Observed Day of Communication

Carla Sabbatini

Dr. Ellis/ EN 101.21

September 23, 2013

iExamen 1

Waking up on a Monday morning is something that everyone struggles with, especially me. On Mondays two of my roommates have a class earlier then I, so when I get up it is usually quiet, except for my other roommate getting up as well. Today, I noticed that we only said about four words to each other; we were not even facing each other. As we continued to prepare ourselves for our day to come we barely acknowledged each other. After getting dressed and finishing our hair and make up the first time when I truly noticed my roommate is when she sat down next to me at the kitchen table for a quick breakfast. She was on her phone and turned on the television while I finished eating. As I ate, I gazed out the window and mentally accepted the long day that was ahead of me. I thought about the many things I had to do and how I was going to accomplish them. Although we did not discuss our outfits, I noticed after walking out the door together that we had similar outfits on. We both complimented each other’s sweaters. The walk to class was colder then usual, so we both were a bit quieter as well.

As the day went on, I began to notice how my roommates and I started to communicate more. In my lecture class, I was distracted by the text messages I was beginning to get, not only from my roommates, but also my family at home. There was little communication with anybody in class, except when the girl next to me said sorry for hitting into me. My texting conversations with my friends then turned into a lunch conversation. Subconsciously throughout the whole day, I was checking Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram when I was bored. It was a natural thing to do; for example, when I got into the elevator I suddenly recognized myself checking at least one form of a social network.

When I finally got back to my room after two classes and a long biology lab, I was tired. I did not even notice that two of my roommates were in the room. We all jumped from the initial realization. We briefly talked about the day, but I was ready to just turn everything off. For the hour I turned everything off, my friends and I talked and snacked. Since I turned everything off, I couldn’t look at my phone, watch tv, or listen to music on my computer. Instead, I laid on by bed, which is right along my bedroom windows, and just looked out. I noticed people going to class or walking back to their dorms. Although I was tired inside, people were out doing things. After seeing this I became motivated to clean my room, which was a necessity. I am not capable of starting my work if my room and workspace is a mess. When I was done, my roommates and I sat down and actually had a face-to-face discussion. We talked about some activities that were coming up, like parents weekend and my roommates’ birthdays. Before I knew it, the hour was over. For that period of time I was not stressed because I did not feel like I was wasting my time, (which is how I usually feel after being consumed by either my phone, TV, or computer). Even though I felt refreshed I needed to open my computer and begin my work.

I noticed that technology today, seems like just another normal and vital part of our lives. It is weird for someone not to have their phone on them at all times. This exercise has definitely shown me the intensity of how much technology consumes us. Although it may seem necessary to have all of these technological forms of communication, they are not all necessary. I realized that sometimes the best thing to do is to focus (reduce social network distractions) on what is going on around me, like I did today and notice things I would not have expected; it’s liberating.