Let’s Disconnect for a Day! Assignment #1

This assignment requires disconnecting from social media for 24 hours. Prepare for the disconnect, challenges, and impact on behavior. Reflect on the experience.

Let’s Disconnect for a Day!
Assignment # 1 (Worth 25%)
This assignment will require that you give up access to one social media
related technology (of your choosing) for 24 hours. This could be no cell
phone, no email, no Twitter, no Facebook or Snapchat etc., the choice is
yours! This means that you need to plan ahead! You might need to get an
assignment completed before the day it is due. You might need to let you
friends, family, coworkers, and professors know about your unavailability.
You will probably need to think about how you will spend your time because
temptation will likely be strong.
You may choose any 24 hours. This can be during the weekend if it works
better with your schedule.
The assignment is divided into two separate deliverables (field notes and a
mini paper). Both components are due together in ONE file to the assignment
# 1 dropbox in eConestoga. You can copy and paste your field notes into a
word document for submission. For the mini paper, please write your
responses directly below each question listed in this document. Please use the following
naming format for you assignment submission – First initial, Last Name, Course Code and
Section, and Assignment. E.g., anoskoLIBS19702Assignment1.
Overview of field notes:
In order to get an accurate view of your experience you will be jotting quick
reflections on paper (or on your computer, if you choose) every 3 hours (that
you are awake) during the assignment. You can use the excel spreadsheet
provided – Assignment # 1 Field Notes Spreadsheet.
Every three hours record your answers to the following questions:
 What time is it?
 Where are you?
 What are you doing?
 Who are you with? (don’t use proper names – just describe the
people in terms of their relationship to you – e.g. “study
group”, “guys from my frat,” “my boyfriend” etc.)
 Have you been tempted to use technology in the past 3 hours?
If so, why?
 Any other details of interest
What
time is it?
Where
are you?
What are
you
doing?
Who are
you with?
(don’t
use
Have you
been
tempted
to use
Any other
details of
interest

proper
names –
just
describe
the
people in
terms of
their
relations
hip to
you – e.g.
“study
group”,
“guys
from my
frat,”
“my
boyfriend
” etc.)
technolo
gy in the
past 3
hours? If
so, why?
6:00 am. Home Chatting
with family
With my
father
No Sitting in
garden
9:00 a.m. University Attending
classes
With my
peers
NO No
12 noon Library Preparing
projects
With team
members
No No
3:00 p.m. Cafeteria Spending
time with
friends
With my
classmate
s
No Tried to
interact
more with
my peers
6:00 p.m. Home Reading
news
paper
Alone Tried to
read in
mobile
No
9:00 p.m. Home Spending
time with
family
With my
family
No Tried to
know how
the day
went for
my family
members
Overview of mini-paper:

The paper should be approximately 2-3 pages or 750 words, double spaced.
The paper will have two sections (written before and after the 24 hours of
disconnect). Please respond to each question in full sentences.
PART 1: The first section of the paper will be written PRIOR to your 24 hours
of disengagement. In the first section of the paper I want you to answer the
following questions:
1. What are you doing to prepare for disconnecting?
In order to see how I am coping up without the internet, I decided not
to use the internet. For preparing myself, I disconnected myself from all
technology containing internet, unless emergency required. I am trying
to use my free time to developing my skills and spending time with family
members and peers. To remember the daily activities and incidents I am
maintaining a small diary.
2. What do you think will be the most challenging aspect of
disconnecting? The easiest?
Are you excited about this assignment? Why or why not?
One of the most challenging aspects of disconnecting I expect to
encounter after preventing myself from technology would be my urge to
watch tv series and using Facebook to connect with my friends. I usually
spent my time surfing Facebook or binge-watching thriller series.
Therefore, it would be difficult for me to prevent myself from the activity.
The easier aspect would be I will get more time to interact with my family,
friends and get to know my surroundings.
3. Are you excited about this assignment? Why or why not?
Yes. Since I would be able to gain the understanding of my
surroundings, interacting with family members and explored my hobbies
throughout the day, I am extremely excited for the assignment. The
assignment would provide me an understanding of the impact of addition
to virtual world through internet.
PART 2: After your period of disconnection please answer the following
questions. Your answers to these questions and overall reflections on the
experience will comprise the second half of the paper.
1. What ended up being the most challenging aspect of
disconnect?
The most challenging aspect was that I was not able to watch my
favorite detective series Riverdale which I usually binge watch at night and
get a little amount of sleep in the morning. Although, initially it was difficult
to suppress the urge and I was preventing myself from using laptop and
phone, could not concentrate on my assignment.

2. What ended up being the easiest (how was this different from
your expectations)?
Initially, I was expecting that it would be challenging for me to prevent
myself from the virtual world such as Facebook or watching Riverdale.
However, on a contradictory note, it was quite easy since most of my time
I devoted to preparing an assignment, chatting with family members and
get some good amount of the sleep.
3. Did the disconnection have an impact on how you view yourself
and your behaviours in general? (e.g., did you act differently,
did you feel any different)? Why or why not?
Disconnecting from the internet world indeed influenced my
actions and future perspectives.
I have realized that the time I devoted to use the internet can be used
in some productive work like exploring hobbies developing skills. I felt
more confident and composed as a person while I was interacting with my
family members and friends. Therefore, if we prevent ourselves from this
addiction we are able to work in self-development
4. Did this assignment change the way you view your own use of
so media? Why or why not? In what ways?
Definitely, the assignment changed my way of viewing my own way of
social media. Previously I was connecting with my peers through social
media. But After disconnecting with the technological world I have
understood that technology and internet decrease the emotional
connection between people and increase the addiction with technology.
Consequently, our way of interacting with our surroundings become more
mechanical than emotional.
5. Was your disconnection difficult for others in your life? Who?
Why? In what ways?
Disconnection is not difficult for others in my life since the majority of my
family members do not have adequate time to use the internet. However, for
my peers, it can be difficult.
Be certain that your paper honestly addresses what you really missed
throughout the day, the reactions of others, what (if anything) you gained,
and any insights or frustrations that participating in the exercise caused.
Make sure to include concrete details about what you did with your time and
whether you will think differently about your social media use in the future.
Do not use first names in the paper (say “my roommate” rather than “Bob”).
Grading – 25% of your final grade in the course.

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