iParticipate One for 12 hour media deprivation
My experience in giving up all media in my life for a period of 12 hours was one of stressful freedom. Not having to check on my IPhone for messages, sports updates, e-mail and a whole lot more presented a feeling of liberty for me. The IPhone is a very convenient tool to ease the activities of daily life while also being a type of lock on my life. I feel a compulsive need to check my phone for something as minute as a snapchat from my friend, Sawyer, to an email from my English professor that could be of great importance. Important updates are what kept me worried the most as I prefer to stay in the loop but sometimes being outside of the world of media presents a chance to be just human. Without a phone one is forced to directly interact with those around him and not read some article about an NFL player whom he'll never meet.
Television was by far the easiest to avoid as I don't watch much of it to begin with while I check my IPhone on a frequent basis making that device the most difficult to keep tucked away. I noticed a reoccurring pattern throughout the experience as whenever I kept myself occupied, whether it was eating breakfast and doing laundry, being away from the media was much easier. My attention always diverts to whatever my present task is and that proved to be quite the useful distraction from my deprivation. However, as soon as I finished my pancakes or made my bed with clean sheets that stressful freedom kicked right back into gear. Essentially, the pattern I noticed was I would perform a task to occupy my mind, then my downtime would come into play and the media deprivation became relevant again until I reached my next daily task. Keeping the mind occupied always makes the time go by faster which is even nicer if you really want to check if any player on your fantasy football team have torn their ACL and are out for the season (cough) Julian Edelman (cough).
As I stated earlier I love to stay in the loop, preferably the entertainment and sports news loop. Being unable to check CBS Sports for the latest news in the crazy off-season of the NBA and not listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Collider Movie Talk, made me exceptionally antsy in the downtime. This did, however, open up opportunities to speak with my peers about said topics instead of listening/reading to more professional inputs. Finding similar interests with my fellow students is a superb way to create friendships and this experience made that possibility a reality. Not being able to stay in touch with my family was perhaps the most difficult as my folks live three hours north of here so that's where the convenience of media really comes in handy.
Media plays a crucial role in my life and that role will only expand with my heavy interest in Journalism and Broadcasting. Most of it is good as the media keeps me informed and not only the key events in the world but the aspects of life that give me passion such as football and film. Having the ability to get in touch with my father when he's on a business trip thousands of miles away is truly remarkable as is being able to share my thoughts with the world with media tools such as Blogger. I love being able to make social plans with my friends with ease and joining a fantasy football league with my family. This immense power to communicate with others outside of WKU is a gift while being a blight as well. The media keeps me from reaching out to those around me more whether it be in the food court or in my residence hall and this does not demonize media as solely bad; the media's pros far outweigh it's cons in my book. I can ask my dad how his trip to San Francisco was while make plans to get lunch with my friends, Jake and Brandon, this weekend so media can also enhance the quality of our lives. Just be wary not to indulge your life completely into the media as there is much more out there that can only be experienced with just you and you alone; no electronic tools just the human spirit.
Television was by far the easiest to avoid as I don't watch much of it to begin with while I check my IPhone on a frequent basis making that device the most difficult to keep tucked away. I noticed a reoccurring pattern throughout the experience as whenever I kept myself occupied, whether it was eating breakfast and doing laundry, being away from the media was much easier. My attention always diverts to whatever my present task is and that proved to be quite the useful distraction from my deprivation. However, as soon as I finished my pancakes or made my bed with clean sheets that stressful freedom kicked right back into gear. Essentially, the pattern I noticed was I would perform a task to occupy my mind, then my downtime would come into play and the media deprivation became relevant again until I reached my next daily task. Keeping the mind occupied always makes the time go by faster which is even nicer if you really want to check if any player on your fantasy football team have torn their ACL and are out for the season (cough) Julian Edelman (cough).
As I stated earlier I love to stay in the loop, preferably the entertainment and sports news loop. Being unable to check CBS Sports for the latest news in the crazy off-season of the NBA and not listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Collider Movie Talk, made me exceptionally antsy in the downtime. This did, however, open up opportunities to speak with my peers about said topics instead of listening/reading to more professional inputs. Finding similar interests with my fellow students is a superb way to create friendships and this experience made that possibility a reality. Not being able to stay in touch with my family was perhaps the most difficult as my folks live three hours north of here so that's where the convenience of media really comes in handy.
Media plays a crucial role in my life and that role will only expand with my heavy interest in Journalism and Broadcasting. Most of it is good as the media keeps me informed and not only the key events in the world but the aspects of life that give me passion such as football and film. Having the ability to get in touch with my father when he's on a business trip thousands of miles away is truly remarkable as is being able to share my thoughts with the world with media tools such as Blogger. I love being able to make social plans with my friends with ease and joining a fantasy football league with my family. This immense power to communicate with others outside of WKU is a gift while being a blight as well. The media keeps me from reaching out to those around me more whether it be in the food court or in my residence hall and this does not demonize media as solely bad; the media's pros far outweigh it's cons in my book. I can ask my dad how his trip to San Francisco was while make plans to get lunch with my friends, Jake and Brandon, this weekend so media can also enhance the quality of our lives. Just be wary not to indulge your life completely into the media as there is much more out there that can only be experienced with just you and you alone; no electronic tools just the human spirit.
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