For the On/Off Experiment, I chose to cut my access to the internet for 12 hours. I did not use the web in any way- no email, no netflix, no social media, etc. This project was successful in many ways, but it was not as “artful” as I would have hoped. I was very grateful for this chunk of time because I was really able to get a lot of things done. I vacuumed, did the dishes, reorganized my refrigerator… all great things that I had been meaning to do, but not very artistic. During the experiment I was able to draw for a brief period of time, but I would certainly like to do this project again when I can focus more on the artful experience and less on the distractions of daily life.
Additionally, one aspect of the experiment I found especially interesting was the genuine difficulties I experienced in trying to truly abandon the internet. Firstly, I still had my cell phone on. Although I turned the wifi off, I left the cellular service on because that is my only phone (in case of emergencies). I think the moment I decided to shut my internet down, I must have received a dozen facebook messages. I didn’t read the messages until after the 12 hours, but I failed at not reading the notifications on my phone. I also did take a moment to quickly check my email 6 hours into the experiment. While I did not read any of my emails, I needed to check and see if I received an email I had been waiting on from a professor. I justified this as “professionalism.” I couldn’t help but think about how the world has changed in regards to the instant satisfaction of electronic communication- to the point where if I do not respond to a work related email within 24 hours, it’s considered unprofessional… but that is another conversation.
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