The main thing that I learned from the phone diary activity is how much I rely on my phone. I should start off by saying my diary is definitely inaccurate. This is not because I didn’t try with this assignment, but because I unconsciously check my phone every few minutes. Our generations reliance on our phones is increasing more and more, now we can do anything with our phones. We can connect with anyone through text, call, email, facetime, tweets, the list goes on and on. We can get ubers, order food, and update everyone we know at a constant rate with the touch of a button.
By the second day of this assignment I was checking my phone less and less, mostly because I didn’t feel like writing down how I had been checking my phone again. It wasn’t exactly because I felt bad about checking it so much, it was more that I was sick of writing it down and recording it. This made me realize even more how addicted we are to technology. I was so used to typing on my phone that using the pen and paper felt tedious. I would even begin to text on my mac instead of my phone just so I wouldn’t have to write everything down.
As much as I felt bad for using my phone as much as I did throughout this assignment, I also realized that it does have some advantages. Our generation, more than ever is digitally literate. Everyone knows how to put themselves out there on the internet and create, share, and communicate with others. Our generation may struggle with actual face-to-face confrontation, but we definitely know how to represent ourselves online. This assignment showed me that I unconsciously learned how to represent myself online or communicate in all ways digital. I know how to communicate online, even self promote with just a few words tweeted out.
Another thing I realized with this assignment is that my relationship with my phone has become a large part of my life. Looking back seven years ago I just used my flip phone to text my friends and my parents. Now everything is on my phone. All photographic memories from the last four years are on my phone. I listen to all of my music on my phone. The only way I can talk to my high school friends is through my phone in some cases.I FaceTime my family on my phone since I don’t get to see them often. My phone is at this point like another limb, but I’d like to change that. I do not want to rely on a device. I do not want our generation to continue losing out social skills because we cant hold a conversation without constantly checking our phones. I don’t want to go to a concert and spend the entire time taking a video of the moment when I should just be enjoying it in the present and taking it all in. This assignment not only showed me that our generation, including myself are addicted to technology, but it also showed me that it has it’s pros and cons. I hope technology continues to make us better, but we never forget that talking to people is just as good, if not better than texting. 
