Media Free Day

As an experiment for class we were asked to spend 24 hours without media - including music, radio, TV, film, and internet. Here are my thoughts on that day:

My usual morning routine is to get up and turn on my iPod while I am getting ready; it really helps me to wake up. Then I go over to my computer and check Facebook and my TU email. But this morning when I couldn’t do those things, I didn’t really know where to start. I got dressed and ready and had about 35 extra minutes that I didn’t really know what to do with. I put a load of laundry in the washing machine and moved yesterday’s dishes from the sink to the dishwasher, and still waiting for class time I did an extended version of my daily yoga. By this point I was really looking forward to going to class because I was feeling bored and needed human interaction, and at least some background noise.

When I got back from class, I wanted to go straight to my computer and check my AOL, MySpace, my ETSY store (in case I got a sale this morning), and Facebook, but I refrained. I started cleaning and cracked the window to get some road noise. I live in a single apartment, which I absolutely love, but during the daytime it gets very quiet, and without the TV or an iPod it’s very dull.

During lunch I almost always turn on the TV or talk on the phone while I make my food and eat, so today was very boring. I cleaned my apartment some and then started writing two papers for class this week. I found myself wanting to get on the internet several times to check facts and find additional info for the paper. I didn’t realize how much I rely on the internet throughout the day. Time was dragging on and the intensity of the feeling of boredom was increasing. I really felt the urge to check my email and shop.

Yoga and snacking replaced my periodic internet surfing study breaks. I kind of felt like I didn’t know what to do with myself. My afternoon and night class really broke up the day and I was actually looking forward to going. After my night class I ate dinner in silence, which was depressing, and started again on my homework, while wondering if anyone had commented on my MySpace or Facebook wall. By the end of the day, I was a little sad and lonely.

Being attached to media like TV and the internet is very time consuming I realized. But it is also a way to escape and be distracted from monotonous daily life, at least for me. Facebook and MySpace is my way of communicating with friends during the busy week, and it makes me feel good when people send me messages. It gives me a little something to look forward to while I am studying. I don’t like that I am in fact used to media being a part of my everyday life, and even feel uncomfortable without it, but it is something that I enjoy.