2/2 On/Off Experiment

As I considered turning off my devices, my first thought was not concern of being bored or not being able to check social media. During my “off” time I did feel an inclination to automatically check Instagram or my email during unoccupied moments, not because I actually sought out specific online information. However, this automatic checking of my phone was not the most surprising thing I noticed about my “connected” behavior. Most significant was the uneasy feeling I got during my walk home late at night. Not being connected or having the ability to get in touch with someone should I need to as I walked home made me quite anxious. There has been so much publicity lately regarding assault in the news and on neighborhood watch apps, such as the Citizen app, that I couldn’t get these things off my mind as I walked alone in the relative dark to my apartment. Interesting to note, also, is that a generator of this semi-irrational fear was an app where I could check up to the minute crimes and police activity in my neighborhood. So, while I felt safer with my phone on, my phone was also a factor that contributed to my paranoia through abundant access to information. I considered these feelings as I worked through my ideas for my artistic response to the On/Off activity. I considered a drawing, however ultimately I settled on a video to show how truly benign my walk home could be. I chose to focus on my feet as I thought about how a child might count their steps when a journey seems interminable or when traveling a familiar route. In this case, the number of steps acts as a kind of countdown clock until I got home and to a sense of security.