iexamen 10/4/21

I practiced self-observation using the iExamen on Saturday, October 2, 2021, from the moment I awoke until it was time to sleep. I reached for my phone as soon as I opened my eyes, curious as to if I had received any new messages from friends and family while I was asleep. I go through my daily ritual of checking Snapchat, Instagram, and Tik Tok, getting updated on how everyone’s night went. After a good hour and a half of social media and texting my boyfriend a good morning, I got up to greet my roommates who had a little too much to drink the night before. I wished them good morning and cracked a joke about their hangover as Karine held her head in pain from a headache, Roci was already up and about at work, and Vanessia looked through the cabinets for tea. I was able to tell that they took the joke lightly as their body language's reacted positively. This is something I know I wouldn’t have been able to tell nor would I have been able to experience through text as I wouldn’t have seen them in the morning. 

I had been messaging my partner back and forth about our night, and plans for the day in between this routine, as we usually give each other little details every second we get. But while texting I am unable to hear what his tones and voice are vocalizing, as I miss the clarity body language and facial expressions are able to provide when communicating in person. Before I go out for the day, I message my boyfriend again, explaining that I'll be running errands and won't be able to communicate as I'll be practicing my iExamen 1-hour device break. I take the iExamen to my advantage and go shopping for gifts to give to my boyfriend on our anniversary. But what I failed to realize was that shopping was frustrating when you are unable to google ideas and compare prices online. As I start to get mentally lost without my device and google, I swing by my friend's business to talk to him and get gift ideas. We discuss what I should purchase for my anniversary, then backtrack and start reminiscing about our high school days. I realized that I was able to have this interaction because of iExamen and for that moment I entirely forgot about my phone. It felt relaxing that I didn’t need to have my phone chiming in and noticeably, due to me not being on my phone, my friend did not bring his up as well. As we parted ways, I got concerned again, that I may have missed a crucial text message while I was away from it. Being without my phone was uncomfortable since I felt empty-handed and uneasy alone. I made multiple awkward eye contact with strangers as I didn't have somewhere else to look. Normally, I would have been able to fake-look at my phone, but at that time, I had nothing else to do except be myself. When the hour was up and my timer went off, I quickly unlocked my phone and texted my companion. After my hour, I recognized how engrossed I was in technology, but how vital it appeared to be to me; I had a subconscious belief that I required technology and social media. Later that night I went on a date with my partner, I put aside my phone, and appreciated his in-person existence with me as we ate dinner and talked. I had missed being with him as text could only do so much justice for us.

Before I started this exercise, I thought I'd be able to do it without any struggles because I didn’t post on social media often nor have many friends to contact on a regular basis other than my partner, but I immediately realized that I couldn't do it. I kept thinking about my phone and wanting to check it for absolutely no reason, it felt as if having my phone was part of my body. I believe alot of younger generations go through this similar problem of technological dependence as well. Due to us being raised in a time where there is a heavy emphasis on technology, many do not realize but we have built a subconscious need for technology. I had no clue how uneasy I felt mentally or how hard it was for my thoughts to function without technology. On the other hand, if it weren't for technology, I wouldn't be able to communicate with my loved ones. Just like many others in this world, I have loved ones across the globe, and without technology, I wouldn't have been able to conveniently keep in touch with them. But, I realized one needs to start to notice how technology affects our communication and social skills as well as the role it plays in our life. We should be able to fight off any addictions related to technology


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