Media Binge and Fast

It’s safe to say that nowadays, most people have some sort of social media platform…unless you’re super old and don’t know how to use technology, or if you actually have a life and don’t spend hours upon hours on your phone. Me, I enjoy having a break through my day and looking through all of my social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. It almost scares me to think about how much time I have wasted scrolling on my phone. So when the opportunity came up in class to go on a fast and a binge of media, I was certainly intrigued.

I started with my binge. To prepare, I first made sure that my work and school would not be effected; meaning, I binged around those from day to day. I made sure that every chance I got, I was checking my social media. During this, I also posted more; showing my thoughts on twitter, sharing numerous (sometimes pointless) videos on Facebook, and pinning literally every stupid cliché quote from Pinterest. I felt very in touch with the world and everything that was happening in it. I knew what my friends were up to more than I did before, which made me feel more connected to them. I also got insight on what was happening around the world with the presidency, wars, economic problems, etc. Doing this, it made me worry and become skeptical about how the world is and what it is turning into. This binge showed me that there are a lot of things happening around the world that I should pay more attention to. Throughout the binge, I also realized how much time and energy media can take up in someone’s life. It’s actually exhausting. Towards the end of the binge, I was ready to put down my phone and try out the media fast.

The media fast was very easy for me at first. On a normal day, I go to class in the morning, and then work at a daycare until 6pm at night. So I have very few breaks that I can take to look at my phone and browse through my media apps. During the day, not looking at my phone was easy. During class, I put my cellphone in my backpack and steered away from the browse page on my computer; strictly just class related notes and power points. At work, not being on my phone is usual; because apparently it’s frowned upon to be glued to your phone while trying to care for a three year old. Once I’m off and am in the comfort of my own home, was when the media fast became difficult for me. I typically enjoy going through all of my apps when I get home from work, “unwinding” if you will. Instead, during my fast, I caught up on readings, schoolwork, enjoyed sunsets from my porch, and took walks. I realized that life without media is soothing and relaxing. I didn’t have to worry about what everyone else was doing or everything that was going wrong in the world. Instead, I got some fresh air and enjoyed the simple things in life that this earth gives to us. It was like a breath of fresh air.

All in all, this media binge/fast has opened my eyes in a lot of ways. If it came down to it, I would say that I enjoyed the media fast a lot more. It showed me to enjoy the little things in life to focus on yourself; something that a lot of people don’t spend enough time doing. I did go back to social media (of course), but I now know when to put the computer and cell phone away and be free of distractions and to really live life to the fullest…outside of the media world.

Meghan Erickson