For this issue’s Try-It, I went without my phone (a part of my own heart and soul) and other means of technological communication for what I thought would be a mere three days. The Spokesman gave me the option to use my phone for basic things, like calling, but I was up for the full challenge. I was not going to use my phone, computer, or TV for anything for three whole days. Was I going to go crazy? Sure. Was I going to cheat? Probably. But for the sake of the Spokesman (and for science), I was going to monitor my urges to use my phone throughout the day, to see if technology really is taking over our lives.

The first day was a Tuesday. I strategically chose to begin my experiment in the middle of the week, so I would not have to endure such an animalistic practice over the weekend. Unfortunately, my seemingly smart decision of beginning on a Tuesday did not go as planned because my friends and I decided to go out to dinner that night. What I did not quite think through was the fact that I was somehow going to have to contact my friends to figure out where we were eating (something I failed to ask them before we left). Strike one. After accepting my fate and the fact that I was going to cheat, I decided the most effective plan of action was to call them, because it did not seem as bad as texting. Something I forgot about though? People. Do Not. Answer. Phone. Calls. In. The. Year. 2016. After six outgoing calls, I heard a tweet. On my phone, that means the dreaded text message. I tried to look away, but I failed. It read “We’re in Mamouns.” That was all I needed to see. I had betrayed my trust and faith in myself. I then went on to eat falafel.

Although the next two days of my experiment were not quite as dramatic as the first, I still learned lots of things about myself and my cell phone habits. Major things I learned about my social media habits included: nothing is funny unless you can Snapchat story it, I am way more obsessed with Kylie Jenner than I thought I was, listening to the radio instead of Spotify makes you feel like you are living in the stone age, it is pretty hard to find your way home without Waze, and you should probably remember what time Quaker Bridge mall closes.

You would think the hardest part would have been the isolation, along with the fact that I had not selfied in days, but, surprisingly, those were not the worst parts. In fact, it was the little things that were the hardest. I had to learn how to read an analog clock. Figuring out the tip for the sushi bill, along with splitting it up three ways was another major challenge. Have you ever realized all these things are constantly at our fingertips? It is pretty cool.

To conclude, I believe technology is, in fact, taking over our lives. But should we do anything about it? Probably not.