However, with this class we see how the topics are across the board for every class and “category.” I just find it amazing how everything is involved and not segmented like we have been trained to see before.
As for technology, the one I limit most is TV and next would be cell phone. My computer remains a major tool that I need to use almost all the time for either my assignments, graphic work, or some recreation. When I was younger my parents had cable but as I got older they cancelled it. I watched less and less TV and finally today I only watch a few shows that I find worth my time and interest. At school however, I almost never sit down in front of a TV set. I do not have “lounging” time. While I am at school, I find it somewhat of a waste of time. Being in the art school requires a lot of time (17 credit hours, but in reality close to 26 hours of class) in addition to homework and other extra curricular activities. I rarely ever have stretches of time where I can pass in front of a TV set. At night, if I am not at the library doing my work, then I’d like to go out and socialize or party. I find that experience more beneficial to me in the long run because I cannot do so home to the extent that I socialize here. Meeting people and being amongst them brings more satisfaction and relaxation than secluding myself in front of a TV set. The shows that I watch, I watch them after they have aired on my laptop anyway.
Since I watch less TV, I am not always bombarded by advertisements as much as others are. The whole culture jamming and corporation control is made more apparent to me because I am not as susceptible to it. This is only possible due to watching less TV or spending less time around media or ways to allow yourself to be bombarded by the media and their messages. To a certain extent, I agree with culture jamming but at the same time I find myself tied to those same corporations because the more I think about it, my future graphic design job may be tied to them as well. There is no guarantee that I can find a job with an entity who is not a mass mogul.
ReplyDeleteBeing without TV allows so much more time for being outside, especially during the summer. One of my all time favorite things to do is to go running through my neighborhood, especially on those older streets that have old timer trees growing in front of each house and forming a beautiful green canopy that is a pleasure to run under. During the spring, when the flowers bud on the trees, you can distinctly smell the nectar and the freshness of the budding green. During my runs I always make sure to stop by the elementary school park and simply go on the swings. It is such an immense bliss to swing into the bright clear blue skies tinged with beautifully contrasting leaves from the canopies of surrounding trees. The sunlight with its vitamin D is just so fulfilling. Lastly, my backyard has been one of the loves of my life no matter where I have lived. Perhaps the most enchanting moment of my life is at twilight when the fireflies come out in the summer and create a shimmering atmosphere amongst the grayed out green. As much as I enjoy urbanization and at times consumerism, I cannot imagine a world without such delights and it is really upsetting to me when my generation does not find appreciation for such small things such as nature, or they hardly know it exists other than as a soccer field or patch of fertilized grass outside their house. I have to say at home I have been blessed to have a non fertilized yard that grows forest type grass instead of the perfect manicured lawn and I have a variety of trees that overshadow my home. To replace this feeling here in Ann Arbor, I find myself often running in the Arb. My favorite thing to do after a run is sit on a downhill slope that has these rows of cut tree stumps and contemplate the beauty, fresh air, and the noisy silence of birds and rustling of leaves. Not to mention, having a river so close to us is a surreal experience. Being from the metropolitan area of New York, there is no such river that one can merely stroll along and enjoy its bubbling streaming sounds. What would we do without all this? Life without nature is not life at all.
For me personally, I do not really set a limit as to how much time I used technology, I just make sure I get enough sunlight within a week’s timeframe. I learned this mostly during the end of last semester and a bit of the summer. I noticed that I was always working into four or five in the morning, and then I would end up sleeping for a good half of the day. At one point, I realized how depressing it was. I was also freelancing, doing computer graphics for several different companies, so I was always on the computer the entire night. I decided to stop at a certain point at night and drag myself up earlier. On top of that, I made sure I walked outside for a good one to two miles to get some fresh air before starting work. I also limit my computer time when it comes to finals that do not require it. I don’t really think technology is bad, I just feel like people need to know what their limit is and stay well below that limit. I also read somewhere that not getting enough sunlight is one factor that leads to depression. Having a balance is essential, however, I don’t think I will ever live technology free, nor will I attempt to. I appreciate the amount of opportunities that these technologies bring me, for example, I don’t want to spend an entire day traveling some place 10 or 15 miles away by foot to buy groceries when I don’t have the luxury of time to do so. Although technology has freed up a lot of time, I still feel as if there isn’t enough time to finish all that I want to accomplish in a day, I cringe at the thought of spending an entire day buying groceries.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never been a big television person, up until entering college people would always talk about these shows that I never heard about. For example, the famous Friends or Gilmore Girls. I would simply nod my head and try to pretend I was following along, and then go home later to look online for a general synopsis. Nowadays, I just rely on the Internet for shows if I get bored while working on an art project. I’ve never really been influenced by commercials, if anything; my classmates were walking advertisements that exposed me to certain products. I love nature, and I love being outside. Every year, my family along with a couple other close family friends go camping for 4-5 days during July 4th weekend. The entire time, we remain computer free, Internet free, and keep texting and calling to a minimum. What I love about our camping trips; is that we just let ourselves forget about “reality” and sit around in a pow-wow around the campfire day and night and just talk without end. All the while, snacking on fruits and nuts. Our same group of people travel up north skiing during Christmas for several days and follow a similar routine with no computers, television, etc. Instead of sitting in a pow-wow for the entire day, we ski the entire day and then at night we gather in one family’s hotel room and drink hot chocolate and enjoy each other’s company. Certainly it’s not Ralph Waldro Emerson ideal, it is still time away from our daily computer usage. In the future, I do plan on working in graphics, and I understand that it will probably place in front of the computer for hours on end, and I will probably be working under a large business mogul. I won’t deny that I do want to make a living for myself, and preferably a 9-5 time frame because I don’t to end up the same way I did this past summer working into the break of dawn.
Weekly Statement 9
Shaili Das
ReplyDeleteWeekly Response #10
If I said that this class has caused me to stop using technology or even stop being hooked to my little” gadgets” id be lying. What I can say is that through this class I have been exposed to how much people do rely on technology every day. Before this class I didn’t even think about things like this but after reading a culture jam and our discussions in class I sometimes wonder about how much I am on my computer/cell phone/ etc in comparison to how much I really NEED to be on it.
One of the questions you pose is what I allow in technology and how much I use it. I feel like the one thing id like to change with my use of technology is how much time I spend on my phone. I am one of those “crackberry addicts” is what people like to call it. I use my phone to log onto my back account, read my emails, text and call. My phone has all my important activities on it and other important assignments. It scares me when my phone I sat 5% battery because I know that if people needed to get a hold of me they wont be able to. Ever since I got the blackberry I enjoy being connected through email and everything else but its also very stressful. Every time I receive an email I have the urge to open it that second and reply to it if I have to. The saddest thing is I know I can’t go back. I had to use a normal phone for a week because my phone had broken and it was different. This is because I guess I rely so much on my phone for my day-to-day activities that I found it bizarre that my phone wasn’t going off frequently.
As for facebook, I can honestly say I'm not the biggest fan. Writing on peoples wall and doing hat is not the way I work. I feel like if you need to communicate with someone then just text them or call them. I usually go a day or two without facebook because I'm not writing on people’s walls and therefore people aren’t responding to mine.
Lastly, the computer. I feel like since we are college students we are always on the computer. But I can honestly say I'm mostly doing work on it. From researching to writing papers to working on projects most of my work is on the computer. Yes, I do have my side distractions going on in the background like AIM and iTunes but I think that the amount of work I attempt to do on my computer outweighs my random side conversations that are going along.
When it comes to the question if I can live without these gadgets I can say I have. Ever summer I go to India and for 2 weeks I go to the rural parts of India where I don’t have access to these gadgets of mine. But when I come back I come back to more emails and more texts and its back to the same routine. Sadly, there is no way out of this vortex, I guess you can modify it but there is no way to get completely rid of it.
Week 9
ReplyDeleteThe Summer chapter in Kalle Lasne’s Collapse teaches us who to direct our rage at and how to do it. I like his analogy about directing raging at a corporation: “trying to get personal with a system is like trying to get personal with a broken toaster… you just end up feeling stupid, because your rage makes no difference at all.” He points out the problem in our media-consumer trance society is that no one is to blame for it. There is nowhere to generate our anger towards and it’s easy to get depressed. When watching a TV, you don’t want to get up, and you eventually miss the opportunity to turn off the television, get off the couch, and do something with your life. You get angry and depressed with yourself for not mustering up the energy to get off the couch, when really it is not your fault.
Lasne also proposes ideas of how to direct our anger towards corporations. He uses an example of a lady who often gets back at corporations that send her unsolicited faxes. She sends back a black sheet of paper, draining the corporation’s printer of memory and toner, with a small white message that reads “Don’t fax me at home again.” Although I think this is clever and funny, I think this method is extreme and unnecessary. Ignoring it is the better way to go. Who knows if the company will actually read the fax that the lady sent back. They’ll probably end up sending her another one whether she sends that black sheet of paper or not.
Two statements that I did agree with, however, are: “It [a corporation] may sometimes apologize, but that’s not remorse—that’s public relations,” and “we must learn to direct our anger, not inwardly at ourselves, but outwardly at the beauty industry.”
Connie In
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKrista Boyd
ReplyDeleteWeekly Statement #8
November 23, 2009
To answer your questions “What do allow in your life, in terms of technology? Is it a technology free for all? Do you limit your computer, cell phone, or "media" time, and why? I’m not going to pretend that I don’t allow a lot of technology in my life because I do. After a long stressful day at school, I love to come home and watch my favorite TV shows because watching TV helps me relax. While watching my favorite shows, I admit that I serf the web for personal use and school research use for hours at a time. And occasionally or a lot of time my phone will ring during all this TV watching, Internet surfing and I’ll answer it.
So, to answer your question as to what do I allow in my life as far as technology anything and everything because I feel I need it to get through my day and more importantly, to get through school. I feel I don’t have the luxury of picking what kinds of technology I allow in my life.
I blame our society for that because everything is either on the Internet or TV. For example, it used to be that if you were looking for a job you would go into that place you were interested in and fill out on application and probably even talk to a manager. Yeah like I said it used to be that way. Now, if you are looking for a job and you find one, there is no going into that place in filling out an application and talking to a manager because almost every company wants you to apply online and you’re lucky if you get a call back. Everything is done online even watching TV. So how can I limit my technology when our society is dependent on it so much? I can’t, I have no choice.
Reading Culture Jam has opened my mind to the amount of technology that we use in our everyday life and after reading Culture Jam; I have to say that I find myself getting annoyed with myself while I’m watching TV, and I try to limit my internet use and TV watching but, honestly it’s hard to do. It’s a work in progress
Penn – During the school year, I do indulge quite a bit in my electronic gadgets. Because so much of my life is tied to the internet and adobe programs, access to television shows, stumbling, facebook and talking with friends is too close – only a few seconds away. School makes me connected to the artificial academic world, and in doing so, I allow myself to be connected to the media driven artificial world. My phone is usually on, so anyone who wants to contact me can from anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet is a great stress escape. I can get lost in a fantasy world with 25 minutes of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ where a run or bike ride would take 2 or 3 hours of time. I often cannot afford that time commitment. In a way, it wouldn’t be a limit on using my technology, but rather a limit on being away from it. During the summer, the telephone is off for weeks at a time and the computer keyboard collects dust… so my net time with technology throughout the year seems healthy.
What this course has done is make me more aware of my consumption. I felt pretty eco-friendly walking into this course – no meat, sea food etc. for 11 years, volunteer at a recycling center during the summer, drive conservatively (mostly), and work for programs that promote outdoor education – but ADP 3 has added a complexity about all aspects of life. Almost everything I encounter in school life is artificial – man-made and controlled. The course has not encouraged me to do anything different, but rather think about my actions differently.
One thing that does act well as a stress escape is something I have taken from a friend’s birthday request. He wanted all his friends to not send him gifts, but instead go outside and ‘fox walk’ using ‘wide-angle vision’ barefoot on mother earth for 5 minutes, and write back to him and tell of our experiences. These two methods of movement, fox walking and wide-angle vision, are Native American techniques that allow you to be completely immersed in your surroundings, and force you to slow down. It can be the best vacation from the ‘real world’, and I have only done it twice this semester, but both times have been fantastic. We need to do is find our own mini connections to the real outside world.
Connie Huang
ReplyDeletePost #12
I’ve been more aware of the time I spend using the computer since I’ve been in class. I’ve always been technically savvy since I was young. Sometimes I feel like I can’t ever get away from technology since it’s my job to help students with technical issues at work. I am constantly reminded about technical problems at work through e-mails even when I’m not working. I do get a bit of anxiety when I go into work and its sunny out then stare at a computer screen for 6 hours then walk out and its dark outside. I feel like I’ve wasted the entire day. As a film production major I don’t think I’ll ever really get away from technology. I love and hate it as the same time. I love how I can use it to make beautiful images and show them to the world. I hate it when it doesn’t work.
I like technology but I don’t think it should take the place of all social interaction. Many times while I’m editing a film I need a coffee break with a friend just to get away from everything. The same goes for online social networks. Facebook should be used as a way to make plans to meet up with friends not the place to meet them. I do love how technology has made it convenient for people to get their ideas out in the world. Such as blogs, there are so many interesting blogs out there. Websites like Flickr are great ways for photographers to showcase their work. The website has even started a thing called Flickr meetups. Flickr meetups is where a group of photographers meet and spend a day or a couple hours just walking around taking pictures. I think that’s a fantastic way to use technology to meet new people.
I don’t watch too much TV simply because I don’t have time! But I do sort of take small breaks here and there. I started noticing that I need to watch at least a half hour of TV before I go to bed just to dumb down from the day. That is probably a bad habit to develop because I stay up for no reason other than to watch TV.
I do limit my cell phone time. I’ve never been a big cell phone talker because I never saw the cell phone as a device to have a conversation with someone on. I saw it as a way to let people know where they need to be, where you are, or a way to communicate something very quickly. I get really irritated when people just keep talking I have to constantly say bye to cut them off. If you really want to talk to me lets go to a coffee shop instead. I really limit myself on texting. I think it’s extremely rude when a person is texting every 2 minutes when you are hanging out with them. And if a text requires more than 2 texts to say something then I call them because it’s getting ridiculous by that point. And I absolutely hate when people ask “how are you?” through a text. If you really cared how I am at least call.
As I said before I think technology should be used a way to make connecting with friends outside of the virtual world easier but not as the main source of communicating.