Deprivation Study
KENT, WA
COMMUTE
6:43 AM
This morning I woke up later than I should have. I usually get up around 5:30AM and head out the house by 6:00AM. But I was rushing, which fortunately for this assignment kept me occupied. I didn't even check any of my social media this morning like I ALWAYS DO, without a doubt. Even within this short time frame I've noticed my habits.
Typically, if I had woke up on time I would routinely snooze my alarm and go straight to checking my Instagram or Twitter feed. Even though it's quite minor, it's funny to think that I've managed to find gaps in my fast paced morning routine to check my phone. I'm starting to realize that there is this urge for me to participate in media. My first thought isn't necessarily, "Oh, let me go brush my teeth",
it's "Oh, who posted what this morning?
"What's the news for today?"
"what other political turmoil are we experiencing now?"
and then I go clean myself up as my second priority. In our current era, social media has practically become our news source considering that most news outlets have SNS or headlines/articles reach SNS first. I always go to Twitter for news because I can personally subscribe to news outlets or sources that fit my views, which I know can be kind of bad since not all news is credible and there's clickbait. But I always FACT CHECK as much as I can or see the general consensus.
I typically gauge in the buzz from other twitter users (I only follow funny accounts, influencers I like, celebs I like, or people who are committed to intersectionality and social justice) who've summarized and analyzed any current events for me.
I really don't go on Twitter to tweet or participate with friends. I've actually abandoned my personal account (because people are annoying) and made a new one just for one-sided viewing purposes. I didn't get to check Twitter today for news or funny content, so I'm officially out of the loop and vulnerable to FOMO that might be creeping up against me soon.
In regards to my commute I usually would be on social media. But I just decided to nap while carpooling. Perfect timing.
SEATTLE, WA
WESTLAKE STARBUCKS
9:23 AM
As of now when I'm writing this (9:24AM) I've just been waiting to go to work at 10. I've done pretty well of not checking social media. I haven't cheated yet!
(key word: yet). But when I went to go sit down at a Starbucks, I caught myself instinctually turning my phone on getting ready to click on Instagram (I didn't). It's crazy to think I subconsciously reach for my phone to go on social media because it's muscle memory to me. I'm just so used to going on my phone every 5-10 mins during my free time.
I would say I'm pretty addicted to Instagram and Twitter, not in a way that I have this burning urge to post or be self-indulgent. Like I'm not going into a crisis because I can't post about my day. I just REALLY want to see what people are talking about or LOOK AT MEMES , funny videos, or fashion things.
I've been occupying myself by designing the look of this blog and planning essays I have to write for classes. My Deprivation Study is going smooth so far considering that as I student I can always work on my assignments to replace my social media habits, which is the right thing to do anyway. I'm enjoying listening to my music on shuffle and zoning out which allows me to revisit songs that I haven't listened to in a while. So far it's relaxing and nostalgic(ish).
I know that as soon as I go to work that I'll be busy for a while which is an advantage to me since I wouldn't need to look at my social media accounts or my phone.
SEATTLE, WA
LINK LIGHT RAIL
3:00 PM
Honestly, it feels like a regular day to me. I'm not going through extreme withdraws the way that I thought I would. Every time I commute I rely on social media to keep me busy because 1. it's entertainment 2. it's a social cue that I don't want to talk to anyone. But I've replaced checking my internet feeds to photographing my location. I feel that this is going to be a very visual diary as I do enjoy taking photos (Sorry Professor Berliner in advance for the excessive amount of content). Taking photos and editing on this app called VSCO is definitely keeping me busy and has replaced my habits for the day.
I think it's going to get to hit me hard once I head home where ultimately that's my
time to leisure with any SNS from Youtube and even Yelp.
SEATTLE, WA
ELLIOT BAY
BOOK COMPANY
3:40 PM
I'm an avid coffee shop goer, so I'm at this spot I frequent often because I like the atmosphere here. Instead of being on my phone I'm opting out for homework again. I'm pretty much free after 3:00PM, which would be my prime time to go on Youtube and start binging some Youtuber's videos. I am realizing a lot though.
I've come to realize that I rely on social media to keep me connected since I'm usually isolated throughout the day. I go to school alone, I go to work alone, I walk around the city alone. I usually have no company with me, so I go to Snapchat to contact my two best friends a lot throughout the day. But because I haven't snapped them, I'm finding I really am a loner in like a humorous way not in a pitiful way. I am more introverted so I do prefer alone time. I would say social media is my means of comfort which is kind of off putting and I should really pick up a more productive hobby. But thank god I have music to keep me sane. If I didn't have my music with me I genuinely think it would be unhealthy because I tend to overthink.
I'm also finding documenting my experience throughout my day instead of all at once at the end is much more effective because it keeps me busy.
TUKWILA, WA
HAPPY TERIYAKI
7:17 PM
I've noticed that doing homework and commuting really takes up my time.
At the coffee shop, I just focused on organizing my portfolio which is a chaotic project for me and took up most of the day. I haven't done anything too far off from what I usually do, I've just been extending my work time to fulfill the replacement of having to go on social media.
I waited for my sister to get out of work where we commuted back home and stopped in Tukwila to grab dinner at a Teriyaki spot where I slipped up. Typically my sister and I don't mind eating and going on our phones at the same time because we're siblings and it's not that offensive that we're not paying attention to each other during dinner. Since that's what we usually do, I subconsciously took out my phone to scroll through Instagram. My sister pointed it out to me (she knows about the deprivation challenge) and that's where I accidentally cheated. Professor Berliner was right when she said that sometimes you don't even notice your social media usage because of the symbiotic relationship we have with it. I definitely rely on social media to be connected and get information, so that's probably why I didn't fully recognize what I was doing because It was such an ordinary act for me to do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
8:00PM 4/12/19
This is my last entry to wrap up the study and give my final thoughts. So after I ate Teriyaki with my sister, I headed home and still refrained from using social media to at least continue the challenge during the ride back. I got home, showered, and went to bed to relax for my final forfeit. I tucked myself in and went on Twitter, my weakness. I just felt defeated and bored. I had nothing else to do so I cheated. I don't watch T.V. like I used to, my attention span and interest in movies have declined a lot, and my other family members were already locked up in their room ready to sleep for the next day at 8:30PM.
So yes, I failed the 24 hour challenge and allowed myself to go on social media until I got drowsy.
What this study showed me is how much our society, or specifically myself, has evolved to value and center participatory culture. In the past few years or so phones and social media has really advanced to almost make us feel like (key word: feel like) it's a necessity to be engaged. All news and content has moved onto the internet for convenience, access, and immediacy (for example google). Which makes me feel like I need to be a member of all these social media platforms or constantly be on the internet in order to keep up, if I want to stay relevant with the times. I think it's important to be aware and social media allows me to do that since I'm engaging with different types of discourse almost everyday to educate myself and also just for entertainment purposes.
I feel like emotionally, I was experiencing this weird dichotomy of ease vs. anxious. At times I was pretty calm that I wasn't checking my phone. I realized that I don't need this abundant amount of information or need to see people's comments, faces, and opinions flooding my mental space all the time. It was nice to feel "empty" and detached from being a participant. Other times I was just like, "what the hell am I going to do?", it wasn't a dying need but it was almost like a burden to find other things to do. I just opted to being hyper focus on an assignment, which was convenient for me.
I would say that this study helped me analyze my habits and my attachment to participatory media.
From now on, I want to implement this idea of giving myself gaps of time to myself rather than constantly being online because it was genuinely calming. Let's be honest I don't think I would survive going cold turkey for a period of time like 2 days or a week. But it was a learning experience that showed pros and cons.