24 Hour Media Blackout

I remember getting my first computer game for Christmas one year, a Barbie horse jumping game I think, and being completely enthralled even though, looking back, it was poorly designed and the graphics were atrocious. A lot has changed by way of technology since those days. I believe I can speak for many born in the late nineties when I say that so much rapid technological development makes it seem like it was a lot longer ago, sparking a nostalgia for seemingly ‘simpler’ childhoods.

When first faced with this assignment, I was intrigued to get a sense of how much I use new media, as it has become a notable part of daily life. From uploading my lecture notes to the Cloud, to connecting with friends and family through social media, to simply listening to a streaming music service, its pretty …show more content…
During my media blackout however, I decided to take notes my hand to avoid using my laptop. It was awful, I could barely keep up with the lecture slides and my hands began to cramp after a couple minutes of writing. I often listen to music when walking around campus as well, to drown out the noise of UBC’s perpetual construction, so my trips to and from class were slightly less enjoyable than usual. Apart from the convenience of using my laptop for school work and the pleasure of listening to music, I didn’t really miss much of the other new media that I regularly use. I didn’t find being away from my social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram to be particularly tragic and considering the only people I regularly text are my mom and my boyfriend, not having my phone was frankly not the end of the world. I didn’t experience any “ghost vibrations” coming from my powered-down phone or anxiety over being disconnected from the internet, which I didn’t expect anyways. It felt like a regular day, apart from my sore note-taking