This last weekend I involuntarily participated in our 48-hour fast. I say involuntarily because I forgot my charger on our road trip up to a graduation, and I was left phone-less for a few days. It was actually really hard to not look at a device a few times a day, but after I made a few observations about what was going on around me; it was a little more fun to partake in this experiment. All this observing kind of made me feel really weird just people watching, but it did help the time pass a lot quicker.
The Demographics of Tech Use:
I know there are plenty of studies out there on this, but this is what I personally observed. Like I said, I was up north for a graduation but I was also there for a birthday party. Needless to say there were a lot of pictures being taken. The ones with the cameras and telling everyone where to go were the women. I don't think I saw one male take a single picture this weekend, except for my brother when he stole the camera out of my wife's hands as a joke. The men were guilty of looking at their phones more. The women would choose to talk to each other more and take plenty of pictures, while the men would look at their phone. The age groups also used tech differently. The older folk(45-70) hardly, if ever, looked at their phones or a television. While the younger demographic would usually use a phone to supplement their storytelling. The toddler's even know about technology. When their parents would take out their phones, it's almost as if you can see the child say "that looks expensive; let me slobber all over it." They like looking at the screens if there is something moving on it like a game or a cartoon.
How Addicted I Really Am:
I swear I could feel my pocket vibrate throughout the day even though my phone was off. It is the weirdest feeling. I would go to look at it and while reaching for it I would realize that it was all a part of my imagination. It was a weird feeling. I would go to look at it during the day when things slowed down, and not even think twice about it. I would get my phone out and be bummed out that it was dead, so I couldn't solve my boredom. This was a blessing in disguise though as I filled that time playing with my nieces or talking to some cousins. It was a little frustrating to try to talk to them, and their eyes were glued to a screen.
This was a great eye opener for me. I knew I relied on tech a lot, but I didn't realize how much it was a part of my daily routine. Hopefully I can schedule a few hours a day where I can get away from it all and do something outside or making something.
