Off the Social Networking Grid

Going into this weekend assignment I knew that I could give up the technology for forty-eight hours if I kept myself in the right mindset. The mindset that I needed for this assignment was an off the grid approach. I have gone off the grid before for multiple days, so if I just reminded myself that I have lived without technology for longer periods of time, then I would not be as tempted to use my phone or laptop. I uninstalled my social networking applications on my phone, and left my phone on silent so I would not be tempted with any notifications.

Right before the start of the assignment I left a message on Facebook and called my parents to let everyone know that I could not use any technology for the weekend. Once 5 p.m. hit On Friday night, I went off the grid. However, I did use one piece of technology during this assignment, which was my camera. Throughout the weekend I recorded my experience and thoughts throughout the weekend and I noticed some interesting things about not constantly being connected to people virtually. Here is my video where I explain my experience of being “Off the Social Networking Grid”.

Needless to say I survived the full forty-eight hours. Even after 5 p.m. on Sunday hit I did not feel a rush to go back onto Facebook, rather I felt a sort of dread. I enjoyed being disconnected. Not always being connected allowed me more freedom because I did not constantly feel the pull to check on what everyone else in my life was doing. Overall I really enjoyed this assignment, and I have even convinced a friend to attempt a week without social networking tools because he watched my video.