Unplug
The following was composed as part of an assignment in our Body Consciousness class that asked us to unplug from our phones for a sustained period of time.
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I generally say I don’t have a very addictive personality but as I’ve witnessed myself interact with my phone more and more, I may have to secede. The learning curve of student life, where the speed in which I finish is directly proportional to my focus when studying, has been large. I go through entire periods where I won’t do anything productive at all, and my addiction to technological stimulation is a huge culprit.
Tristin Harris’ comparison of cell phone use to slot machines in his How Better Tech Could Protect Us talk is spot on and designers have been playing off our known physiological response to alerts for years. That’s why I was happy to see our topic for this week. I instantly was drawn to the unplug prompt, and I decided to conduct my experience this evening.
I met up with a buddy and went to the Portland Trail Blazers game. My plan was to not take my phone. I immediately realized the tickets were on my phone though, so I sent them to my friend. We went to sushi beforehand, but he took the bus and he asked if I could pick him up from the stop before dinner. My plan to not bring my phone was foiled, but I decided that was fine and I left it in the car afterwards and just wouldn’t check it the rest of the evening. All has gone to plan, and I haven’t looked at it since.
I’ve had a few moments of “oh, I’ll just look that up,” but overall, my urges have been minimal. I was specifically happy with myself at halftime of the game when my friend went to smoke a cigarette and I was alone for fifteen minutes. This was a time when I would have certainly pulled out my phone normally, not even for a specific reason, but just to check. I very much liked the time without the device and allowed myself to just sit and reflect and be. Quite enjoyable.
My friend came home with me and I grabbed my phone out of my car when I arrived home (but didn’t check it). We had a drink and then he departed. The moment I closed the door when he left, I instinctually reached for my phone and it was out in my hand before I even realized it. I curbed my urge and just put it back into my pocket. Another thing I realize is the less I can do to pull myself out of reflective mode between living an experience and completing the assignment the better (makes sense…).
I’ve learned a lot from this exercise and have truly enjoyed doing it. I recognize I’m making strides to shift my relationship with devices and tonight was a step in the right direction. I’m becoming more and more diligent about times of focus away from distractions, and I’m going to continue to look for opportunities to go device free for even longer segments of time.
Thumbnail photo – Nicholas Santoianni
