Words: 1155
I rolled over to look at the time on the clock, but a blank screen stared back at me. I sat up immediately, panic biting at my nerves. What time was it? Had I overslept? “Relax, it’s only 8:30,” said Derek Hunched, my roommate, who sat at his desk working on homework. Only a minute into my 24 hours of no technology and already I felt stressed. I realized that I would need to rely on others for the time since I would not be able to check my phone. While most people dealt with the problem of making their significant other happy on
Valentine’s Day, I was challenging myself with one of the cruelest punishments known to the current day teenager. Is it possible, as a college student, to go 24 hours without advanced communication technology, such as: laptops, computers, Smoothness, phones, e-mail, text messaging, video game systems, televisions, etc.? California University of Pennsylvania prides itself on being a technologically integrated university. The university even has its own applications for Smoothness and pods that provide students with various features.
Some of those features deal with emergency situations, maps, radio stations, bus schedules, news, and campus vents. A major portion of my education revolves around a special section of my university web site known as “Desirable. ” There, I am able to do a multitude of things; such as take quizzes, take tests, post in a discussion board, contact fellow students, and receive homework assignments. Without access to the website, I prayed to God that nothing important needed to be completed. For this challenge, I allowed myself two exceptions.
The first exception revolved around my classes. If a professor used technology, then the situation was acceptable. The second exception meant the use of my student ID was allowed. However, I could only use the student ID to eat because it was the only way to access my money. Without the restriction, my student ID normally allowed me to go to the gym, enter my residence hall, check out books from the library, and do laundry. Usually, to begin the day, I look at the daily announcements sent out by the school, however, that was not a possibility.
Therefore, I went into the day blind of many opportunities that could potentially help my future. I quickly area myself Tort ten cay; luckily I only Ana one class, French 1 After my class, I met up with some friends for lunch around 1 la. . “So, how’s the technology free day going,” said Courtney Suite, 19, a friend of mine. “Well, so far so good, though my French teacher showed us a video in class. ” Even though class was one of the exceptions for my rule, I began to wonder. Had I really broken the rule of no technology? I had looked at the screen and watched the video.
It had only been an hour and a half, and I had watched a video via the Internet. Was that the answer that I was seeking right there? I decided to continue on with my day. After lunch, I returned to Zest’s room. I made my way over to her laptop to turn on omen music Just as we usually do when I stopped. I snatched up her guitar and proceeded to make my own music. “Looks like it’s going to be a very long day for you,” said Suite. It was only noon. I quickly grew tired of playing the guitar and excused myself to my room; that single handily proved to be my worst mistake of the day.
The moment I walked in and saw the laptop on the desk, the Semaphoring on the bed, and the ASS hooked up to the TV, I died a little on the inside. I longed to check my e- mail to see if anything had been sent. I wondered who had called me, who had sent a text message. I wanted to check my usual web sites for news and what was going on in the world. I felt like a part of me had been shut down. My independence felt robbed without technology. I was agitated that I needed to ask someone for the time when I wanted it. I wanted to clean the pile of clothes by the bathroom door.
I was tired of asking someone else to open the door for me because I could not use my student ID for that function. I grabbed a notebook to try and work on some of my writing material, but it wasn’t the same. The words that went down onto the paper were different than the ones that I usually typed out on a laptop. I realized then that I was not as articulate on pen and paper as I was with a keypad. I ended up lying on my bed for the next hour or so, feeling as if I was going crazy every time my phone rang or vibrated, each one sounding louder than the last.
I needed to escape the torture. I finally left my room and asked the desk assistant for the time. It was 4:17 p. M. I do not eat dinner until five, so I went for a walk around campus. Never Deter Ana It occurred to me now much technology truly Doctorate Into my Tie. I was not even able to check school’s web site to take any quizzes, tests, or post homework assignments. Bored beyond belief, I did not even have the option to work on schoolwork. Without access to my e-mail, Faceable, or a Semaphoring, I had no idea who was trying to contact me.
I had no way of contacting some people because the information needed to do that was stored within those devices. I couldn’t even spend five minutes of my life moving mail to spam. My life seemed crippled. Deciding that I was not hungry, I went back to my room, grabbed a book, and then I went to a study lounge to spend the rest of my day in solitude, away from temptation. Muff look depressed,” said Hunched upon seeing me as I entered our room around hat I think was 10 p. M. “l think I am,” I replied after a moment of contemplation.
I prepared myself for bed. Thankfully, the day was coming to an end, and I knew the answer to my question. Can a college student survive 24 hours without advanced communication technology? The answer is yes and no. When it comes to leisure, there are certainly other activities to participate in, though they may not be the desired activity. However, when it comes to school itself, technology is not a want but a need. Without technology, it is not possible to function successfully for college.