#COMS1000

[johnkalivas-blog]

Magical Life

The final podcast reflected on the challenges that I completed over the past week. This podcast inspired me to carry the lessons that I learned this week with me as I go forward in life. In order to stay on task I need to learn how to make conscious decisions about the information I am consuming every day and whether or not the information is really important to me. Being present in the moment is extremely important because more often than not the internet tries to dictate what information we as users will consume every day, increasing our awareness about the choices we are making can help us decide between what the internet wants us to consume and what we really want to consume out of our own interest. We need to spend more time with information that we genuinely want to engage in, and less time with information that is unimportant to us.

So, from this point on my personal philosophy about media and information will be based on what I have learned this week through the Infomagical challenges. I want to think more about the choices I make when I am on social media so that I am engaging with information that matters to me, not someone else. When I am on these media platforms I want to invest my time in information that serves a purpose and will enhance my life.

There is so much information being thrown at each and every one of us every day that sometimes it can become overwhelming. Infomagical has taught me that if I can just stop and take a minute to think about the information that I am consuming, then maybe each day will become a little less stressful.

[taylorbakercoms1000-blog]

Infomagical Challenge Blog: Day 5

The Magical Life

When it comes to media I don't want it to dominate my life or compromise my experiences in life. I want to be able to enjoy what's in front of me in real life rather than feeling the need to know what other people are doing. I want to focus on myself. I think media is very powerful and has shaped me into the person I am today, however I do not want it to consume me. I want to live in harmony with media and evolve with it as opposed to refusing to accept it's changes. I will always use media, however I think it's important to establish a balance with it. This can be established by trial and error and simply seeing what works best for you and if you’re happy continue on that path. For me, I feel as though I know what works best for myself already, and I would like to continue in the mindset of knowing that in every situation there is a time and a place to use media, you don't have to use media if you don't feel it's necessary and it shouldn’t have be seen as a chore or obligation. Being invested in your own well being and the well being of others leads to a more satisfying life as mentioned in the podcast, and I fully agree. I don't want my media use to compromise and deteriorate my relationships with anybody in my life, however moving forward I would like media to enhance my relationships with others by exempting communication with one another and maintaining/ creating a better connection.

[101021760]

Magical Life (Day 5 of Infomagical Challenge)

Responding to the Podcast

Greg McAllen was the guest for today’s podcast. He believes that choosing informational priorities to create a magical life, which will help us create and maintain our long-term goals and long-term effects. Prioritizing where we invest our brain resources is what will help us in the long run. The essentials. Listening to this, it is both smart, yet obvious. We should all know that we should honestly prioritize our top essentials.

Responding to Greg McAllen stated, Manoush Zomorodi said that “what we decide to consume as information through technology should be based upon our priorities”, which I totally agree with. 

What is the bigger picture? We use technology and information to get to our priorities, but if we don’t know HOW to use those enablers, we won’t get to our goals. 

Completing the Challenge

The Infomagical Challenge for today, based on the website, is to create a rule or mantra that I will follow.

Looking back on the past five days, I really have learned a lot from detaching myself from media, technology, and useless information. On the first day, I really didn’t think I was going to learn much from this challenge, but I realized that after the second day, I kept thinking about going back to listen to the podcasts and I couldn’t wait to blog about my experience with the respective day’s challenge. 

Even though I have been thinking a lot about limiting my technology and media usage to a couple hours a day, this challenge really opened my eyes. I learned that I could actually do it. I have been listening, reading, and watching news that I truly care about and want to know about. My brain isn’t having an overload of information (or an under-load of information, in some cases), and I am more comfortable about telling people face-to-face about things that I know and care about. 

So, because of these experiences, my rule/mantra that I will follow is: absorb the information will help me become a better Me. 

With what I saw from my media-use diary, I realized that I really do use my laptop and phone a lot, which is not very healthy or productive for me. What I do when I use the internet does not help me achieve my goals at all. Even thought my self-assessment talked about me going onto Twitter to learn about social-justice issues, I could go about a different approach to learning about said issues. I could find independent articles or journals that have more scholarly sources that could help me with the information. With the information I have, I could help educate my friends and family members about the issues. 

Reflecting on My Experience 

My experience with this challenge, the 5-Day Infomagical Challenge, really has helped me get a grasp on the real world (or what I consider the real world to be). I realize now that real life is not all about what I see or hear as trending topics, but rather, what I want to know about real life. Whether that is political issues or why bees going extinct means a lot to natural and human life, media and technology are here to guide us towards our personal answers. 

Like I mentioned above, this challenge proved to be very beneficial for me as it gave me a reality check. I realized what I have to prioritize in order to get to where I want and need to be. I’m happy that I got to complete this challenge, and that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. 

[johnkalivas-blog]

Magical Connection

Magical Connection is all putting ourselves in a position to have a conversation with another person that lasts seven minutes or longer. It takes an average of seven minutes for the people conversing to figure out if the conversation will grow beyond that time or collapse. During those seven minutes there are often dull, boring or awkward moments that cause people to shy away from these real time conversations. Many people today would rather text or e-mail rather than have a conversation in real time. Most of these people would prefer to compose a perfect message via text or e-mail in order to avoid being put in a vulnerable position by having a conversation in real time.

This challenge came pretty easy for me as I speak with my parents over the phone multiple times a week for much longer than seven minutes at a time. I called my mom to talk her about this assignment and explained to her each challenge and what the purpose of it was. We spoke for the better part of half an hour and just like that the challenge was complete.

When I got off the phone I reflected on the conversation and the challenge and wondered if the reason I spoke with my parents so frequently over the phone is because they are not the greatest communicators through text messages. I think it is definitely part of the reason I talk to them over the phone but the main reason I prefer speaking to them by phone is because it makes the conversation feel more realistic. The element of conversation that forces you to think on the spot and compose your thoughts in real time is something that I much prefer over text messages.

[johnkalivas-blog]

Magical Brain

Today the podcast challenged me to go through the day without engaging in trending topics. Instead, I was encouraged to consume only the information that was of personal interest. The podcast mentioned that in order to avoid consuming too much trending media, you have to be self aware while using media. Taking a moment to be mindful of what you are about to do, before you do it, is just as important when consuming media as it is in any other aspect of your life.

This challenge was a pretty big test for me. Usually I fall victim to the viral or trending information of the day. I often find myself scrolling through meaningless information wasting time with absolutely no explanation. Today, my challenge was to avoid that type of information. The easiest way that I found to complete this challenge was obviously just to avoid my social media platforms that I usually find these trending topics on. Although that worked for about half of the day, I did catch myself a couple of times about to enter into the dark world of trending topics. When I did catch myself about to engage with this information I took a minute to stop and think about whether or not I really needed to read it, and every single time the answer was no.

All in all, the challenge went pretty well. I managed to go the entire day without cracking and looking into any viral or trending topics, although I was close to failing a couple of times. There is so much meaningless information on media platforms every day that sometimes it seems like it is hard not to engage with it. That is why I welcomed today’s challenge with open arms in order to have a day of something different.

[johnkalivas-blog]

Magical Phone

The podcast today challenged me to reorganize my phone and remove the apps that I no longer use, or remove the ones that no longer bring me joy. The podcast encouraged me to look at my phone as if it were my closet, which was helpful because it gave me a different perspective and made each app feel more significant. For me, the most important part of the podcast was the encouragement to take a moment of mindfulness when cleaning up my phone in order to complete the challenge correctly.

So here is what I did. I took the day to figure out what apps I was actually using because I wanted to use it, rather than using the app because it had a notification beside it that I felt like I should check. The podcast included a technique that involved turning off notifications, so that is exactly what I did. Once all of my notifications were turned off I decided that throughout the day the most important thing for me to do was to be mindful of what I was doing every time I turned on my phone. This was helpful because each time I looked at my phone during the day I took the time to recognize whether or not I was about to open an app for joy or out of habit. It quickly became apparent that I was only opening a majority of my apps because I had developed a habit of opening them, rather than opening them because I actually wanted to use them for something I was interested in.

“Magical Phone” was a lot easier and very helpful as compared to my “Magical Day”. I ended up deleting seven apps in total, four because I no longer used them and three because the challenge helped me realize that I was not using them for anything that peeked my interest.

This challenge was beneficial and it gave me the opportunity to recognize what sparked joy in my mobile life. I would encourage anyone with a cluttered phone to take the time to complete this challenge and spend the day cleaning his or her mobile closet.

[johnkalivas-blog]

Magical Day

Today’s challenge was to go without multitasking and to give my full attention to one thing at a time for the duration of the day. What I found most interesting about today’s podcast was the fact that internal interruptions, which means you distract yourself from the task you are trying to complete, happen just as frequently as when others distract you from a task which is known as an external interruption.

The challenge was very difficult to complete. I will admit that I tried this challenge on a Sunday because I thought it would make it easier to complete, but it did not. The hardest part of this challenge for me was fighting the urge to pull out my phone and check for notifications. Other than that, the challenge was going great until the late afternoon hours when I pulled out my phone while I was watching a football game and immediately I realized that I had just failed the challenge. After that I did not break again for the rest of the day because I was determined to finish the challenge without failing again.

“Magical Day” did not feel very magical to me, but I did feel less stressed out when I was able to focus on one task at a time without giving into the distractions around me. I multitask so frequently in my life that it has basically become normal for me. Being interrupted so often by internal and external factors makes single tasking difficult for me, but I think I could definitely improve on it if I committed to blocking out the distractions on a daily basis. If focusing on one task at a time means less stress then I am definitely willing to give it a complete effort.

I failed the challenge but I gave it a pretty strong effort so I’ll give myself a round of applause for that. Tomorrow I will create my “Magical Phone”!

[101021760]

Magical Connection (Day 4 of Infomagical Challenge)

Responding to the Podcast

Sherry Turkle was the guest on this podcast. Turkle is a social psychologist who researches how technology affects our relationships with others. One of her theories is that a good conversation takes 7 minutes to blossom into a mind meld. 

There is a rule of 7 -- it takes 7 minutes to figure out if a conversation is going to be interesting, even though those seven minutes might be pretty boring at the start. Usually, people don’t give in those 7 minutes -- they would rather text than talk. “Conversation takes place in real time, and you don’t control what you say.” (an 18 year old commented to Turkle) Wrong & right! What’s with us that we’ve gotten afraid about revealing ourselves in spontaneity to each other?

The awkward pauses & weird moments is when we show vulnerability. Boring bits is how human conversations start; back & forth of information. 

Completing the Challenge

Today, even though its been exactly a week since the presidential election in the United States, my friend started to talk about the results of the election. She was furious as to how Clinton had more popular votes, yet Trump won. She didn’t know about the electoral college that is unique to the US. So I decided to explain how the electoral college and voting work in the US, while keeping in mind the challenge for today.

We had a heated conversation - our anger was mostly towards the voting system in the US. First I began with how American citizens don’t directly vote for their president, but rather the ballot that they fill in directly nominates an electoral member who votes on the behalf of their respective county. That electoral member votes for who they believe will make the best president, whether the president-elect is for their party or not. Then we talked about how unfair it is that those citizens don’t directly vote for their president, and that the system should be changed so that it fits the needs of Americans.

By then we were about 10 minutes deep into the conversation, but we were so excited to converse with one another that I sort-of forgot about the challenge! 

We then talked about how we thought it was un-American that people don’t really get to vote for their president, then I realized that it was exactly American that the people don’t vote directly -- all because it started in 1787. 

Reflecting on My Experience

After talking about the political system in the US for almost 35 minutes, we decided to take a break, which is when I explained the Infomagical challenge for her.

In my opinion, this challenge was really fun. I got to talk to my friend about something that I was really interested in and I didn’t think she was very interested in this topic. My friend doesn’t particularly care for politics or current events, so I was really excited when she asked me to explain the electoral college concept. 

The face-to-face conversation was way more fun than I expected. I thought about how it would be if I tried to explain the electoral college over text, and I realized how complicated that would be and how bored we would get by the third or fourth text. Having a conversation in real life, like Turkle and Zomorodi said, allows for vulnerability and full openness. It is unedited and raw, which is how conversations should be. My friend and I explained our thoughts and feelings towards the system, and even though we had some disagreements, it was better than texting our feelings. We were allowed to show how we really felt, both physically and verbally, where through texting (or other technology), we can’t really assess each other’s body language or facial expressions. There were hardly any barriers when we talked face-to-face. 

Comparing this with my media-use assignment, I realized that when I text people on my phone, I don’t really get to understand how other people feel, and it is easier to ignore somebody’s text through a phone, than to ignore somebody in real life. You’re forced to communicate with one another, unless someone physically leaves the conversation. This challenge will help me in the long run, especially in my goal, because it will force me to realize that people have feelings too, just like me, and that talking through technology will not solve problems, but rather it will “buffer” feelings until you’re forced to talk to someone. 

Citation:

ProCon.org. (2011, August 30). How to Become the US President: A Step-by-Step Guide. Retrieved from http://2012election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004333

[101021760]

Magical Phone (Day 2 of Infomagical Challenge)

Responding to the Podcast

The podcast starts off by introducing the “condo method”, which basically states that if an article of clothing does not make you happy or make you feel joy, get rid of it. The narrator relates it to cleaning up digitally by deleting apps or people, or even bookmarks on your browser. Christopher Mims, who was a guest on the podcast, stated that tidying up digitally is almost like the “condo method” even though the apps on a smartphone are “untouchable”, the sensation of touching a phone and being able to move around using touch makes it feel like it is tangible.

Tidy up your brain by writing down your thoughts. The condo method makes you take out everything and putting it in front of you, and seeing what you need and what you don’t need. Clothes that don’t make you feel joy should be parted with. The thoughts that don’t spark joy should make you understand why you don’t enjoy them any longer, and should make you think of the reasons why you don’t enjoy them. 

Marie Kondo stated beautifully that instead of focusing on throwing things away, you should focus more on what to keep -- they are what bring you joy. Concentrate on what you want to keep.

The notifications you get and where you get them from. Especially on an Apple product, the red bubble that signifies how many notifications you have from that specific app. However, you can turn those notifications off for any - or all - apps, which makes your phone more task-oriented. Rather than your phone controlling you, you control your phone and what you need from your phone. 

Completing the Challenge

I did this challenge during the summer for about a month. I turned off my notifications for many things, deactivated my social media, and deleted most apps such as Twitter, FaceBook, Snapchat, Instagram. The only app I had left was Whatsapp (which is a texting app), and the reason I had it was because I was without a number for the whole summer as I was visiting my parents back home in Dubai. Turning off and decluttering my phone as well as my brain really made me understand why I used those apps. The first day was super challenging as I had wanted to stay in the know, and wanted to see what all my friends, followers, and everyone else was up to. Especially Snapchat, which is an image messaging and sharing app, I had found that I spent most of my time on it for absolutely no reason. FaceBook was less of a heartbreak, mostly because I use FaceBook just to check up on my family members. Twitter is where I usually get most of my news, and that was the second hardest to let go of. 

Reflecting on My Experience

As I mentioned above, I did this challenge during the summer, and after the month, I felt refreshed and I felt like I had almost no reason to re-download any app other than for fun. During the summer, like Marie Kondo, I had suffered a mental breakdown because I was so into my phone and I was stressed out because I felt the pressure of having the most “perfect” Instagram posts, or Snapchat updates on my story, or the best tweets on Twitter. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night worried and stressed because I felt like my posts were not good enough so I needed to delete them and sacrifice my sleep. I had began to be very nervous and anxious about my posts, which caused me to miss quality time with my family. When I deleted those apps and turned off the notifications, I really understood what it was like to be in the moment again, before I had a smartphone with all those useless apps. 

Relating my experience to my media-use diary and my self-assessment, admittedly I do use my phone way too much and I do realize that I should limit myself even more than I am now. One of my personal goals is to not be so attached to my phone because it provides nothing more than a crutch. As a political major in university, I should be reading the news and understand what is going on in the world, so I use my phone (specifically Twitter) for that, yet I should be finding more sources for learning about current events. The reason why I use Twitter, however, is because I find it to be less biased than big news outlets, as they are paid to say what they want to say, and news censorship is especially real in the news and media outlet world. 

I don’t believe that social media is always correlated with unhappiness, however I do believe that how someone responds to social media and uses social media may make them very unhappy, nervous, anxious and stressed out. The pressure of social media is not real unless you ingrain it into yourself. 

[101021760]

Magical Day (Day 1 of Infomagical Challenge)

Responding to the Podcast

I found this podcast very interesting, it is the first time that I really focus my attention onto an educational podcast. Ironically, I was multi-tasking (which apparently is a myth and that humans just switch tasks so fast that we trick our brains into thinking we multitask!) during most of the podcast, yet I still absorbed a lot of the information. 

I learned that some offices use a type of mini-Japanese garden on their office desks to signal to their coworkers if they were too busy with work, or if they were free to chat. This could be very useful if I was more in a “cubicle-life” environment rather than a fast-paced life of a university student. 

Pattern of self-interruption: working hard on something at hand, then an immediate shift of work-flow towards something else.  

Completing the Challenge

For the first challenge, I was required to pick a task and put my focus solely on the task. 

This was sort of hard to do. 

Usually, I like to be on my laptop while checking up on my phone for any new news or updates. Admittedly, this is because I’m scared to “be out of the loop” of things, especially in group chats with my closest friends. However, my task for today was to study for about 4 consecutive hours, taking 10 minute breaks every half-hour. 

As complicated as this might seem, I had read somewhere that for every 30 minutes of complete focus on studying, a 10 minute break is good to have in order to relax. During those 10 minutes, I had decided to do a little bit of yoga or breathing exercises. That way, I was not exactly going back into the “media world”, but rather I was helping myself and releasing tension. I used my alarm clock on my phone to go off every 30 minutes to signify the end of a session.

This was easier said (typed) than done. The first 20 minutes of studying was brutal as I had wanted to check my phone or open a new tab in my browser every 5 minutes or so. I had to remind myself that I didn’t need to be distracted by anything else, and that studying was what I needed to focus on.

(I don’t know if this is considered cheating, but I always need background music in order to concentrate and study. I especially enjoy rap or R&B in the background for some reason.)

Reflection of my Experience

Reflecting upon my day, I realized that I interrupt myself many times throughout the day. I could be working very, very hard on anything, and out of nowhere, I will lose focus and do something either unproductive or totally unrelatable to the task at hand. I had always realized that I did this, however I didn’t know that it was an actual habit that could decrease my productivity. 

During the challenge, I had cheated a couple of times by going onto my phone during those 10 minutes. I couldn’t help it; this task was really hard. Zoning in is easier said than done, especially during those 4 hours. Sometimes, I wonder why it’s so complicated for millennials in particular to focus on a task at hand.

The reason why I wanted to choose studying as my main task for today is because during the “Media-Use Diary” assignment, I realized that I barely give any thought to studying during my days off. While I am a procrastinator (and I believe that I should change that part of myself immediately), I realize that my best work comes from me being under pressure and under a lot of stress. Leaving school work until the last minute makes me more motivated to do my best work. I have found that when I try to do my work ahead of time and work on it over the days until it is due, I leave a lot of things out of my assignment because I always (wrongly) assume that I will remember them later and finish the work up. 

The diary assignment also showed me how much I actually spend either sleeping or multi-tasking on both my laptop & my phone. During this assignment, I had read up on some articles that show how much multi-tasking proves to be less productive, which in a way made me realize that humans are mentally & physically incapable of multi-tasking.