For the first part of the test I decided to change my social media use. I regularly post generic posts, mainly based off of my relationship with the people on social media networks. I was more likely to interact if I knew the person well. My use was altered by the judgment and reaction of people if I comment on their things without having a strong relationship with them.
For 72 hours I posted and interacted with people based off of what sparked a reaction and interest out of me. I also posted statuses that were more stimulating and thought provoking for the readers, in hopes that it would start a discussion with a wide range of my friends. What I concluded after this use was that people actually did respond to my interaction in a positive way, disregarding the state of our relationship. I noticed that my stimulating posts still resulted in generic responses-- vague likes and the occasional comment that didn’t allow for continuation of conversing. That made me think a lot about what we consider discussions now a days because of new media. Discussion can now be a hit of the “like” button or the generic “way to go.” There’s a reason Facebook calls it a comment because it’s a comment that doesn’t breach for further discussion. So is that true interaction? Is social media use detrimental to the substance of our conversations? Are we not only having les face-to-face interaction but also having more surface level conversations? I got texts from my friends, suggesting that I got hacked, because they were so thrown seeing me post articles and sharing things to spark debate ad critics about certain topics. They said “that’s just not how you use social media.”
The second part of my test was to limit my use to 3 times a day and referring to alternate forms of distraction to subside the boredom. I noticed that because my use and updating was predominantly in between breaks and walking to class, I tended to observe and people watch a lot more during these times. There were things that I noticed that I would’ve normally walked past with my face in my screen. Without even realizing it, I would grab my phone out of habit. This forced me to think about all the things that are considered media use. Things that everyone considers instinctual like checking the time, making a to-do list, photo documenting something interesting you saw, all require the use of media now. When before we checked the clocks, or wrote to-do lists on a piece of paper.
With this limitation I began to regress in my methods of technology, using paper to write notes and lists, reading books to entertain myself and writing journals to pass the time. All these things I found to be intrinsically placid and created a peaceful environment. It was all around refreshing for me to experience life without constant reliance on media. But it also left me feeling extremely disconnected to the world and in general. I felt like there was things that I was missing out on or current events that I would never know about. I wasn’t upset about the loss of interaction as much as I was torn over the lack of updates on my surroundings.
Notes on posting based off of interest, not relationship. Also posting more stimulating and less generic things:
*People tend to comment or like more when you post something more stimulating
*To my surprise, people actually interacted with me after posting, regardless of our relationship.
*People interact with my posts a lot more if they are regarding my career and my progress as a professional.
-people tend to post when it sparks some emotional reaction i.e. congrats, so proud, get better, etc.
*Although if I post something more stimulating I still get generic responses, if not just a substantial number of likes.
-so is that really discussion?
*Friends of mine thought I got hacked because they weren’t used to me using media as a discussion board.
Notes on limited use to 3 times a day and referring to alternate modes of distraction for when I get bored:
*I was no longer able to check my social media during all my breaks like walking periods, classes or lunch breaks so I noticed that I had time to observe my surroundings more often.
-spent time people watching or finding alternative ways to entertain myself during these breaks i.e. reading a magazine, reading a book, twiddling my thumbs
*Would pick my phone up to document something by habit without even realizing
*Started to realize all the things that are considered “media usage”
-small things like checking the time, taking a photo, jotting down a to-do list, and so many more that all require/rely the use of media.
*Noticed that I, and I’m sure many people agree, feel more comfortable just shooting someone a text rather than calling or conversing face-to-face.
-our generation seems so much more timid and critical of what might happen when you talk to someone more intimately like over the phone or in person
*Forced myself to start conversations with other in my class, instead of staring at my phone or computer anticipating the minutes until class starts.
*Didn’t yearn for the interaction as much as I felt I was missing out on what was going on.
For 72 hours I posted and interacted with people based off of what sparked a reaction and interest out of me. I also posted statuses that were more stimulating and thought provoking for the readers, in hopes that it would start a discussion with a wide range of my friends. What I concluded after this use was that people actually did respond to my interaction in a positive way, disregarding the state of our relationship. I noticed that my stimulating posts still resulted in generic responses-- vague likes and the occasional comment that didn’t allow for continuation of conversing. That made me think a lot about what we consider discussions now a days because of new media. Discussion can now be a hit of the “like” button or the generic “way to go.” There’s a reason Facebook calls it a comment because it’s a comment that doesn’t breach for further discussion. So is that true interaction? Is social media use detrimental to the substance of our conversations? Are we not only having les face-to-face interaction but also having more surface level conversations? I got texts from my friends, suggesting that I got hacked, because they were so thrown seeing me post articles and sharing things to spark debate ad critics about certain topics. They said “that’s just not how you use social media.”
The second part of my test was to limit my use to 3 times a day and referring to alternate forms of distraction to subside the boredom. I noticed that because my use and updating was predominantly in between breaks and walking to class, I tended to observe and people watch a lot more during these times. There were things that I noticed that I would’ve normally walked past with my face in my screen. Without even realizing it, I would grab my phone out of habit. This forced me to think about all the things that are considered media use. Things that everyone considers instinctual like checking the time, making a to-do list, photo documenting something interesting you saw, all require the use of media now. When before we checked the clocks, or wrote to-do lists on a piece of paper.
With this limitation I began to regress in my methods of technology, using paper to write notes and lists, reading books to entertain myself and writing journals to pass the time. All these things I found to be intrinsically placid and created a peaceful environment. It was all around refreshing for me to experience life without constant reliance on media. But it also left me feeling extremely disconnected to the world and in general. I felt like there was things that I was missing out on or current events that I would never know about. I wasn’t upset about the loss of interaction as much as I was torn over the lack of updates on my surroundings.
Notes on posting based off of interest, not relationship. Also posting more stimulating and less generic things:
*People tend to comment or like more when you post something more stimulating
*To my surprise, people actually interacted with me after posting, regardless of our relationship.
*People interact with my posts a lot more if they are regarding my career and my progress as a professional.
-people tend to post when it sparks some emotional reaction i.e. congrats, so proud, get better, etc.
*Although if I post something more stimulating I still get generic responses, if not just a substantial number of likes.
-so is that really discussion?
*Friends of mine thought I got hacked because they weren’t used to me using media as a discussion board.
Notes on limited use to 3 times a day and referring to alternate modes of distraction for when I get bored:
*I was no longer able to check my social media during all my breaks like walking periods, classes or lunch breaks so I noticed that I had time to observe my surroundings more often.
-spent time people watching or finding alternative ways to entertain myself during these breaks i.e. reading a magazine, reading a book, twiddling my thumbs
*Would pick my phone up to document something by habit without even realizing
*Started to realize all the things that are considered “media usage”
-small things like checking the time, taking a photo, jotting down a to-do list, and so many more that all require/rely the use of media.
*Noticed that I, and I’m sure many people agree, feel more comfortable just shooting someone a text rather than calling or conversing face-to-face.
-our generation seems so much more timid and critical of what might happen when you talk to someone more intimately like over the phone or in person
*Forced myself to start conversations with other in my class, instead of staring at my phone or computer anticipating the minutes until class starts.
*Didn’t yearn for the interaction as much as I felt I was missing out on what was going on.