I started my lazy Saturday morning with a relaxing shower, and soon found myself humming to the beat of the song stuck in my head while rinsing and repeating. This led me to think about the sobering fact that the day would have to be music free, something I had never before experienced. I love music– it has been such an integral part of my life since my early days.

My childhood home was always filled with music– I would wake up to the sounds of my Mom’s favorite album blasting at full volume as she cooked in our kitchen.

My parents also attempted to bring out my musical abilities by placing me into a few after school piano lessons. I ended up loathing those black and white keys and promptly quit. Nevertheless, years later, I rediscovered my passion for music in the guitar and played all through high school. Overall, the accompanying music detox did not go over too well with me, as I found the task near impossible.

I can not start the day without carefully selecting an outfit for the day, and I cannot pick out my clothes without knowing the weather for the day. One of the first things I do every morning is check the weather app on my iPhone, but seeing as how that was not an option, I found myself cracking my dorm window open and sticking my head out the window to peer up at the sky. I searched for any sign of heavy rain clouds and tried to get a feel of the temperature outside. This is when the severity of my technology dependence first became alarmingly clear, and led me to recall a THNKR article I previously read as part of my digital detox research, “This is Your Brain on the Internet,” which discussed Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD, and made me wonder if I could possibly be diagnosed with a mild form of the disease.

I grabbed brunch at the Market Cafe a few minutes later with a few of my friends. Problems began to arise for me as soon as I joined the back of the long breakfast food queue. I let out a sigh of frustration and began to reach for my phone in my front pocket… and instantly remembered that it was back in my room, switched permanently off for the day. The line seemed to move at a glacial pace, and I wondered if it was usually this long, but I had just not noticed because I was so absorbed in my phone. This led me to consider Tara Parker-Pope’s article, “An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness,” in which she asserts that increased amounts of technology may be leading to impatience, impulsiveness, forgetfulness, and narcissism. I noticed similar symptoms in myself throughout this experience, and believe that this response was caused by the effects of overstimulation on the brain due to technology and media influences.

When I finally sat down at the table with a heavy plate of cheesy eggs, pancakes, and bacon, my sudden appearance went unnoticed by my friends, as their eyes were glued to their own digital screen in front of them. It was only when I actively engaged them in a direct conversation that they looked up from their phones. We went on to have a great time, and it led me to consider introducing my friends to phone stacking, a game where all participants must put their phones face down in the center of the table, where no one is allowed to pick them up during the entire course of the meal. The first person to give in and look at their phone must pay for everyone’s meals.

The word “detox” refers to a physiological process that occurs when the body attempts to remove or neutralize harmful toxins from the intestines. In this assignment, the “poison” would be technology.

While copious amounts of digital technology can be detrimental to the individual, one can also argue that technology has advanced our society for the better.

In today’s modern day and age, we are able to cure diseases that many others died from throughout history. Technology has also allowed us to travel the globe, to experience life from all over the world in different political, social, and economical climates than our own. This effectively connects to McLuhan’s theory of a “Global Village,” which states that communication technology has brought people around the world closer together.

Throughout this experience, I recorded that I began to observe things about my surroundings that I had not previously noticed. People can be so interesting, and taking the time to study their behavior can be beneficial. Shutting off cellular devices can open our eyes to a whole new world of possibilities, if we are willing to look beneath the surface of a facade that many may put up. The reason we find other humans so interesting is because we like to compare our own image to another‘s. As a result, we are constantly looking to others in society for validation of our self and the signs we display to the world, an idea that connects to Berger’s “Signs.” According to Berger, individuals use and manipulate others in order to present an image, a concept that the advertising and media industries clearly exploit.

Ultimately, people hold the power to read, misread, and be lied to by signs, as meaning is changed based on interpretation.

Overall, going twenty-four hours was no easy task. But there exists a popular proverb– the best things in life never come easy. This expression can certainly be applied to this assignment, as I have emerged from this experience with a greater understanding and knowledge of myself, my habits and desires. Furthermore, I can conclude that society needs to seriously consider reducing its own daily media intake. In this way, I am effectively calling for a change– we all have only have only one body and one mind. If we wish to continue living life to the fullest extent, filled with much love, joy, and happiness, true feelings that can only be achieved through face-to-face communication, we must learn to control technology, or it will ultimately grow to control us.

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