New Years Tech Resolutions: 'Contemplative Computing'

The more digital our lives become, the more I need to make sense of it all. I find myself wanting to be more introspective, more deliberate, and less scattered in my use of technology. I'm always fascinated by studies that look at computers in society at large: how do we use our devices and what does it all mean in the big picture? So I've really enjoyed the book The Distraction Addiction by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. More on that later. 

First, and just because I wanted to, I've taken a 2-week hiatus from online connectivism. I've had family in town for the holidays and I wanted to give my loved ones my full attention. But it was more than that. As an educational technologist, my job IS technology. I have a lot of screentime in a given day, and I am constantly toggling between different applications, websites, and devices. I wanted to truly disconnect, turn off, and power down. I deleted most apps from my phone, including signing out of all email accounts. I used my phone to text if needed, look up locations of places we were visiting, find the nearest Metro stop, and -- shocker -- to make phone calls, but that was it. I didn't use it in bed. I didn't check it when I had a few spare minutes. I likely missed a few important emails. I didn't see anyone's holiday photos or status updates. And I found it incredibly liberating.

Instead, I read in bed. I breathed in the few quiet, calm moments as they came. I talked to fellow shoppers in line. I people-watched. I relaxed. 

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Mr. Pang shares data (p. 10) that states in the course of a given day:

• we send and receive 110 messages
  
• check our phones 34 times
  
• visit Facebook at least 5 times

For every hour we spend talking to someone, we spend five hours surfing the Web, checking e-mail, texting, and tweeting. We spend an average of 60 hours a month online (720 hours a year!). 

Now, I'm not suggesting, nor (I believe) is Mr. Pang, that we live in a bubble and revert to a pre-Internet era. Quite the contrary. Rather than shy away from it all or get completely overwhelmed, we should be more intentional in our digital lives.

Reading Mr. Pang's book has encouraged me to make a few goals for this new year. I won't share my specifics here, but these are the greater themes:

• I will be deliberate in my use of technology. 
  

        Where, when, what device, and how often

• I am in control of my use of technology.
  

        I will determine the urgency of emails and other tasks

• I will honor a weekly digital sabbath.
  

        Turn off, power down, disconnect

• I will focus on what is most important.
  

        People always come first

• I will never, and I mean never, use my phone while driving.
  

        This is a no-brainer and one I've practiced for a long time

• I will minimize multi-tasking unless my various tasks work together towards a greater whole

        Everything should focus on what I'm trying to accomplish

I'm not done thinking about this. And I'm certainly not done trying to figure out how to help my children and students be more deliberate in their digital lives. This is such an interesting issue and one I hope to continue to study and discuss.

Happy New Year!

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