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Blog Post 1

From answering Snapchats to chatting with my Amazon Alexa, I tracked every single one of my interactions with the internet over the past 24 hours. Going through this experience, while sometimes tedious, has shed light on just how prevalent a role the internet plays in our lives. While people traditionally think of the internet as a place where adolescents waste their time browsing social media or playing video games, I have realized just how reliant we are with this technology even if we do not realize it.

For example, take a look at my desk where I have spent most of my time over the past 24 hours doing course work. If you look closely you will notice that it’s just my computer with a few books and papers, and that does not even take into account the fact that I have only used one of those books this year so far. The computer is the only essential needed to educate yourself. Almost all of the notes I take are on my computer and god-forbid that I have to handwrite an essay. Most of the traditional staples of western education have become digitalized. Rest in peace flashcards and thick notebooks because these types of documents are now stored on an online cloud-based program called Box. Say goodbye to the thick textbooks that made carrying your backpack across campus a workout in itself because most of the readings assigned are posted by professors on the courses’ Sakai/ Canvas webpages. Services like Sakai and Canvas are incredibly useful for professors and students alike. It provides an online location for professors to share course materials, log grade reports, and receive assignment submissions. Students can use these services to get updates on due dates for assignments, upcoming examinations, and essential information related to the course, which, makes it much easier for students to manage their time and keep track of assignments.
Since I have been swamped in course work for the past 24 hours my phone usage has been down quite a bit. However, I did find it interesting that social media, specifically Instagram and Snapchat, accounted for 54% of my total phone usage and the purpose of a cell phone is to be able to place calls and send texts from anywhere, while the usage of the phone and text apps only accounted for 7% of the total usage. If these devices are supposed to make communication easier, are they really serving that purpose in our lives or do they end up leaving us more detached from reality? Yesterday morning before my 8 am class, I walked over to grab breakfast from the dining hall and noticed about five people, all sitting by themselves, at tables near each other and every single one of them was on their phones(presumably answering snapchats or scrolling through their Instagram/Twitter feed). They were so drawn to their phones that they either did not notice, care to notice, or were using their phones as a way to directly avoid interacting with the people seated nearby. This makes me wonder…are “social” media outlets really social?
Over the past 24 hours, I have seen the good and bad ways that we can use the internet. It can be an incredibly beneficial tool when used productively. The web is a great way for people to share information and collaborate on projects without having to be in the same physical location. However, there are also drawbacks to this ease of access to each other. If we become too reliant on electronic devices as a mode of communication we can begin to neglect real-life interactions which I believe are much more satisfying than any conversation I have had over text or through social media.