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Technology Mindfulness Portfolio

Introduction/My Goals:

I want to become more aware of the connection between technology and myself. I hope to find peace with my technology usage and become more mindful of the ways I use my smartphone.

I watched a video regarding the connection between mindfulness and technology; this video expanded my knowledge and really opened my eyes to how mindless we can become while using technology.

This video is from 60 Seconds and explains how mindfulness and technology do not typically mix. The speaker begins by explaining that when he was young his father would come home from work and he would never have to answer business calls. However, today, it is very common for parents to neglect their families for work because we are accessible at all moments. He explains that constant connectivity is great for bits and pieces of the day, but when you come home, you just want to relax.

A woman in the video explains how she worries for her children growing up in a very pro-technology world. The world is changing and technology is something that will never go away; it will just continue to become greater. Due to her fears, she feels as though it is important to put her phone away when she gets home from work in order to interact and care for her children. She believes that her family should be together and spending their time with one another when everyone is available and home. She is very mindful of her actions with her technology because of how deeply she cares for her family.

I plan to do the following through this mindfulness experiment:

Blog #1

I decided to take a Smartphone Compulsion Test to see how addicted I was to my smartphone. Based on my results of scoring a 13/15, 15 being the higest, it was suggested that I see a psychologist that can help me be less attached and dependent to my cell phone. I do agree with my results of scoring so highly, however, I do not wish to take steps towards seeking help for using my phone. Instead, I feel as though I should be working towards breaking bad habits that I have when it comes to cell phone usage.

One habit that I would like to break is using my phone as much as I do instead of having conversations in person. I realized while taking this quiz that I spend more time talking to others on my phone than I do in real life on a daily basis. Something else that I found interesting while taking this quiz was the question that said, “Do you sleep with your cell or smart phone (turned on) under your pillow or next to your bed regularly?” This really opened my eyes because I feel so strange and disconnected from my phone if I do not sleep with it right under my pillow, and I know that this is the same for most people that I know. There is nothing wrong with leaving my phone on the other side of the room when I am asleep, because I am not doing anything on it, but I still always feel the need to leave it under my pillow. I would like to say that I keep it under my pillow just in case there is an emergency, but I know the reality of it is that I am just addicted and feel disconnected from my virtual life if it is not by me at all times.

Another thing that I found to be alarming is the question that asked if I ever find myself distracted while driving because of my phone. The harsh reality of it is that I definitely do find myself texting and driving more than I should be. I know that it is extremely dangerous and I am putting others and my own life at risk, but I am very guilty of doing this. These are all things that I am definitely open to trying to change about myself and my smartphone habits, but I know that it will take a lot of work.

Blog #2

My smartphone usage is not the best. I definitely have many flaws when it comes to how much I use my phone and what I use it for, but I find it nearly impossible to change my ways because I grew up in a society that always has their phone in their hands. I typically find myself scrolling through social media applications; Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are my three weaknesses. I use Twitter for many purposes; I always find myself laughing when I am on Twitter, so if I am every bored by myself, I open the app and begin to scroll. I also use Twitter as a news source. They always have a discover page that gives lengthy news articles along with all kinds of peoples’ personal points of view. Sometimes I could use Twitter for ten minutes, and other times, I could find myself scrolling for over an hour. Twitter is definitely my biggest weakness when it comes to using social media.

Instagram is very similar for my usage; I will spend hours scrolling down my feed. I am honestly not even interested in half of the things that I see on Instagram, but I still use it on a daily basis. Snapchat is the app that I use the least out of my top 3 apps. I would like to say it is because I cut back on my usage, but in reality, it is because I have terrible service and just cannot seem to get it to load most of the time. However, when I do get it to load, I could sit on it for hours. I think the reason I use Snapchat so much is because there are discover pages that allow you to have an interactive experience with the app.

Not including my apps, I think I spend most of my time texting. My mom and I send texts back and forth every single day, my brother and I text all of the time, and I am in all kinds of different group chats with my school friends, my home friends, etc. I probably text for more than two hours a day just because it is a way for me to stay updated on everything going on. Overall, I could estimate that I spend about 6 hours a day on my phone. Not including how much I use my phone, I probably check my screen over 100 times a day. If I think I feel it vibrate, I will pull it out. If I want to check the time, I will pull it out. If I want to scroll through apps, I will pull it out. I always have my phone on me and I do not think it will change anytime soon.

I feel as though I use my smartphone for one primary purpose. There are typically four reasons that people would go on their phone. One primary purpose is for the social aspect (Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.). Another purpose is for entertainment (Hulu, Netflix, etc.). Communication is another primary purpose when it comes to smartphone usage (texting or calling). The last primary purpose would be for cognitive reasoning (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.). I feel as though I use my phone for the primary purpose of the social aspect. I spend most of my time on my phone scrolling mindlessly through apps. However, I also use my phone for the other purposes, just not as much as socially.

Blog #3

I like all of the apps on my phone; however, I like each one for a different reason. I would not have apps that I did not enjoy on my phone because that is a waste of storage. My favorite app for news and sometimes humor is Twitter. I use Twitter for news because I think it is a fast way to spread media; I also enjoy it because there is a maximum amount of characters that can be used in each post. It is impossible to go over a certain amount, so I know that Twitter will always ensure a quick read from news sources. I use YouTube if I am looking for tips, outfits, ideas, etc.; I typically login if I am in need of creativity and can not do it myself. I use Instagram for no good reason; I am guilty of letting time pass by as I sit there scrolling, but it is never with any intention. I would like to say that I do not use it to compare my life to others, but I know that I do just that.

Pictured below is a screenshot of my home screen on my phone. One thing to notice is that my message app is closest to where my dominant hand’s thumb would be holding my phone; this makes it nearly impossible to avoid texting. Alongside this is the safari app and the music app, which I use on a daily basis as well. Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram are not placed strategically; I just have it memorized where they are on my home screen so they are always readily available. I think it is crazy that I can use my phone at all times, even with my eyes closed, and know exactly where I am navigating because of how much I use it.

Blog #4

I have been tracking my phone usage on an app on my phone; this app is called Moment. In this app, it records how many times I pick up my phone to check it, how long I am on it, and how long I am on it each time that I pick it up.

The first day I started using the app, it tracked that I used it for 5 hours and 2 minutes. It said that the first time I picked it up was for 42 minutes; however, the most at one time I spent on it that day was 59 minutes, and the shortest time was 2 minutes. Throughout this day, I picked my phone up 102 times.

For everyday after this, it is just about the same data. The app tracks that I typically spend between 3 and 5 hours on my phone a day. It also tracks that I pick my phone up between 100 and 200 times a day. This is something that I do not necessarily agree with. I think that the app just tracks “phone pick ups” for when you pick your phone up and then proceed to go on it. However, if this app were to track how many times I just picked my phone up to do it (for no good reason at all other than to see if I have a notification even though I never do), I would be at a much higher number of phone pick ups.

I feel pretty satisfied when it comes to seeing my data because if anything, I expected it to be much higher in the numbers. I think that I am doing ok now because I really did expect my daily time to be around 6 or 7 hours a day.

Something that I did not take into consideration, however, is how I am always on my laptop. I could probably estimate that I spend about 2 to 3 hours a day on my laptop. I am constantly watching television, movies, YouTube, listening to music, or playing games on my laptop. Therefore, if I were to add together how long I spend on my phone along with my laptop, the numbers would more than likely be much higher.

Blog #5

After learning how much I use technology, including both my smartphone and my laptop, I now realize how I should be making it a point to lessen my usage. I know that I really do want to use my technology less but sometimes it seems nearly impossible because of how dependent I have become. Even if I become less dependent on it, I still feel like it will be a bit of an arduous experience because of how expected it is to use smartphones in the social aspect.

From reading this article, I have decided to tackle some of the challenges. One of the challenges tempted the readers to turn their notifications off completely. I thought that this would be the easiest one for myself because I normally have the do not disturb feature on. However, after totally isolating myself from notifications and turning them off for each and every single app, I feel as though I have released myself from the constant connection I have with my technology.

I went an entire day without having my notifications on; as easy as this might seem to someone from the older generations, this was not very easy for me. There were many times that I was extremely tempted to check my phone for notifications even after knowing that they were not going to pop up on my screen. I think that this was a hard change to try and make, however, at the same time, I think it was good to escape my phone and not check it at all times throughout the day.

Another strategy I tried in order to cut back on my technology usage was to change my night time rituals. I chose to do this one because I recognize that I lay in bed for hours scrolling through all of my social media apps before I even think about going to sleep. I know that this is problematic for my health; I struggle with Hashimotos Disease, which is a disease that attacks my thyroid gland which makes me extremely tired at all times of the day, and even with knowing that I need a full nights rest, I continue to scroll before bed.

After deciding to change my night time rituals I finally acted upon it. In order to do this, I decided to not go out for 3 days and to not use my phone 2 hours before I went to sleep. Instead, I spent some quality time with my roomates. This honestly helped me tremendously even though it was extremely difficult; I woke up in the morning feeling slightly more awake and energized, less groggy, and ready for the day to begin. I think that I should make this an every night thing, however, it’s very unrealistic for me. I am always so glued to my phone and temped to pick it up many times throughout the day. I have decided that on nights that I stay in I will not use my phone for 2 hours before I go to sleep. I think that making small changes like this will benefit me in the long run.

Blog #6

This week, I decided that I was going to conduct an experiment for myself. I decided to leave my smartphone in my apartment for an entire day and see how I would feel after the day had completed.

At first, I was very nervous and did not want to participate in the self experiment whatsoever. However, I decided to follow through with the idea and try something new. I have broken my phone many times in my life so I know what it is like not having a phone for small bursts of time. I thought that I was going to be able to handle this experiment, but instead, I felt like I was going crazy.

I decided to do my experiment on a Wednesday. On Wednesdays, I have class from 9am–3pm and then work from 4pm–8pm. I knew right from the start that this was going to be challenging for me once I realized that I was not going to be home for just about 11 hours.

I noticed immediately how annoyed I was that I was not able to connect my phone to the Bluetooth in my car. I never have to tune into the radio and listen to talk shows in the morning anymore; I was bored to death even though it was only a 5 minute drive from my apartment to campus. This is when I knew that my day was going to be filled with boredom and the feeling of loneliness.

Once I made it to campus, I made it through my classes perfectly fine. I honestly didn’t even really think of my phone until I had to sit in the hallways for 10 minutes between each class. Normally, right when I walk out of class, I take my phone out of my pocket and use it for those 10 minutes.

I eventually finished up my morning classes and went to eat lunch with my friend. I never noticed how often I use my phone when I am with my friends until this moment; the entire time I kept thinking to myself, “where the heck is my phone?”. I was seriously longing for it even though I was face to face with one of my best friends. We normally talk the entire time we go to lunch, but now I realize that we also use our phones the whole time. Even though we have conversations in real time being face to face, one person is always on their phone during the conversation.

After all of my classes wrapped up, I was feeling fine. I knew that I handled what I thought was going to be the worst part of my day. However, that was before I got to work. My job consists of sitting behind a desk and helping people MAYBE every 10 minutes with something. I normally have my phone to help pass time in situations like this but this time I did not. I remember being SO bored; I started singing songs in my head repeatedly to help time pass. Eventually, I realized that I could be using this time to do homework; I don't know why I never do homework at work because it’s honestly such a great time to do it. I have definitely learned from this experience because as I am typing this blog, Im at work being productive for once.

Overall, I think I failed with the experiment. I think the point of ridding myself from my phone for an entire day was to focus on myself and exist in real time with no virtual interaction. Instead, my entire day consisted of feeling make believe notifications vibrating in my pocket, experiencing the fear of missing out from my group chats, not being able to log into my social media apps, not having music to listen to, or having games to play. I am still happy with my decision of attempting to isolate myself from my phone; I did it with the best intentions but I think it’s safe to conclude that not having a phone in reach at all times of the day is just not for me.

Blog #7

I decided to attempt a mindfulness exercise that was meant to be done by people who believe they have a phone addiction. Many studies have proven that phone and technology addiction can be detrimental to a person’s health, both mentally and physically. Many studies have shown that society has become less empathetic, raises a risk of brain cancer, and that more than half of people with access to technology face an addiction. These are all very serious issues which is why it has become important to be aware and conscious of the decisions we make when we pick up our phones.

In order to attempt the mindfulness challenge, I had to complete multiple things in a specific order to see my response to each.

Step 1: Sit Comfortably.

This was a difficult step for me because I am used to slouching when I use my phone and scroll through social media. I typically lay down on my bed or couch and find things to do on my phone to fill the time. Sitting up definitely made me become more mindful of what I was about to do on my phone because I was not comfortable sitting in an up right position.

Step 2: Turn Your Phone On, But Do Not Open Any Particular App. Just Let Your Thumb Hover Over Top Of The Screen.

I found this step to be extremely frustrating. I thought it was really annoying to have my phone turned on but not being able to touch it. It really showed me how bad I “itch” for technology when it is in front of me.

Step 3: Take In A Full, Deep Breath Into The Belly.

Before I went onto my phone, I breathed for a few minutes. I thought that this step was going to be very pointless and strange, but it actually helped me feel more conscious of what I was doing; it was as if I was connected with myself again through something other than technology.

Step 4: Notice Any Of The Following.

I was expected to notice if I felt a want, frustration, restlessness, fatigue, or a sense of doubt. If I felt any of these things, I was supposed to go back to being aware of how my breathing felt. I definitely did feel as though I was restless and had a sense of doubt because I wanted to touch my phone very badly. Whenever I realized that I was feeling this way, I resorted back to the connection of my breathing to myself as a person. I noticed the following:

I felt the impulse of my thumb beginning to open apps on my phone. I was drawn to opening new tabs on my phone because of how much I felt as though I needed to do it.

There is nothing about my phone usage that stirs frustration and anger inside of me. I never feel as though I am being reminded of someone or something that once stressed me out. The only time that I can recall feeling like that is when I did have someone to blame and had many doubts and faced obstacles in a relationship. Other than that, I have never felt like that.

I honestly do feel as though there are times in which I am restless when it comes to my phone usage. It is as if I am experiencing an internal itch because I feel as though I always need to be doing something on my phone. I think the “itch” comes from me not having anything to do but still trying to find something.

Sometimes, when I hold my phone, I feel as though I have depleted feelings because there is never anything to do on it, but I still attempt to look for something to do.

From looking at my phone, I feel like there is much doubt on how I manage my daily life with my attention. There are many times that I feel like I am wasting my attention and throwing it away to something so unimportant. I feel as though there are many times in which I have doubts on how I can alter my attention and change my daily life. There are so many ways that I can better myself as a person and a technology user, but I still decide to never change. My addictive, pocket-sized, rectangle cell phone controls my life. I think my phone makes me lose my sense of control over my life. There are so many times that I feel like I am wasting my time while using my phone.

Blog #8 Conclusion

After monitoring my usage the past semester, I feel as though I have become more mindful of how often I use my phone.

Screen Time

This chart shows the amount of time I spent on my phone from October 8th to November 26th. On average, I used my phone for 3 hours and 52 minutes per day. On weekdays, I used my phone for an average of 3 hours 57 minutes. On weekends, I used my phone for an average of 3 hours 38 minutes. I used my phone the most between the hours of 9am and 2am. On my best day, I only used my phone for 1 hour 26 minutes. On my worst day, I used my phone for 6 hours 37 minutes. The longest screen-free time was 29 hours 21 minutes. The longest single screen-time was 1 hour 23 minutes.

Pick-Ups

This chart shows how many times I picked my phone up per day from October 8th to November 26th. On average, I picked my phone up 119 times per day. The average Moment user picks their phone up 52 times per day, therefore, I typically used my phone a lot. On my best day, I only picked my phone up 25 times. On my worst day, I picked my phone up 175 times.

I feel as though there are many times that I pull my phone out for pointless antics. There really is no need to sit on my phone for hours scrolling through social media apps, but still, I do not change my ways. After this experiment, I have learned much more about myself and my addiction to technology.

I feel as though this study did have an impact on my social life; I had to put my phone down many times in social situations rather than have it out. I feel like it impacted my professional life because I try to be aware of how often I use my phone at work. Similarly, I think it impacted my academic life because I stopped using my phone in class (which I should have never been doing in the first place).

I think from this point forward, I can continue to improve my device usage. After this study, I have learned many ways to regulate my usage. However, I still remain the same way that I always have and have not really changed many things. I think this mindfulness project really opened my eyes to how often I use my phone, however, we life in a day and age that is pro-phones and pro-technology. I feel as though if I do not continue to move forward with having these advantages I will be left behind. Although I do not want to change my technology usage, I still feel as though I have learned the importance of the relationship between being mindful with smartphones and technology. Overall, this project helped me become more mindful of the things that I do on my phone and how I can better myself to remain connected with my reality instead of just my virtual reality.

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