That’s right people. I am most definitely an addict. Attempting to go two days without a cell phone was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. As You read in my last entry, I start my day with the internet, and expose myself to media constantly throughout the the day. The hardest thing for me though, was going without my blackberry (aka, my source for everything”). The video I found below opened up my eyes to the truth about this addiction.
Similarly to what the people in the video said, I also felt anxious, and depressed when I didn’t have my Blackberry to look at. Getting online and not checking my personal email, and social networking site was nearly impossible. I realized as the day went on, that I felt detached from the world and modern society.
Another very hard thing I tried to adapt to was no music. That was definitely impossible. I go to the gym everyday, and music is what keeps me energized the whole time. Not being able to take my ipod, or plug headphones into the tv, or even listen to the radio (excuse my french)..sucked. One thing I noticed was that my performance at the gym decreased profoundly. Usually, I run 3 miles a day, but on that particular day, I only ran 2. I found myself getting tired faster, and not being able to focus on what I was doing. That just shows how much of an impact media has on my life specifically.
I found myself frequently getting into my purse to grab my cell phone, and then freak out when i couldn’t find it, only to realize that I hadn’t brought it with me that day. I was worried all day that I had missed important news, or that a friend may need me, or that my mother had called me, or a friend put up new pictures from the weekend on her facebook.
Needless to say, I didn’t even last a day. I found myself bored, and, as I usually do when i’m bored, I pulled out the cell phone, turned on the computer, and switched on the tv. Perhaps not all at once, but little by little, media found its way back into my life. Honestly though, how could it not. As a college student, text alerts, e-mails, facebook groups, event invitations; all are necessary in being successful in what you do at Towson. Not to mention, most media is just fun to have around.
Here is a link to an article describing the ten signs of an addiction to social media. My guess is that more of us are truly addicted than we may think. Addict?
