I recently gave up my phone for a week. My professor always rants about phones and how they are ruining humanity. Usually we just all laugh and then tweet about it the second we leave his class. The other day he handed out a paper assignment and before we had time to groan, he told us that he was going to make us an offer. We could get out of writing the assignment and still get a 100% if we gave him our phones for one week. He is a very difficult professor and the idea of getting an A on a paper I wouldn't have to write was very appealing. After a short inner deliberation, I found myself turning off my phone and walking it up to him. I signed my name on the contract and was left without a phone.
Obviously I didn't notice during class, however as soon as I stepped outside I found myself reaching into my pocket and felt a pang when I remembered what I had done. Why did this feel like such a big deal? This happened several times within just the first hour of me not having my phone, and it scared me to think that I was that dependent on it. I started thinking about all the times I reach for my phone when I have "nothing else to do".
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At dinner that night I sat down and everyone set their phones on the table and I felt left out. We all sat down and started talking and eating, but gradually the conversation trailed off and everyone started scrolling through their phones. Pretty soon I was the only one sitting there with nothing to do and no one to talk to, and it was actually kind of annoying. This action went through cycles throughout the night and it was kind of incredible to watch.
Since I wasn't looking at my screen all the time, I had a lot of other things to look at. I felt so much more aware of my surroundings, and while that sounds really cliche- it was true. At first it felt weird to be walking around without listening to music or texting someone, but I got used to it quickly. I was also able to see how much other people used their phones. Almost everyone around campus was walking around scrolling through their phones or at least checking them. To think about how much I would have been on my phone was scary and it gave me a sort of reality check about my dependance.
By the end of the week I didn't miss my phone at all. I really had no desire to go on twitter or snapchat. It was a little inconvenient to not be able to text my friends when we got separated while we were out, but other than that there was nothing I was truly excited about. After class he handed them back out to those of us who chose to give them up. I turned it on and put it in my pocket. Not even 10 seconds later, I felt it start vibrating while it played catchup on everything I had missed out on. It did this all the way back to my room. When I got back I sat down and went through and checked everything I needed to check to get it back to normal and then I set it down. I instantly felt an urge to pick it back up, and that really annoyed me. I hadn't had it back for a half hour and I was already starting to feel that dependancy. I felt like I had learned so much over the past week and I was going against all of that. I set my phone down and started doing my homework instead, thinking about everything I had experienced over the past week.
Since getting my phone back I have definitely become more mindful of how much I use it and try to pay attention to the affect it is has on my day to day life. I don't think phones are ruining society or anything, I actually think they are quite useful and have a lot of positive impact. However, I try to remember that I would rather spend my time with people I care about making memories rather than looking mindlessly at a screen. I'm not suggesting to throw away your phone, but if you can just put your phone on do not disturb at meals or while you are out with your friends or family, you will notice just how much you have been missing out on and start getting quality time with the people you love. And always remember that even the smallest change can make the biggest difference.
