I have decided to choose the Medium option, because I would like to spend more time outdoors and build upon my preexisting digital media habits.

REFLECTION:

I did meet the goals for the detox over this last weekend. The detox involved me deleting two apps (TikTok and Instagram) for the duration of Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, to see how my habits would be altered afterwards and how I would be able to see the difference in my time management and mental health as well. I also aimed to keep my total screen tiem down to about 3 hours per day as dictated by the medium level challenge. I was able to keep both apps deleted without redownloading them once, which was in fact a surprise to me. The harder part was making sure that my total screen time stayed under my limit, which I was able to accomplish by turning on a warning under my Screen Time settings in my phone. I was surprised at how many other activities I was able to get back into because of this detox. For example, I was able to have more space in my schedule to go outside and run, which made me feel much more healthy and happy rather than spending that same time endlessly scrolling. I was also able to pick up my hobby of drawing again, which I feel is a good use of my time rather than just watching a show for hours. I would say that I will try my best to ensure that going forward, I stick to these new habits and share the benefits of doing a digital detox.

Link: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/efc372dff2504bfea10a20bf3385ee4f

Content description: Selfie 1. I took this selfie while my friend and I were at the local froyo place for the first time, and I thought I looked okay in the picture so I kept it. I got this hat and shirt from a couple of places where I used to live, so they’re pretty simple in color and design but meaningful to me still. I liked the background of the image because it provided a nice, neutral backtone to my face while still seeming pleasant to the eye.

Content description: Selfie 2. I actually don’t have any selfies prior to this year and felt like I needed to build more of a background for the project, so I decided to just go a different route and use an old photo that was taken of me around the time I was 8 or 9. This was just a routine science experiment at home, where I’d take something random and try to create something new to keep myself interested. I think this picture is of me after I tried to make a magnet in a tube, which was pretty successful if I remember correctly. I try to cultivate this kind of attitude in college, too. I always try to do something new or create a new project wherever I am, and don’t really let stuff impede my creative spark. The essence of myself here hasn’t really shifted in the last 12-13 years, so I liked this one as my second selfie.

Image description: Selfie 3. This last selfie has two main foci: a gift that my friend recently gave me (the stone carving from an Indian temple in my hand), and my bulletin board full of notes, papers, and pictures from the last couple of years written (or taken) by people who mean very much to me. This image doesn’t have me in it, but I still feel as though this selfie is very much full of “me” anyway. Even the Spiderman poster has good memories attaches to it, and everything in this photo represents a time or period that has made me who I am today.