Day 10
Josh and I are shocked at the response to this project. We knew there might some interest from the media, but we didn’t really think there would be as much as there is. Now we are getting media requests from CNN. I guess I was right in the assumption that this is a much-needed topic to discuss. Because all of these technologies are so new and developing so rapidly it’s hard to keep up the conversation about what it all means.
Some of the responses I get from people are that they think I am just bashing social media. To make it clear, I see the value in social media and these new technological tools that help us stay connected. However, I tend to think we may be too connected or in the not so distant future we will be too dependent on these tools, but I definitely don’t see it as all bad.
I have to be honest, I don’t feel alone or isolated in here yet. The only thing that has bothered me is being watch 24/7, but I think I am over that now. Do you think it’s strange that I can spend 10 days without holding a hand or being given a hug? I think so. I am usually a very touchy person. Proof that social media and technologies like video chatting makes us feel closer to people. However, I have 20 more days to go and a lot can change in that amount of time.
There is research out there that supports the idea that tweeting and surfing facebook can makes us happy. See more here (make sure you look at experiment #3.) Maybe I am doing fine in here because I am constantly communicating online. One thing I am noticing is that I am truly addicted to it right now. I can’t turn it off at all during the day. When I stop to try and read a book I am distracted by the alert messages. I could turn these off, but I don’t. I feel like I might miss something.
I am starting to think that I could get to the end of the 30 days and not feel that like I am disconnected from the outside world at all. But what would that mean? The thought that I don’t feel that different without human-interaction could be scary too. It’s possible to live that way, but do we want to?
Of course, I may not really know how all of this affects me until it’s over and I am trying to resume my life before the box. I wonder if it will be too much for me to be around people again.
November 12th, 2010 at 4:18 am
I feel a bit strange following your blog because there is an aspect of the “following” that is so voyeuristic and a tad bit uncomfortable BUT it’s the only way I can really see the effects of the project. That sounded weird. Almost as if you’re some ‘subject’ in a research project.
In any case, your entry reminded me of the time I was at a meditation retreat (just a few months ago). It was the opposite! NO technology. Just nature and the clothes on your back. Although a week (next time, I would love to try a whole month), I found coming back into the real world was a jarring and strange. Surreal.
Your entry also reminded me of an NPR commentary on eBooks and how physical books may be obsolete in the next few years. It made me sad. I hope you find time to decompress…and, actually, read and relax.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Your comment here “Of course, I may not really know how all of this affects me until it’s over ” strikes me as the most interesting piece of the whole thing.
When will it be over? Physically you will be done at the end of November.
In other ways, I think you have done something profoundly different and it may not be over – it may be a beginning. Weeks, months, years will see.
November 24th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
@MarkDilley – Physically it will be over on the 30th, but I know that it will take me weeks or months to fully understand what this did to me. Josh is going to continue to interview me and follow my progress for the documentary for a long while after the actual project ends.