I have actually had a longer experience with media deprivation than 12 hours before. I spent 48 hours without television, radio, cellphone, or any other type of electronic device during what was called "The Walden Experiment," which was an extra credit activity in an English class based on the experiences of Henry David Thoreau while he lived on Walden Pond and wrote Walden.
My experience with giving up technology for 48 hours was both easy and maddening. The easy part came at first, when I went to my parents' lake house (which has no technology, unless you count a coffee maker). I spent the first 36 hours of the experiment there, where the lake, my family, and nature kept me company. I hardly missed technology at all. The difficulty came when my then husband decided we needed to go home so he could get back to technology. I spent the final 12 hours surrounded by technology I was forbidden to use. He had the television on constantly, so I went outside and read a book for most of the day underneath a tree in our back yard. Being near technology and not being able to use it was the most maddening part. I was much happier at the lake house where technology wasn't warranted.
The patterns in my experience were simple and easy to discern. When I was away from technology, I didn't really miss it, but when surrounded by technology, I went mad. I had no desire to use any of it when I was at the lake house, but as soon as we arrived home, I was surrounded and couldn't get away from technology. My only solace was the lonely tree in the back yard, and my book of Nathaniel Hawthorne short stories.
What those patterns meant to me was this: I was capable of living without technology. I had proven that in the first 36 hours. But I had to be removed from technology in order to do it effortlessly. As soon as I was back in "the real world," I couldn't get away from technology in order to avoid it. The fact that my ex-husband couldn't live without the television on forced me out of my house and into the lonely confines of my back yard.
I must admit, media plays a big role in my life. I admittedly spend way too much time on social media and texting with friends. It's a great way to keep in touch with your loved ones, but it can be used in excess. When I was a teenager, kids went out on weekends and socialized. Now, they stay at home and "socialize" virtually on the internet. We have become a disconnected race of people because of technology. Tomorrow's generation won't know how to look people in the eye and have an honest conversation. I'm glad I grew up before the internet, as I feel I actually had a childhood, not a virtual one on a screen.
But, then again, this is all coming from a 30something nontraditional college student who admittedly uses technology more than she should. I really should know better.
