Media Binge and Media Fast

When I started the media binge and media fast, I thought I had a pretty good idea how everything was going to go. As an Advertising and Public Relations major, I rely a lot on technology, especially social media. I thought that I would have a hard time fasting and a really easy time binging. That, for the most part, was the case.
The media binge was super easy for me. I am always a little self conscious about myself being on my phone a lot, because I really am. Knowing I had a reason to be on it made it that much more gratifying. I didn't really feel guilty about being glued to the screen. My lifestyle really didn't change much, though. The only thing I really noticed was that I had started to put off other things I was supposed to do. I was on YouTube watching videos instead of finishing up that last bit of homework that night. I was also finding myself constantly reloading news feeds and reopening apps on my phone just to keep busy in a moment where there was dead silence. It's needless to say that I already rely on media a lot in my life, so the "binge" really wasn't much of a binge. It was just me sticking to my normal schedule with technology.
The fast was a bit of a different story. During this last week, I had a few huge projects to finish up which required me to constantly be on my computer. However, I decided to not so much do a media fast, but a social media fast. I told myself that even though I can't fully partake in this experience, I need to fast something that will still challenge me. During the days of the fast, I constantly caught myself reaching for my phone to scroll through Instagram, but I also had to constantly stop myself from doing so. I kind of started to possess an anxiety to social media. I felt the need to be in the loop at all times. I guess you could say I really recognized my FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) during the fast.
All in all, nothing really surprised me or changed my perception during this activity. It really all went as I thought it would. I do, however, now realize that I have a bit of a problem. I need to start putting my phone and computer down more often, and start experiencing first hand things in my life. With a career that rely's heavily on media and technology, it's not likely that I will change my habits much, but it's good to now know what I can work on in the future.