Essay 2: No Digital Day Analysis Essay

Submission:

• Submit your first draft to Essay 2 First Draft Submission
• Submit your final draft to this assignment instructions

Rationale

Human beings have interacted with illuminated screens for a portion of the species’ existence that is so small it’s hard to calculate as a percentage. If humans have existed for 200,00 years, we’ve used screens for about 0.05% of that time. A stricter definition of “human,” requiring symbolic thought, etc., would make the species 50,000 years old, in which case screens have been familiar for about 0.2% of our existence. Should we feel so cognitively dependent on them now? What does your brain do without the distraction and convenience of the screen? Before we move too far into the semester about technology, you need to assess your own interactions with technology, primarily of the digital and social nature.

Between February 2 and February 16, you will pick a single 24-hour period—which must include an entire waking day—in which you will dramatically reduce your use of screen-based technology and interactive media, according to guidelines below. This activity is meant to encourage you to think about a few things:

• How cognitively dependent are you on certain technologies?
• How frequently are you tempted to distract yourself with various digital technologies? What triggers prompt you to want to distract yourself? Without familiar devices, what do you do instead? What do you think about or do with your hands?
• How much do these technologies aid you in your schoolwork?
• How do you communicate differently with people when these technologies are not available to you?
• What do you do for entertainment?

 Each student may pick from the following choices, depending on how austere you want to be.

Option A: 1992

Just before the web became widely available. You probably would have had a phone at home, cable TV, and a word processor. If you choose this option, the following are not allowed:

• Texting
• Web browsing
• Any use of your phone as something besides a phone—that is, you can dial a number and talk to someone, but that’s it. Realistically, you wouldn’t have carried a phone around with you, but you can do that as long as you only use it as a phone.
• GPS
• Streaming video
• Streaming music, MP3s, etc.
• Online video games, even through a console

 Option B: 1922

Before most screen-based and communication technologies we use today were developed or in wide use. If you choose this option, the following are not allowed:

• Any use of phones whatsoever, except for true emergencies (death, injury, natural disaster)
• Any use of any web-based technology
• Any use of any screen-based devices, television included

A Note on Honesty

Your job is to remain true to the spirit of this assignment. You aren’t expected to dress like a turn-of-the ­century dandy or avoid refrigerators—the point is to eliminate the kinds of recent technological advances that arguably lead to cognitive dependence and an alteration of your thinking. Similarly, there are many ways you could violate the spirit of the assignment, such as having a friend look up information for you. I trust you to use your judgment about what violates the spirit of the assignment.

This assignment also depends on the honor system. I’m not interested in policing you to make sure you really did this. It’s an exercise in self-awareness and you’re really cheating yourself by cheating on the assignment. If you can’t go 24 hours without a few modern conveniences, is it time to admit your cognitive dependence?

To Prepare

1.    Think ahead when picking your 24-hour period. If you need to get syllabi or assignments off the web, do it ahead of time.

2.    Consider writing a vacation response for your email and changing your voicemail so that you won’t worry that people are wondering why you haven’t written or called back.

3.    If there are people in your life who will worry about you if they don’t hear from you, let them know what you’re doing ahead of time.

4.    Get a watch. Phones in 1992 did not have clocks in them.

5.    Be aware of how to reach people by phone. You’ll need a phone book or you’ll need to write numbers down ahead of time.

On the Day

1. Carry a notebook and pen with you. Whenever you feel tempted to check your email or social media, make a check mark in the book.
2. Take notes on your thought process. What triggers you to seek distraction? What do you do instead?
3. Take notes on other aspects of the day. In what ways were you inconvenienced? Did this assignment alter the way you interact with people you care about?

First Draft: due February 18, 11:30am (Word Count: 600 words)

Write an about your No Digital Day. Avoid providing a step-by-step account of the day from one moment to the next. Instead, assess the following:  Use the Rationale questions and your notes to guide your analysis. The normal Late Submission Policy applies

• Include an original title
• Include a brief introduction and conclusion (very brief)
• Use of first person is allowed
• Check for spelling and grammar mistakes
• Embed images, links, references to fully explain your ideas
• Stick to the word count within 50 words

Final Draft: due February 26 by 5pm (Word Count: 900 words)

After you have workshopped your draft and met with me for a conference day, the final draft is due on February 26 by 5pm. For the final draft, submit to this assignment instructions for credit. The normal Late Submission Policy applies. Follow the below formatting.

• Include an original title
• Include a brief introduction and conclusion (very brief)
• Use of first person is allowed
• Check for spelling and grammar mistakes
• Embed images, links, references to fully explain your ideas
• Stick to the word count within 50 words
• Submit to Turnitin (should be an automatic choice within Canvas)

In a final act of irony, upload it to Canvas as Essay 2 with the following format guidelines:

A note about this assignment: Borrowed from Dr. Amanda Gailey Links to an external site. at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (with permission) where she has been subjecting her Digital Technologies students to this assignment for a few years. (Feel free to Tweet your thanks to her: @amanda_gailey Remember to use our #1a51sjsu hashtag.)