For the past 24 hours, I have logged all of my media and technology consumption in detail, describing the type of content, the source, and the device. Before the 24-hour log, I never thought much about my media consumption past the fact that my mom constantly told me to use my phone less. I thought that my media usage was pretty average for a teenage girl, but I never truly analyzed my habits. Now, being on the other side of the 24 hours, I don’t think I am going to make any drastic changes to my consumption (sorry mom) but I have recognized some key habits I have developed regarding the time of my phone usage specifically.
The most concerning thing that I knew that I did before the 24 hours, but not did not think about much until analyzing it for my log, was my phone usage in the morning. Right when I wake up, I immediately grab for my phone. This is not only because I use my phone as an alarm clock, but I also want to check my snapchats right away. First of all, this illustrates a reliance that I place on social media, which I do not want to have. Additionally, I felt like I was waking up simply to check snapchat, which is not the right reason to get up in the morning. The morning following my 24-hour log, I tried not to check snapchat right when I woke up. I told myself to wait thirty minutes before looking at my phone at all, and it was one of the most pleasant mornings I have had in a long time. I went downstairs, played with my dogs, and made tea. I got to see my brother before he went to basketball practice, which would not have happened if I had spent the usual 30 minutes on my phone in the morning like normally. From now on, I want to be much more cognizant of my usage in the morning right when I wake up, because I think it is fairly unhealthy for the first thing I do is turn to social media.
Circling back to my mom’s disapproval of my media and technology consumption, she once told me about a study that proves how using screens before going to bed, specifically social media, negatively impacts sleep quality. The study uses this to explain that the “strong association between social media use and sleep disturbance has important clinical implications for the health and well-being of young adults,” which is why my mom is so concerned. I do use social media before bed, which is demonstrated in my log, so I want to work on limiting the time I spend on screens directly before going to sleep as well. It is toxic that the last thing I do before I go to bed and the first thing I do when I wake up is go on social media, and this log made me face the ugly truth of the matter.
On a more positive note, one thing I am proud of that my log exposed is that I try not to use my phone when I am with other people. For example, when I was in the car and at breakfast with my mom, I prioritized our conversation over my phone, which I know everyone would not do. Overall, I think this log brought some of my habits that I have not faced head on to light, and I am thankful that I now have the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to make my media and technology consumption into something positive every day.
Bon Dia Barcelona 