Bored, Brilliant & Basic: The Story of Millennials Everywhere
I, like Millennials everywhere, am addicted to my iPhone. From checking email, responding to texts and sending a snap or two, I’m on my phone more than I’d like to admit. In fact, I’m updating this post from my cell phone right now (thank God for the Medium app!).
I’m a little more addicted than the average millennial because besides being a basic b*tch, I’m also a life and style blogger. I started The Caro Diaries almost three years ago, and between writing blog posts, pushing my newest posts to my social platforms and interacting with followers through social media, I’m consistently using technology.
I’m able to write, edit and publish posts through my cell phone. Shoot and edit photos, and even create pinnable graphics without getting off my couch. Update my followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at the touch of a few buttons. Share my latest blog posts on Pinterest by swiping a finger.
Social media, for me, has become less of an escape and more of a job. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love it. And it certainly doesn’t mean I don’t abuse it like many other Millennials.
I downloaded the Moment app on Monday to track my daily usage and it was kind of scary to see. Combined with the fact that it was my week to use the Apple Watch I did feel a little cheated because I needed to utilize my phone with the watch too! But I left the app running and continued about my day.
The app drained my battery, to say the least! Keeping it running in the background just added to my poor iPhone’s battery slump, and I found myself carrying around a charger in my bag throughout the day more than usual.
So I dove into the daily prompts, and I’m not going to lie: I hated every second of it.
DAY ONE: Keep Your Phone In Your Pocket
I received this prompt on the first day, which was Tuesday for me, and I physically could not do it. I mean, Tuesdays for me are my worst days of the week: I go non-stop from 9:30 am to 11:00pm, often with only an hour free all day for lunch and studying. Because our class was cancelled, it left me a few extra hours, and I took the opportunity to sleep in a little later, and then start my day. Because of how busy my days are, I don’t find myself consistently on my cell phone. The busier I am during the day (three classes, three meetings and a shift at work!), the less likely I am to pick up my phone throughout the day and scroll endlessly through Instagram.
Because I’m go-go-go most days during the week, whenever I have a free second, I would spend it on my phone: respond to texts, check any of my four email accounts, and send some fun Snaps to my friends. Realistically, my phone remained “in my pocket” while I was at work, in class and in meetings, but I didn’t go out of my way to put my phone away: it was just that I was active, busy and didn’t necessarily have time to pull out my phone and browse Twitter or some other platform.
DAY TWO: PHOTO FREE DAY
The first thought I had when I got this challenge and they said “see the world through your eyes, not your screen”, was SHIT, this is gonna be hard. I mean, I’m not necessarily shutter happy 24/7, but I use my iPhone camera basically everyday- sometimes for class, sometimes to show friends something and a lot of times, for quick photos for my blog.
The thoughts I had running through my mind for this assignment: did Snapchat count? Surely they weren’t asking me to delete the addicting app right? I mean, these pictures aren’t saved! So they can’t count! So I refrained from snapping photos, but I did indulge in Snapchat. I’d say this assignment was 50% successful!
DAY THREE: DELETE THAT APP
Because my favorite app is Instagram, and I rely heavily on it for blog interaction, I justified keeping the app on my phone that day. Plus, it was Zach’s birthday and I couldn’t not post a birthday Insta for him (a #tbt to a picture of us from Alpha Chi Omega’s Golden Lyre Gala in the Spring). So with that in mind, I turned to probably my most frequently used app, Snapchat (Instagram was my favorite, and I do spend time mindlessly scrolling, but I utilize Snapchat more frequently).
Deleting Snapchat for the day ruined my ongoing snap streaks (I was snapchatting a friend for 18 days in a row until I deleted the app.. and the little fire emoji disappeared, haunting me!) so I was a little when I re-downloaded the app, which I think was the definition of a first world problem.
I did, however, have to re-download the app before I went out that night. I couldn’t hit the town on a Thursday without some quick snaps. You win some, you lose some.
DAY FOUR: TAKE A FAUXCATION
This day was almost impossible. It was a Friday, also known as National Aunt Chilada’s day, and a day that I had no classes or work, so I spend the majority of my day catching up on emails, talking to friends and family from home and blogging all day. Taking a vacay from your phone when your friends are trying to organize plans for the night, need outfit advice and your email inbox is overflowing is next to impossible.
I’ll admit: I failed at today’s challenge.
DAY FIVE: ONE SMALL OBSERVATION
Today was Open House at Quinnipiac and as a student ambassador, I give tours throughout the day and speak to students and families about the admissions process. A lot of the day was spent inside waiting for a session to give a tour, so I spent a lot of time scrolling through Instagram. So while I was at Open House, I didn’t get the chance to make one small observation.
Later that night, however, I was at the Quinnipiac v Dartmouth Men’s Ice Hockey game up at the TD Bank Sports Center, and found myself missing really important plays while I was texting. After that realization (which I consider to be an “observation”), I put my phone down, and I didn’t miss a single goal: not one of the six.
This week was really eye-opening in terms of showing me how addicted to my phone I can be, and definitely makes me more conscious of my usage now. That being said, I deleted the app as soon as the challenge was over, and my ignorant mind couldn’t be any happier!
