Technology makes its presence in my life in numerous ways. I use technology in my free time, for my studies, and at my job. There is rarely a time where I am not somehow interacting with technology. In reference to my technology devices and connections, I am personally challenged the most when I need to use one of my devices as a tool, but it rather becomes a distraction. For example, having accessibility to my academics via multiple devices is very handy, but when accessing using both my laptop and my smartphone, I am often distracted by notifications I notice while navigating to my intended destination on my phone. This becomes troublesome when I notice that I have wasted an unaccounted for amount of time on something completely unrelated to the work I was doing.
Technostress has amounted from being so heavily indulged in technology everyday. There are times where I feel incredibly overwhelmed by simply having a phone or feeling the need to respond to someone’s message. While considering what to do in attempt to aid in the feelings of technostress I experience, a digital detox has been something I have always considered. When I first learned to navigate Apple screen time functions on my iPhone, that is when I really started to consider cutting my screen time and pursuing a digital detox. In my younger years, simply leaving my devices behind for a day was rather simple, but now with all of my obligations and responsibilities, I feel that going without a means of communication for a day would not be right.
Further consideration about this predicament has led me to consider trying a different avenue when it comes to taking a digital detox. I hope to start out by implementing better boundaries with my technology usage especially when it comes to my free time. With the insight from Shlain, (2020), p. xiii — xix, I am eager to try a 24/6 lifestyle in relation to technology. What this would look like for me is taking one of my days off — likely the weekend — to abstain from technology and indulge in the other oddities life has to offer. I am excited to glance away from my screen for a change and to be able to fully experience the world around me for a day. A bonus challenge is to go without streaming my music or taking pictures of my beautiful city.