This past weekend I decided it would be a good idea to leave my cell phone outside all night, in the pouring rain. The outcome of this decision was a fried device, and one week of isolation from my social networking communities and, more importantly, from my parents. My mother thought that I had gotten kidnaped and taken to a foreign country, but expected that I had possibly lost or broken my phone knowing who I am. The week brought many challenges as I navigated my daily life, and as a matter of fact I learned a few things about myself that I had not noticed before. It was quite interesting to see the difference a phone made in my everyday world, but I am glad to have one again.
1. Clocks are still relevant and useful.
I found myself actually using the analog wristwatch that I wear on a daily basis, and discovered that it actually has a use other than being a fashion statement. Typically I would pull my phone out of my pocket when checking the time, but this was no longer an option. The first few days of not having a phone I struggled to remember which "hand" was the one for minutes and which was for hours, and vice versa, but can now say that it has become second nature.
2. No one Facebook messages anymore.
The only real quick mode of communication that I had with others was through Facebook Messenger, and even this was not too speedy. I would look to receive a response in a few minutes but instead would wait for a hours to get one. This really took me back to my days of middle school when I would sit in front of my keyboard at home and troll for who was "online."
3. People block others out when in public.
I got on a crowded and full Appalcart and observed that I was the only person without my nose turned to my phone screen. Those that were not staring at their device had their earbuds in and were avoiding conversation with others by entering their own world of music, and thus their own small bubble of life. Also, I got some funny looks for not being connected and either reading a book or sitting quietly while on the commute. It was as though I was the one that was not being, "normal."
4. Killing time takes some creativity.
As I waited for the bus or to meet someone after successfully setting up a time and location via Facebook, I would often find myself with a good amount of time with nothing to do. Normally, I would pull out my phone and check my social media, or browse Amazon for new deals, but instead I was now left to come up with a more unique past time. I tried a few things, reading or attempting to converse with someone nearby, but was looked at as though I were a lunatic that had escaped from mental facility. Talking seems to have gone out of style, or at least is not practiced as widely as it once was.
5. You learn a lot through social media.
If you think about it, we learn quite a bit by the networks we are connected to. For example, I learned that Stickboy was having a "free cookie day" through my friends Snapchat stories. I then went to the company, and got a free chocolate chip-oatmeal raisin cookie. Now, I'm not sure how many great offers I missed like this in the past week, but it is safe to say I would have missed out if not for checking the first time. In addition to this, I did not think how dependent on GroupMe I had become to talk to everyone at once.
6. Group projects are hard, but harder without contact.
I had a group project due for one of my classes, and we had to set up certain meeting times and places to get the work done. What I found was me not having a clue when at all we could do so, together. My group was put out of place by having to contact me through email, as though I were making them perform a task that was just too inconvenient. In the long run, they ended up finding that it wasn't too bad and that it's actually almost as easy as texting.
7. The gym sucks without music.
I have no idea how meat-heads back in the day would pump iron in silence. Having a strong playlist is key to having a good workout, and frankly without music one feels weak and not motivated to push through; at least I was.
8. iCloud is a good idea.
Once I got my new replacement phone I realized I was just as out of touch as not having one, for I have never set up icloud account before. Therefore, I have not been able to call anyone except the numbers I remembered, which was my mother and siblings mostly. Also, I lost a years worth of photographs and memories with the death of my old phone. It kinda stinks, but I hope my memory remains strong and I keep most of these stored away anyhow.
9. Finding things used to take a while.
Instead of simply loading Safari on my iPhone, to find out something, I had to look it up in the library in an old book or log into a computer. This would take longer than the first option, but I found that I get too caught up in the "convenience" of a phone.
10. Calendars are cool, being late isn't.
I typically use a calendar on my phone to schedule my life, and I like this because it gives me notifications of when things are coming up soon. Due to being without one, I missed a few appointments and resorted to sitting down an drawing up a planner, or what I would call it to be. I found that this was not so bad, and that I could manage as long as I kept up with it. On the other hand, the piece of paper is now just a mere scrap as it had been soaked time and time again in the rain.
11. Patience is a virtue.
In each of these cases, I looked at myself and found that I was frustrated for having to wait to find something and have something not immediately at my disposal. I would often become frustrated and get angry that I was having to wait, but that is such a petty problem to have. To have the ability to wait patiently is quite awesome, and I was able to master this a bit more. Let's hope I can keep this through the stage of a new phone.
In sum, I learned that i am too connected to my phone and take having one for granted. There are skills that have been pushed aside since cellular devices have been made popular, but they are still prevalent to those that need them; like me. This article shows the list of common "first world problems" when it comes to phones, and I am happy to say that this week has been a good experience about how we are as a society.
Also, I shouldn't leave my phone in the rain again, rookie move.
