Zucchini Bread and Media Fasts

I must be a slave to my machines...I never actually started my media fast. This last weekend, my digital culture class all decided to try a media fast for 24 hours. We were each supposed to set up the personal parameters of our media fast—like if we needed cell phones for getting touch with someone for church or school, or if we had to use a certain website for school —we could use those devices. Anyway, I kept putting off the media fast, because I wanted a clean break. I wanted to not touch anything to do with media for a full 24 hours. I realized this was insane, because multiple things kept coming up where I needed my cell phone. Or I needed the internet.

I went to dinner up at my parent's house, and needed to keep in touch by cell phone to make sure my boyfriend and I got up there in time for the meal. My boyfriend went out of town for a night and I needed to keep in touch with him over the phone. To know if he got to his destination safely and when he would be back. I needed a recipe for zucchini bread from the internet. I needed to read my books, or my reading for classes online. I had to text a few people to cancel a social event later in the day. I had to watch church on TV....the list goes on.

But I disagree with the idea that I am a slave to my machines.

Growing up we weren't aloud to watch TV in my home. TV was a waste of time, and we only watched movies on the weekend during leisure time. During that leisure time, we never watched more than one movie in a row. We didn't have video games either. And my brother who asked my dad for computer games that were not 'educational' received a math game for that particular Christmas.

I've never felt addicted to my machines. I use them simply to communicate and try to use them as efficiently as possible. I don't sit in front of the TV for hours; I don't spend hours on the internet browsing useless information. No offense to those who find enjoyment in browsing the internet or watching TV...I just don't enjoy sitting for that long. I can't sit in front of a screen for too long before I have to jump up and do something active. I only sit at the computer for long amounts of time for school and work—and those things make me spend way too much time at the computer. I often find myself pacing back and forth after forcing myself to sit at the computer for too long. So...my media fast was not very successful. I did try to keep my media use to a bare minimum, but I feel like I do that most days. I guess at one point in my life I didn't need my phone and internet for those things that I needed it for this weekend...but society has changed and now we use media a lot more than we used to. But I don't feel like a slave to my machines...