During the past week, I was asked to undertake an experiment for another one of my uni subjects - called The Slow Media Experiment. The experiment was inspired by Jennifer Rauch, who we as a class group knew her as a blogger, but she is also a Media & Cultural studies teacher from NY. She did a 6 month "Digital Detox" of all recent technologies - going back to the basics of snail mail and land line phones. She also got her Media studies students to undertake a similar experiment, essentially giving up technology for a just a few hours over the week. Some of her students played musical instruments, wrote in journals, watched videotapes and practiced calligraphy for their Slow Media Experiment.
In our collaborative, simplified version of the experiment we stuck to a few rules: No texting, only phone calls. No TV, DVDs or gaming. No Internet, computers, iPods or MP3 players. We all decided to commit to having atleast 4-hours of digital media-free segments over the course of the week, totalling in atleast 16 (awake!) hours. During my digital detox I chose to work, read books, play board games (monopoly!) and even listen to the radio instead of my ipod. So - I couldnt text, watch DVDs or even check my emails... but only for those 4 short hours every day or so. Outside of this window we could technically do whatever we wanted. It was surreal having to actively stop myself from thinking about my possible Facebook notifications and unread emails, but when I got back online - I didn't really care about being back online again..?
It got me thinking how our generation has really become so habitual in our media consumption - that it is truly the representation of media that makes us want it. We do not necessarily receive any rewards from our social networks, it seems to be just a pattern that some of us are falling into. During my personal digital detox, I thoroughly enjoyed reading (and finishing) my novel, and laughing along with my boyfriend and his family whilst we played Monopoly. I found that I really didnt truly realise how much we depend on technology and digital media until you attempt to remove it completely from your routine.
It also got me thinking about a quote by Kevin Kelly (1999), "We now live in a new economy created by shrinking computers and expanding communications". There is no denying it, as our entire society and the social networks within it are being penetrated by digital media. This 'new economy' that is slowly advancing on us, deals with not only information - but relationships, copyright, entertainment and security. With the telecommunication industry becoming a larger industry than any of the past industry giants, where are we headed? How long until we completely cut out the slow media processes, and give in to our enabling technologies, which are already spurring innovation into newer technologies? These questions raised by Kelly (1999) over 10 years ago, makes me wonder what he would say today about our immersion into digital technologies.
Jennifer's experiment & blog
http://slowmedia.typepad.com/slow-media/
That sounds really interesting! But it does go to prove that social media is having a greater and greater influence in everyones daily lives. It makes you think whether it is for the better or the worse.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to re-enact Rauch's experiment Liv. The only thing is she copped out - slow media means no phones and no radio too, only snail mail and feet+horses :)
ReplyDeleteIf you wonder what Kelly is up to now you can follow his blog here:
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/
I had to do that experiment too for MEDA102.
ReplyDeleteI agree that being offline then going online again wasn't what I expected because Facebook and Twitter seemed so meaningless. In saying that, I do find that if i don't check Facebook after a long period (10 or so hours) I feel pretty disconnected.
I actually wrote about this in my blog also and came to some similar conclusions as you.
That sounds pretty tough..even if it was only for 16 hours over the course of a day. I had an interesting talk with one of my students today who mentioned he was changing schools and was not allowed to take his mobile phone to school (School policy). My immediate response was 'that's silly, what happens if something happens and you need to be contacted or contact someone.' Then I thought hang on...We didn't always have mobile phones, in fact I don't think I got a mobile phone until I was in year 8. So looking back I survived just fine without a mobile phone, and it wasn't until the option to get one presented itself that I said sure why not. I find it interesting that we have become so reliant on these things, yet the past has shown us that we haven't needed them.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing about this is that creates some sort of addiction. But..addiction to what? There's nothing really interesting going on in Facebook, is it?
ReplyDeleteI should try to do the same experiment. I think I haven't been without Internet for more than two days in the last few years...
Great blog Liv. It would be an interesting experiment and I agree with you that if I partook in it I would also not care so much about being back online.
ReplyDeleteThere is a book by Susan Maushart called "The winter of our disconnect" like you did Maushart and her family went on a technology detox but it was over winter. However it involved all her children going back to the old fashioned way of researching for school and uni assignments as well as no tv, heating, computers, phones etc. How do you think you would go researching assignments with no internet?
Its crazy to think most of us need media devices to function though out our day to day lives. Checking Facebook from my new iphone is now the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I do before bed.
ReplyDeleteMy first ever mobile was left everywhere I went and at times it would be a few days before I realised it was missing. NOW I notice within an hour of my phone being M.I.A and I freak out.
HMMMM....i think i'm in need of a technology detox!