Media Deprivation Day

It has to be some form of a practical joke--the way a select few college professors seek revenge for the countless lectures that have been interrupted and ignored by cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, and other various forms of electronic media by creating an assignment that bans them for a full 24 hour period. I had heard about it from one of my friends last semester, and was anticipating the assignment since the course had started. Still, I must admit that even though I knew about it, I was worried about how well I would manage.
While I am pretty sure my electronic media usage is about average with most individuals my age, I cannot help but realize that it still consumes most of my spare time, as well as the time I spend doing school work or hanging out with friends. From an early age I would watch TV as soon as I got out of elementary school. By high school, if I wasn’t watching TV I would be playing a video game. And now, on my drive between campus and Rockville, I go nuts if I do not have my iPod and the FM tuner to go with it. Most of my school work is done on a computer, and most of my time with friends is spent indulging in some form or another of electronic media as well. Still, as immersed as I am in my various media forms, I have always enjoyed being able to take the time to relax in a park or walk around my neighborhood (but normally only when the weather is perfect).
My plans for spring break were pretty simple: I would go back home to Montgomery County where I would do my best to spend as much time relaxing and as little time working as possible. And while I was sure I’d do a fine job achieving ultimate laziness, I also knew that at some point I would need to take a day for this assignment. For the first few days of break I would always have something planned with friends that basically revolved around some form of electronic media. Between going to the movie theater, watching South Park seasons or playing Guitar Hero, I was surprised that so much of what my friends and I did together fell under the category of electronic media. Admittedly, all this made starting the assignment significantly more difficult than I would’ve hoped. Still, my desire to procrastinate eventually waned and my electronic media-less day was ready to start.
There was one form of media that I was happy to be without was my alarm clock. Especially since it was spring break, I had already planned on sleeping in pretty late. I woke up around 1 in the afternoon, and had to stop myself from checking my phone for any messages I might have missed. But as I stopped myself from picking up my phone I realized that the desire to check my phone was really more of a reflex than a necessity, which was a realization that put my mind at ease as I thought about the difficult day I was about to face. Normally I would have gotten up and eaten breakfast in front of the TV, but since that was out of the question I grabbed a bite to eat and talked to my brother for a while. He wanted to show me various things he had seen online but as inconvenient as it was, the best he could do is describe them to me instead of being able to simply show me on the computer he was sitting in front of. After a while I went out with my mom to go shopping as I had planned the day before, in hopes that it would dull the pain of being electronic media-less. The trip there was actually fine without the radio because it was easily replaced with conversation, but when we got to the mall it became very obvious that electronic media was everywhere. Still, they were easily avoided for the most part, and the extent of my actual usage of the media didn’t go much further than listening to the music play in some of the stores. By the time we got back home it was already almost 6pm. At this point I had a few hours to burn before I was planning on going out, but I couldn’t think of much to do that didn’t involve some form of electronic media. Even my homework required me to go online. Instead I decided to try clean up some of my room which is somehow always messy. I managed to get a good amount of it tidied up, but as I was cleaning I couldn’t help but think how much easier time would pass if I could just listen to some music while working. When dinner was ready I grabbed some food and ate it on my way out to my friends’ apartment since my family always watches TV while they eat dinner. Luckily when I got to their apartment they were in the mood to play Magic, a card game that thankfully takes up large amount of time, and involves no electronic media. With some convincing I got them to do without the typical TV on in the background, and I was actually able to play for the last 3.5 hours of my media deprivation day.
My 24 hours of electronic media deprivation was in fact NOT as hard as I was planning on it being. Not being able to contact people with my phone wasn’t so bad because I had made plans with friends in advance. And while I definitely tried to check my phone several times throughout the day, after realizing it was in my room I really wasn’t that disappointed that I didn’t have it on me. Knowing that I’d be able to check all my messages the next day was a great comfort though. I had also realized when I was talking to my brother that while having the internet as a tool is incredibly convenient, not being able to actually use that technology was merely an annoyance, and we were still able to carry on our conversation. On top of it all, this experience has helped my understand some of Gardner’s words in his article “The End of Literacy? Don’t Stop Reading.” While some individuals such as Jacoby believe that it is the emerging forms of electronic media that have created a decline in intellectualism as she states in her article, “The Dumbing of America,” Gardner expresses how these forms of media are not meant to replace existing forms with simplified content, but rather, to enhance them. Being deprived of the new and electronic forms of media made me realize that other forms of media with great intellectual value still exist, but they seem to pale in comparison to the convenience of new media today.
Overall, I would definitely not attempt this media deprivation exercise again voluntarily, but it was still a valuable experience. When it comes down to it, I can have a great day without immersing myself in electronic media, so why should I deny myself the comfort and conveniences of e-media?

Howard Gardner, “The End of Literacy? Don’t Stop Reading.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021502898.html
Susan Jacoby, “The Dumbing of America” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021502901.html

Speech vs Writing

It is an amazingly difficult thing to begin to understand: the full extent of the role that communication plays in our lives. The moment that I wake up in the morning I read my alarm clock, and then promptly check my phone at my bedside to verify what time it actually is and to see if I have gotten any new e-mails, text messages, or instant messages. Soon after I check to see what alerts Google Calendar has sent to notify me of what classes I will have to endure, what assignments I need to make sure I have completed and what other appointments I’m obligated to attend. Throughout the day I might ask a teacher about a question that I may have, jokingly trash talk some friends as we play video games, say thanks to a person holding the door to my building open for me, complain about the obscene amount of studying that I need to do to my roommate or assure my mother that I will better manage my finances. How could we, as human beings in the complex society that we have built around us, actually manage to carry on in our lives without the use of some form of communication or another?

And so when the question arises of whether speech or writing that is the superior form of communication in today’s society, I suddenly find myself at a near loss for words. I suppose that it might be a bit of an indecisive stance to argue, but in my opinion, not only are both forms of communication so vital to the way live today, but both also serve very specific and unique purposes that the other would not be able to completely fulfill.

Consider the epic milestone of a child’s first word. It is so significant because it marks the beginning of their ability to communicate. Before they are able to write, they can communicate through speech to their parents in order to fulfill their needs, express their desires, and share their observations. Not only that, but it is the observation and imitation of their parents’ speech through which they themselves are able to begin comprehending language. While we grow and develop, speech becomes a vital aspect of life. To educate ourselves and gain knowledge of our surroundings we listen to teachers and professors of higher learning. To socialize ourselves we interact and form relationships with our peers.

Even so, perhaps one of the most unique characteristic of speech is its expressive capabilities. In “The End of Literacy? Don’t Stop Reading.” Howard Gardner explains that after our basic survival needs are met, humans are able “to pursue other needs and desires, including the pleasure of communication, forming friendships, convincing others of our point of view, [and] exercising our imagination…” It is unique form of communication that is speech that allows us do reach these goals through the acts of developing conversations, expressing feelings, debating and performing. How moving would an opera be if you were simply handed the score? How much would you believe the words ‘I love you,’ or even ‘I hate you’ without hearing the intonation of the speaker? How convinced would you be of a person’s argument without being able to listen to the passion within the debater’s voice? Speech has the unique ability to allow a person to express emotions that even they may not be aware of vocally-through their emphasis of words, inflection, and tone. Furthermore, face to face conversations also permit those involved to see a person’s facial expressions, hand gestures and body language as they speak. If a couple is fighting and one individual says, “No, it is fine if you want to cancel our date,” an annoyed tone and crossed arms are sure signs that what was said was not what they truly felt.

But even though speech has a power and emotion that cannot be conveyed through written words, writing also has its many practical and essential aspects. It is not surprising to notice that written word has become much more prevalent in day to day living as we develop new communication technologies. Whether we’re reading news blogs, technology blogs or personal blogs, browsing our social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, or completing online assignments for a class, it is written word that we depend on for convenience, efficiency and dependability.

With internet connections available to anyone who may be seeking it, the World Wide Web is merely a few clicks (but perhaps several dollars) away. Further convenience is found as users are able to seek out specific information using quick answer methods such as Wikipedia or Google. I can’t even begin to imagine the number of times I’ve thanked the wonderful workings of the internet for fast facts, answers to arbitrary questions and identifying new songs that I hear.

On top of all this, there is also the great aspect of practicality that writing embraces. Think about how strange it would be to hear a clock say the time instead of just being able to read it every time you wanted to check it. Written word is a functional way to convey information as simply or detailed, and as close-knit or widespread, as its writer desires. Street signs indicate traffic laws that are to be obeyed. Flyers are plastered all over campus in order to inform the masses of various events to attend, when and where they will be and what they are for. E-mails between my sister and my family update us on how my newborn niece Maile is doing. Facebook events are able to invite the entire campus to bake sales in the Breezeway. In today’s world we are able to virtually write anything we want and send it to whoever we want, given we have the desire to do it.

So why choose between speech and writing? Instead I prefer focusing on how technology as managing to converge both into effective and efficient forms of communication. Consider how advances in technology has allowed us to move past simply writing back and forth to each other through AOL Instant Messenger, and into the realm of being able to see and hear each other by making video connections like Skype allows us to. Both of these forms of communication fulfill their unique purposes of powerful expression and great convenience, so instead of picking one we prefer, we should really be taking advantage of the wonderful ways we are able to connect.