For the past week in my communications class, I have been keeping a log that tracks every single time I use any form of new media (social media apps, streaming services, text messaging, etc.). At first, it was fun to keep track of my digital activity and recognize patterns in which I use my phone. However, by the end of the week I was completely ready to toss out my journal log due to how consuming it was becoming. If I had to type out "listened to music on Spotify" one more time I would have soon shown signs of insanity.
I discovered my motivations for using new media was due to two reasons. The first, I hold a slight hostility with sitting in silence. During my commute or while I eat, I do not appreciate only having my thoughts as a companion. Instead, I gravitate towards relying on music or watching a movie on Netflix. The second reason, I struggle with social anxiety and consistently feel awkward or embarrassed with no justification. To deal with those emotions, whenever I was unsure on what to do/say, I would use my phone as a crutch. I caught myself scrolling through tik toks or sending snapchats to my sisters in the hopes no one saw how uncertain I felt.
I very quickly became aware that most people are the same way. We depend on our phones for everything and very rarely interact with one another. We are the most connected generation but also the most isolated. This experience was eye-opening for me, and I am interested to see if my behaviors change over the course of the next few weeks.
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