Seminar professor assigns technology moratorium 

Freshman Jacquie Berger could not envision a world where she was unable to use her cell phone or access her e-mail until freshman seminar professor Bruce Barry gave her no choice.

As a part of his first-year seminar, Technology, Media, Culture and Society, Barry asked students to pick a 24-hour block between Jan. 25 and Jan. 30 and avoid the use of any technology, anything that used batteries or could be plugged in.

"It was kind of annoying because my parents are coming in town and I couldn't talk to them on the phone," Berger said. "I felt like I got a lot more accomplished because I wasn't worried about my e-mail coming in or posting on a Facebook wall."

The class focuses on the nature of media and technology in society, and the assignment forced students to see the role media and technology play in their lives.

"It should teach people about how mass media and technology affect society and them, and if they can turn it all off, they can see what it does to them," said Barry, who also participated in the Media Moratorium assignment. "We kind of use it without noticing the impact, and taking it all away really shows students the impact."

Barry found that the loss of the cell phone was the hardest hitting part of the activity, as it affected students' ability to maintain personal connections.

"Some get more work done or do something they haven't done in awhile, but what it most affects is their connectivity with other humans," he said. "This seems to drive them."

With that in mind, it may come as no surprise that Berger said she began texting friends, checking e-mail and using Facebook immediately after her media moratorium concluded.
While the students cringed at the loss of personal connectivity, they did manage to be more productive.

"I found that I read quite a bit. I read my Sports Illustrated magazine. I wandered around the dorms," said Chip Robie. "The next day during the free periods, I actually studied, which was kind of surprising, because there was nothing else to do in the dorm."

However, Robie said he immediately regretted picking last Thursday night to start his media moratorium.

"It was frustrating not to check my e-mail because I would have found out that I had a quiz, so I went to class a bit unprepared," he said.

While professors may seem dependent on modern technology to complete their work, Barry said he enjoyed his experience and became more productive as a result.

"I found it sort of liberating in the sense that it's quite peaceful," he said. "Apart from using cell phones and computers to get work done, a lot of people use it as an ambient way, like music at home and such. This cuts all the ambient media, so we find ourselves in much more quiet surroundings."

While Berger may have missed her cell phone, she said everyone should be able to experience a media moratorium.

However, Robie noted that although he survived his media-free day, he will not be doing it again anytime soon.

"We are dependent on the technology, and you can't live without it," he said.