I survived two days without a phone or social media

The experiment: 48 hours with no access to cell phone capabilities or social media.

By now we’ve heard how our extreme and constant online connection is unhealthy, but it’s easy to fall prey to the addiction.

In the library the other day, I was hoping to read 30 pages of Great Expectations. But by the time I finished every paragraph I had sudden urge to check my phone, because looking at the new Snapchat filters is infinitely more entertaining than Pip’s adolescent stream of consciousness.

I only ended up reading two pages.

And with that, I knew something had to change. What follow are my time-stamped notes and observations of my two-day experience of going off the grid. No phone, no social media, aka no life line.

Day 1: Friday

I left for class at 8.15am feeling completely naked. (I was wearing clothes, of course.) On the bus to class at 8.45 (yay, Newton!), the bus was silent – every single person around me scrolling on his or her phone.

In the library at 10am, the guy next to to me puts his phone in his book and watches a YouTube clip. Because if other people can’t see you procrastinating, you must really not be procrastinating. A girl sits down next to me, coat and backpack on, sitting halfway in the chair as she finishes a text message. She sits this way, unsettled, for a good five minutes before moving any further.

I get lunch at 11.30am in Eagles so I can make it to my noon class. Fun fact: there is no clock in Eagles Nest. Follow-up fun fact: I was late to class.

In class, I asked the guy sitting next to me a question. I sit staring at him awkwardly for a good minute while he finishes laughing at whatever’s on his phone. He puts it down and says, “What was that?” That was seriously the worst.

Seems like an intriguing book

At 1.20pm I was walking to my next class with friends. I don’t even need a phone! This is awesome. I then split off from them to go to next class and reach into my pocket. I actually need my phone right now.

In the middle of class, I count five people around me texting, one on a laptop Facebook stalking someone, and another watching football on an iPad. Being a teacher would kind of suck.

In the afternoon, I was feeling like I would be so productive studying without the distraction of my phone. I take a 1.5-hour nap instead.

At 7pm, I was sitting in the laundry room waiting (because that last 1 minute is actually 4 years long). Someone walked in. Now there were two of us, and staring at my spinning whites wasn’t exactly a legit reason to BC lookaway them. “So… uh, do you come here often?”

By 11pm, I desperately want to call my mom. I feel very empty and homesick since I can’t talk about my day with her.

Day 2: Saturday

With no phone, I had no alarm. Had a great time waking up to my roommate’s alarm.

At 9.15am I decided to forego my morning run because I wouldn’t be able to have Fetty Wap rapping offensive things in my ear to keep me going.

At 2.55pm I was headed into a meeting at Hillside with someone I had never met before. This was literally torture.

After my meeting, I was waiting for the Newton bus, I watch a kid put his phone in his pocket. Then pull it out a minute later. Then put it back in. Then pull it out a minute later. Then puts it back in.

Make up your mind.

The girl who just arrived at the bus stop pulls her phone up to her face and sticks her tongue out for a selfie. It’s definitely more awkward seeing this from the other side.

I realize that I’m only seeing this awkward selfie-taking since I have nothing else to do. I want to make plans with my friends for the night in this spare moment, too, but I realize I might have to physically walk to Duchesne and Keyes to do this. But the hills, though.

On Saturday night,  I learned this: you can’t have FOMO if you don’t know what everyone else is doing.

At midnight, I was finally able to look at my phone. I started frantically checking all the messages and notifications. 11 Facebook notifications had me excited until I realized they were just your regular old group posts where nothing is really directed at you.