A Day Without Social Media

Twenty Four Hours I started the no media project off with nothing less than high expectations of ease and overall success. I had forgotten to do the project over the weekend, and then forgot again on Monday which left only one date. Tuesday, January 31st, 2012, on my birthday, I took on the no media challenge. I thought to myself, "Hey, it's no big deal, it will just be even more fun to see how flooded facebook is later!" Though I thought this would be true, my optimism started to fade early on. The day started well. My morning class kept my mind preoccupied so I had no thoughts whatsoever of checking my phone. However after class was my first encounter with how much media is actually programmed into my mind. I was standing in line at Bear Necessities when all of the sudden I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Before looking at it I quickly slid it back into my pocket and came to a realization; that anytime I am not actively doing something, I get a sudden urge to pull out my phone. I had never realized it until that moment, but as I thought back I came to realize that it is true, and not just for me but for all people. I then walked downstairs in the PSU and found a seat. I decided that this would be a perfect time to people watch and as I looked around it seemed that everyone was plugged into some sort of media. Whether it was their phones, mp3 players or laptops, everyone was silent just staring at their device of choice. After I was done making my observation, I started to eat my breakfast as usual. However about ten minutes later, as I got caught up in my routine I failed to notice one thing, that I was staring at the TV watching sportscenter highlights. I couldn't understand how I hadn't immediately realized what I was doing, and it left me almost dumbfounded for a moment before I got up and moved to a spot where I couldn't see the TV. After my first few problems things didn't get a whole lot better. I had a two hour and forty minute break,