Foregoing my cell phone for a day seemed like an almost impractical idea, so I decided to try it for Project Explore. I've had a cell phone since middle school and have rarely gone an entire day without it. At first, going without it was very easy. I was busy; it was a snow day, and we had to shovel. But after shoveling, I found myself missing not only talking to my friends but checking social media sites like Instagram. I felt a little closed off from the world, so I distracted myself with hot chocolate and A.P. Euro notes.
Prior to this task, my phone was stolen and I had to go nearly a week without a cell phone. However, I did not receive any reactions from friends about this because everyone knew why I wasn't answering. I also used other forms of communication including emails and iMessage to talk to them. So although I had experienced something similar because I didn't have a choice, I decided to go ahead with this task anyway.
Most of the reactions I received were not surprising. When I opened my phone about 11:00 that evening, I had many texts repeating my name over again, and a few friends wondering if I was angry at them. I shared some of screenshots of the messages and crossed out the names for privacy reasons. After explaining to my friends it was merely an experiment, most of them were surprised I had gone an entire day without a phone and said they would be unable to do that themselves. Those who had actually gone an entire day without their cell phones did it for necessity or because they went somewhere for the day and forgot their phones.
My age group is incredibly attached to these devices, and no wonder: they can do amazing things in the palm of our hand. However, the attachment is often considered unhealthy. I researched the following article about teens' growing dependency on their phones: http://cell-phone-parental-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/are-teenagers-becoming-too-attached-to-their-cell-phones.html. Almost half of all teens can text with their eyes closed, and one-fourth of all texts teens send are sent during class. Cell phones are not used as purely educational resources at school; students are distracted from class by their cell phones.
My own reaction surprised me. After the initial discomfort of not having a phone in my hand or in my pocket at all times, I was just fine without it. Granted, it is much more convenient to have a phone because it provides such fast access to the time, weather forecast, and Internet. However, I was so focused on myself and what I wanted to get done for the day because I was not being distracted by anything else. With that being said, I will not consider giving up my cell phone all together. I would like to increase the productivity on my phone and decrease the number of conversations I have with friends that do not necessarily have any benefits.
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