Incognito: Going Dark for 24 Hours
Se’Niyah Preito
CMMA.201.03
Professor Funderburke
02/10/2020
Yeah, that’s me. I bet you’re wondering how I got here. Let me take you back to where it all started…
There is a stereotype about Generation Z, a group of people born between 1995 and 2010. The stereotype is that Generation Z has a problem with face-to-face communication, also that they are absorbed within their electronic devices and social media.
Due to this stereotype, young people are said to be isolated from reality and addicted to technology. It is also the popular belief that younger people are overall undriven people, and do not want to work towards anything. Research says there is an estimated 5 to 10 percent of Americans who meet the criteria for social media addiction!
I am part of this generation. We are people who use social media as networking platforms to chase their dreams and bring awareness to diverse issues. Even though social media can be a tool to promote greatness, it can also be a distraction.
Because of this stereotype, my Survey of Media & Society professor, Makisha Funderburke, assigned us to go “off the grid” for 24 hours.
DISCLAIMER: Going “off the grid” entails that one purges the use of any form of social media, with exceptions to family and school-related matters!
At first, I thought “We’re media students, aren’t we supposed to embrace the media instead of run from it?” I was initially confused, but I then saw this as a challenge, and I never back down from a challenge.
I began my assignment on February 6 at 11 PM. I decided to begin closer to the time I usually go to bed so that I could ease my way into it. To kick off my cleanse, I invited friends over for games and snacks. It was a great way to distract myself and not be consumed by my phone.
When I woke up that morning, the first thing I did was reach for my phone and check Instagram! It was as if I was programmed to. That fast! I forgot all about the assignment for a few seconds.
As usual, I went to my classes for the day. However, in my first class, I had to complete an extra credit assignment by wearing red for Women’s Heart Health and posting the outfit on my Instagram story. I also had to tag my teacher, but technically, because it was an assignment it was not cheating!
When I decided to participate in this year’s annual career fair, I began to notice how important electronics and social media are in our everyday lives. It is there no matter how far to try to stay away from it. Most ambassadors at the fair wanted to connect with me through LinkedIn.
Companies were asking for connections on LinkedIn as an alternative to receiving a paper-copy resume!
Even though LinkedIn is a form of networking and connecting with people for jobs, it is still a form of social media! But, again, technically I did not cheat!
Unfortunately, throughout the day I kept forgetting about my social media cleanse! The electronic media that was extremely hard to avoid was Instagram. Looking back, I should have deleted my social media apps to make it a little easier being off of them.
Because I did not take the initiative, I unconsciously logged on to my Instagram app, on more than a few occasions, while trying to pass time.
According to statistics, 1 billion people around the world use Instagram. More than half of this population — 63 percent — log in at least once per day, spending at least 28 minutes on the app.
Ultimately, this means that about 630 million people spend more than 30 minutes on Instagram daily!
Despite forgetting about “going off the grid”, without the use of my phone I was able to get a lot of networking done! I attended the career fair for over an hour, and passed out more than 5 resumes, and connected with over 10 different companies. I can say I was able to fully focus on my future.
While “going off the grid” I was not able to listen to music. Each day, whether I am getting ready for class, walking to a different destination, or even doing my homework I listen to music. When I was not able to do this, it felt as though something was missing.
Normally, I walk around with headphones in my ears because I am either talking on the phone, watching videos, or listening to music. But because I was not able to do so, there was no need to have my earplugs in. This made me feel more accessible to people!
Before doing this experiment I never realized how dependent I was on music streaming platforms to get me through my day. Not having that option made me feel a bit…off.
This experiment helped me realize how much I rely on my phone. I’ve never been so happy for 24 hours to pass by! Would I do this cleanse again, you ask? Only when I am ready to do it. I feel as though if I was a bit more prepared to give up social media I would have done so much better.
Now that you know how I ended up here would you go incognito too?
Se’Niyah Preito is a Sophomore currently enrolled in Tuesday/Thursday 9:25–10:40 section of Survey of Media & Society at Clark Atlanta University. Her major is Mass Media Arts with a concentration in Radio, TV & Film. Follow Se’Niyah on Instagram: @_s3niyvhx and connect with her via email: seniyahpreitoap@gmail.com.
