I'll be the first to admit, when I first heard about this assignment I thought there was no way in hell I would make it 24 hours without a cell phone, ipod, or computer. I work 4 days a week with about 98% of my work done either online or on the computer. I walk everywhere and a silent walk seems to get a bit depressing after about two blocks. And over all of this, I was convinced my downfall would be my need to talk to my family (a state away) at least once a day. Fortunately, this assignment came to me and with surprising ease. I think I may have just been lucky or perhaps I just recognized a valuable lesson at the same time I was supposed to learn it.
Saturday morning was an early wake up call for me by anyone's Saturday standard. I was up by about 7am cleaning and preparing for the homecoming game. My roommates and I had prepared all week to host a party at our house to celebrate Nebraska's impending doom. I had already broken a sweat by 9am but our house looked great (for once), and all the guests were arriving. Meanwhile, my cell phone was hiding under my bed somewhere in my room probably taking a nap from my constant texting. I never even realized it was missing because for the first time in awhile, nearly everyone I enjoyed talking to (or texting) was in the same room with me. We spent nearly seven hours rock chalking, screaming, drinking, and laughing. The day went by really quickly and I hadn't even bothered to think twice about my facebook, my email, or my phone messages. The only brief time I remember wondering where my cell phone was came at the end of the game when I felt compelled to just rub the win in to all my Nebraskan friends at home. Before I knew it it was 7am the next day and without even trying, my assignment was over.
Like I said, I may have just been lucky but I think an important lesson just came to me at the right opportunity. That morning I realized that time spent with the people you care about is far more valuable than any text or phone conversation could ever get. Sure, I've understood this before but being completely "new media free" for 24 hours really drove it home. I think in a lot of ways new media has given us an excuse to become reclusive, we think we can "connect" with people through the phone, through the computer screen, or through a quick 2 liner text message. The problem with it is that it is too easy. It makes every relationship you form or build one-dimensional both figuratively and literally.
I know this is already longer than it should be but realizing this has made me legitimately concerned for my generation. Nothing can replace being face to face with another human being. Nothing can out-do human senses with technology. If you think about it, the only way to communicate and really sense every ounce of that message is through using every sense. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch give us context and comprehension. It builds memory. It generates emotion. Without this, we become removed. Messages get mixed and misread. With use of new media we often if not always lose the ability to use 4 out of 5 of these senses. If this is the case, where will we go from here? If we're becoming reliant on new media usage, are we going to forget how it really feels to communicate person to person? Theres an old saying that goes something like "use it or lose it" ... and I think we're losing it.