When I heard the Vegetarians and Friend’s club was going camping, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to give up my phone for 24 hours. My nature writing class had an assignment where you could give up your phone for 24 hours for extra credit, and of course, I had to try it. Not only did I want the extra credit, but I also wanted to see if I could do it. To be honest, the thought of giving up my phone for a full day was a little daunting, but I knew I had to try. Since I would not have service and we would be busy doing various camping activities, I figured I probably would not want to be on my phone anyway.
The club had been planning the camping trip for awhile and I was super excited. It had been a long time since I last went camping, and camping with friends sounded a lot more fun than my previous camping experiences with my parents (which it was). As soon as my tent was set up, I put my phone in a pouch and left it in my tent. At first it felt weird not having my phone with me, but soon I didn’t even realize it was gone. Everyone else still kept their phones with them, and they were always saying “Where’s my phone? I thought I set it down here,” or “Wait guys I can’t find my phone!” and I realized that not having my phone actually took away the stress of losing it!
We went hiking after our campsite was all set up. I noticed that pretty much everyone brought their phones along. Most were used to take pictures, but a few people still used their phones to get on Snapchat. I thought this was kind of stupid because we didn’t have service, but apparently you can post pictures on snapchat even when you don’t have internet access and it will just post it as soon as access to the internet is available. I thought this was interesting. It was like everyone wanted to prove that we actually went camping by posting pictures of it on Snapchat. I’ve noticed that this is sort of a new cultural phenomenon-- pics or it didn’t happen. People are obsessed with documenting important moments in their lives which is completely justifiable. After all, pictures do capture memories in a way. However, it was something more than that. They didn’t just want the photos for themselves to remember the trip, they wanted to post them to social media so other people could see that they were doing something. Seeing everyone else post pictures on Snapchat made me anxious because I desperately wanted to post pictures to social media as well. I had to get pictures or it meant I wasn’t there. It reminded me of the time I went to see the musical “Hamilton” with my dad in Chicago. The musical is really famous and I was super excited to go, but at the same time I also wanted to “prove” that I went by posting photos on social media. When my dad’s and I’s phones died, I was terrified that I wouldn’t get a picture. I ended up getting a picture in the end (and posting it to social media) but it made me wonder why I felt such intense need to have a picture. Was it because I wanted to treasure the memory forever, or was it because I wanted to post it to social media as proof that I’d seen the musical? Honestly, I don’t know. On the one hand, I do love that picture. Every time I look at it it reminds me of the amazing trip I had in Chicago and the phenomenal musical. But if I hadn’t gotten the picture, would I have been as happy? Or would I look back on the trip and think “Yeah it was great, but I really wish I had gotten a picture.” I definitely see the benefit of taking pictures, but in today’s culture, people are obsessed with it. So I forced myself to relax and enjoy the camping trip despite not being able to take pictures or post anything on Snapchat.
Along with the picture-taking obsession, we all needed another way to entertain ourselves since we didn’t have access to the internet. My friend and I were talking a few days before the camping trip and she said “Yeah, guys are so weird. Whenever they get near water they just want to throw rocks in.” I didn’t really know what she was talking about, but on our hike I found out what she meant. As soon as we got to the river in the middle of the canyon, her boyfriend immediately began throwing the biggest rocks he could find into the water. She was like “SEE I TOLD YOU SO,” and it was hilarious, but at the same time I realized that people always want to be entertained. Humans never want to be bored! Soon everyone was throwing rocks in the water and it was actually a lot of fun. No one would have thrown rocks in the water if they could have gotten on their phones instead, nor would they have found it as enjoyable. But the splashes were our source of entertainment. I thought of a reading I did at the beginning of the semester for one of my lit classes about Thoreau playing his “ice harp” out on the water. He would throw various sticks on the ice and see what kind of sounds it made. My entire class was laughing and making fun of him for playing an “ice harp,” but my friend’s and I were doing the exact same thing he was by throwing rocks into the water and making different sounds! Nature is the ultimate entertainer, apparently.
We also found entertainment through our campfire, mainly by throwing various things in and watching them burn. One of my friends was like “If all the power goes out in the world, this will be the new TV.” And he was absolutely right. The fire was even a bigger source of entertainment than throwing rocks in the river. It was also nice being able to play games and talk around the campfire. Usually whenever the club goes out to dinner, most of us get on our phones and don’t really pay full attention to each other. But now, we all had to interact with each other and everyone was 100% focused on the game we were playing or the topic we were talking about. It was a nice change from the real world.
I honestly didn’t miss my phone at all, and I think it was because I was busy and surrounded by friends the whole time. I feel like everyone, especially friend groups, should try to go camping together at least once. I had such a great time just getting away from school and hanging out with my friends, as well as being away from social media. Yes, I did have a few urges to look at my phone or take a picture, but after awhile, those urges stopped. I stopped being so panicked about “proving” that I went camping or that I was having a great time with my friends. I just enjoyed the fact that I was camping with people I truly love spending time with. I felt so much closer to my friends and grateful for the fun time I was having instead of worrying about what other people were doing on social media, or how I looked in a picture. Sometimes I wish that phone service would just give out for a couple days all over the world and see how people interact. Screens separate people, even friends and family. I think people would be a lot more appreciative of the time they were spending with others if they were actually spending time with others-- instead of making that barrier with their phones. I’m not going to say that all technology is bad, in fact, technology helped me that very night. I’m an extremely light sleeper and incredibly grumpy when I don’t get enough sleep, so I turned on my sound machine app on my phone that night to drown everything out. And it payed off! I got a great night’s rest while everyone else was kept up by snoring, coyotes and birds. I also got my revenge for them making fun of me for using a sound machine-- joke’s on them! I got plenty of sleep.
I would definitely go on a camping trip again, and would give up all electronics for 24 hours. Not only that, but I’m recommending that everyone do it too. If not the camping part, then the 24 hours without a phone at least. I also think it helped me appreciate my phone more once my 24 hours were up and when I cheated and used my sound machine. On the car ride home I listened to music and it sounded better than normal because I hadn’t listened to it for a whole day! And checking my social media wasn’t a chore or habit, but kind of satisfying after going a whole day without it. I learned there’s a fine line between letting technology help you and letting technology hurt you. I think many people, myself included, are too addicted to electronics and use our phones as a crutch to avoid awkward, boring or pretty much any uncomfortable situation. But at the same time, my sound machine helped me get a good night’s sleep. I don’t care how beautiful the sounds of nature are, I don’t give an f about nature when I’m trying to sleep. I’ve also made friends on social media and kept up with family in other states. But technology is addictive, and can be extremely bad for self-esteem and mental health. The choice is up to each person to decide if they want technology to help or hurt them. Hitting the reset button and going camping while completely shutting yourself off from electronics is a good way to find out what you want your relationship with technology to be. Do you want to be that person who’s constantly glued to their phones, even when they’re with other people? Or do you want to be a friend who’s totally attentive and appreciates experiences for what they are? Do you want to rely on technology for everything in your life, or do you just use it when you really need it, and appreciate it more because of it? I learned a lot about my relationship with technology and what I need to change, but also how much I was grateful for it when I returned from the primitive wilderness. Maybe everyone needs to throw some rocks in the water-- or better yet, their phones, and see how their view of the world changes.
