iExamen

Tara Dawley

Techno Free

        Going into this iExamen I thought I had a good grasp on how technology played a role in my life.  The day I chose to examine my use of technology my phone alarm decided not to work, which made me late to class (the irony) so from the beginning of the day I was conscience of technology.  As soon as I got out of class I checked my email, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram….and three minutes later I checked again. I noticed that I checked all my social networking devices again and again knowing nothing has changed.  No one had tweeted, posted a new picture and no teacher has cancelled class for the day.   

       As the day went on I noticed not only my own interactions with technology but also other people’s interactions.  Walking through the student center I noticed that people used their phones to pass time or avoid awkward eye contact from people walking in the opposite direction.  Why are we all afraid to look at each other?  If I saw a stranger looking at me, it should not make me feel awkward because I do not know anything about them and they do not know anything about me.  The chances that I make “awkward eye contact” with that person again and either one of us remembers is slim to none; so why does it matter?  Why do we need to pretend to text someone to avoid these situations? 

      After I finished my classes I turned off my phone, computer, and iPad, and decided to do homework.  This was surprisingly difficult because as hard as teachers claim that technology only dominates my generation, they still make all the homework due somehow electronically.  Instead I went and talked to my friends for an hour.  Nothing changed.  It was reassuring to know that my friends and I did not have a wall of technology up between us, like many people think are between each person of our generation.  

       After a little more than an hour I turned my phone and computer back on to find a couple emails, new tweets and updated Instagram pictures but in reality nothing was different.  I was able to see the select “acceptable Facebook pictures” of people that I had not talked to in months and the cryptic tweets that make people seem so emotionally unstable but these things did not change my life.  I started my homework and continued with the rest of my day.