Blog Post #7

When I first read the instructions for this blog post, I was a little bit terrified of the amount of time it would take me, but it turned out to be okay...

The only computerized things that I used tonight were my I-pod, I-pod dock, cell phone, and lap top. Although the list of computerized things that I used might be short, the time that I spent on them is anything but short...

I started my evening out with a little grocery shopping, and I couldn't have done it without my Blackberry. I know, that seems ridiculous, but I need the Internet on my phone to look up recipes and ingredients while at the grocery store (doing it at home before I leave just seems like too much work). When I got home from the store, I spent about an hour on gleeforum.com (working on my Practicum project), and then I set up the computer on the counter to have a recipe for dinner in front of me. I then proceeded to turn on my I-pod to listen to some music while cooking. During this time, I was undoubtedly spending some much-needed (questionable) time on Facebook and checking e-mails. I was also simultaneously texting a friend about plans for my birthday this weekend.

After dinner was finished cooking, I closed all computerized devices to have a little bit of quiet time while I ate (this was a very brief period of time). When I finished dinner, I opened the lap top to do a little homework and a little surfing. While surfing, I updated myself on my "friends'" lives via Facebook, read a little bit of news on the Huffington Post, read up on my celeb gossip (sad, I know), and didn't a little "Yelping" of Madison restaurants.

After documenting my interaction with computerized devices for a night, I discovered (unsurprisingly) that I spend too much time on them and that I am too dependent on them (like many others). The thought of going to a restaurant without knowing what I'm going to order before I get there is absolutely unthinkable. I can't really imagine what it would be like not to be able to creep on my friends through Facebook--this is really sad... But what can I do? I have the Internet available at my fingertips (literally), so I take advantage of it. Maybe after this experience I will make an effort to be more aware of how much time I spend on my computer and my phone... but probably not.