Cassie Forsyth | Assistant Copy Editor

On Wednesday, Sept. 19, Digital Media Professor Andrea Frantz’s Media and Society class began a 48 hour social media blackout. The blackout included all types of social media: television, cell phones, video games, apps on the iPads, e-mail, Google, and any social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

When we were first informed about this project, I didn’t think much of it. To be honest, I immediately figured I would cheat and no one would know, but after considering the project a bit more, I realized just how interesting it was. I wanted to see if I could really accomplish two days without social media. It was no longer a class assignment for me; it was a personal goal.

Two days didn’t seem like a long period of time until I really thought about it. It would be two whole days without any contact with others other than face to face interactions. I could no longer send my friends a quick text to ask where they were, nor could I message my friends from back home to see how they were doing. Though it seemed slightly inconvenient, it meant making the effort to visit my friends and find out in person what was happening.

Shortly after noon on Friday, our class simultaneously turned off our cell phones and logged out of our Facebook and Twitter accounts. I was feeling a mix of emotions at the time: nervous, excited, curious, scared, and so much more. As much as I didn’t want to be without my cell phone or social networking sites, I was excited to see if I could actually do it without feeling the need to cheat.

My first night was slightly more successful than the second. The blackout couldn’t have come at a better time for me, considering I had a tough exam the next day. This gave me the perfect opportunity to focus on only my studying. Usually when I am bored of the work I’m doing, I will flip through Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr to see what is going on, and sometimes I spent more time on the sites than originally planned. Without those sites, I really had nothing to do except study, so my night was dedicated to studying. I felt confident about the test I took the next day, and I am positive I wouldn’t feel as confident if I had been distracted by social media the night before.

The second night was a bit different. Already ahead on my homework and having no tests to study for, I actually had a night to relax, but without any form of social media, I was at loss of what to do. While my friends were watching one of their favorite television shows, I was forced to leave the room and go off by myself. I managed to get even further ahead in my homework, and I kept myself busy as much as I could.

After the 48 hours were over and our class turned on our phones and logged into our social media sites again, nearly the whole class was already sucked back into the world of media, ignoring the discussion in class. It felt good to finally check my phone and my social networking sites, but now that I have those things back, I find myself feeling just fine without them. Because I took that short break from media, I realize that I don’t need those items as much as I used them in the past.

I think this is a great experiment that more college students should try, especially if the student is constantly busy with activities or piles of homework. I think I might even take another break from media once finals come around. For me, this experiment made me realize how involved in social media I am and how unnecessary some of that media is most of the time.

Photo by Tyson Domingo