This week was also pretty media-free. Well, lots of YouTube as usual, I'm a bit of an addict. I get super invested peoples projects/ life stories, and I can't wait to hear a new development in the tale. It sounds creepy, but it’s fun to see what these people can accomplish! I can say with confidence that I would not be the person I am today without YouTube. I've learned a ton of skills, and some of my biggest accomplishments have been inspired by YouTube. 

 Besides YouTube, I did some light Facebook browsing, and shared the Christmas episode of Black Mirror with my friends, which was well received thank goodness. Unfortunately, a couple people had to leave about ten minutes before the end of the episode. I still feel bad because everything was peaking and it was all about to be explained. Unfortunately they won't get to see the end until tomorrow, but being as busy as we are, I'm impressed we were able to knock out majority of the episode all at once.

My media consumption this week, or lack therof.

So my understanding of this whole blog thing is that we're supposed to write once a week about our interactions with media that week. It's Friday, so I'm trying to reflect back on any media I might have consumed over the past few days. If we're being honest, this semester has been extremely difficult for me so far, and because of the massive workload, I haven't been able to justify spending much time consuming media when there's homework to be done. That being said, I did grant myself time to watch the Will Ferrell classic "Kicking and Screaming" earlier this week. I'm combing my memory for any other media I gave my time to this week. There was the occasional Facebook notification I would investigate, and a couple of YouTube videos each day, but I don't go out of my way to keep up on any news or current events, partially because I'm lazy and partially because, especially after seeing the documentary, I'm not super trusting of mainstream news media.

A day without media... or not...

Today was supposed to be a day without media... things didn't exactly go as planned for me because I didn't remember that today was supposed to be media-free until about an hour into my day! I still gave the "no media day" a shot, but as one might expect, it didn't go too well. I didn't remember that I wasn't supposed to be exposed to media when I first woke up, so I did listen to music in the shower and kept track of the time while I brushed my teeth. Those are two things I wouldn't have been able to do without my phone, or "life companion" as Samsung calls it. Going to breakfast and my first class without using my phone was pretty annoying. I realized how much I'm addicted to Google and quick information. I found myself wondering about all kinds of things throughout my morning, and my initial instinct is to plunge my hand into my pocket and consult Google. But I wasn't allowed to today... and it sucked... I just had to wonder and not know the answers to my completely trivial questions. It's more torturous than you might think! I had a very difficult time sitting through class with this itch I couldn't scratch... I just had to know what year Ghostbusters came out! Not having that desire satisfied instantly was surprisingly annoying. 

As my day stretched on, not being able to use my phone became an issue of convenience and efficiency. Coordinating trips to the dining hall with my friends suddenly required a ton of walking! I couldn't just text someone "Brockway at 12:05?" I had to walk all the way to their room (and hope that they're there, cause if they're not I can't reach them) and then ask them if they would care to dine with me. On an average day, I would use my phone to double check what day it is and that I'm headed to the correct class. Without using my phone, I just had to trust my gut. Or interact with strangers, but that's a last resort!

Overall, it was not super fun. I learned a lot about how much my phone really helps me get through the day, which is why I honestly only lasted a couple hours. My lifestyle requires technology! I can honestly say I didn't end up craving any Facebook, Twitter, news, or anything like that. I did miss YouTube a couple times, but that's about it.