Modern technology is put away, it’s all about “reconnecting”
Campus is bustling again, which not only means that fall classes are up-and-running, but that our technology usage is at its all-time high. Whether it’s printing lecture slides on Courselink or sending a text to ask a friend to save a seat in class, it’s nearly impossible to imagine life without technology; and life before technology, for that matter.
However, fellow Guelph resident Blair McMillan and his family are currently proving that even in today’s society, living without modern technology can be done. McMillan, his partner Morgan Patey, and their two boys, Trey and Denton, ages 5 and 2, have reverted back to the lifestyle of 1986 – the year McMillan and Patey were born.
Triggered when his five-year-old son refused to play outside because he wanted to play on their iPad, McMillan told The Record, “My whole life has basically been reverted back to when I was a kid and I’m reinventing that with my kids and using exactly the same technologies that I used back in the day”. That means no internet, no social media, and even guests are asked to leave their cell phones in a box outside before entering the house.
This experiment, which started in April and is to last a year, is an attempt to give the kids a chance to experience what the couple’s own childhood was like – and yes, that means that the entire family are also sporting mullets.
Though living in such a way would negatively affect the average university student’s schooling (no email or Facebook – yikes!), there is still something to be taken from McMillan’s experiment. A report from The National in December 2011 revealed that young people ages 15 to 26 spend roughly 9.9 hours a day with media, more time than is spent sleeping. That’s 9.9 hours spent in virtual interaction as opposed to face-to-face communication. Needless to say, young adults are becoming increasingly dependent on media as a means to maintain their social standing.
McMillan himself reported that the experiment has caused a strain on some relationships, not only because friends are unable, or unwilling, to give up their own cell phones for a few hours, but because the McMillan family is hard to reach.
This mentality is strikingly similar to some of the reactions gathered from typical university students.
When asked how she would cope without modern technology, second year student Rachel Ackford replied that without texting, Facebook and messaging on various other sites, “It would be harder to keep up to date on what’s going on in other’s lives.” She later added that her long distance relationship relied heavily upon technology to keep in touch and plan visits this summer, noting that media was “an added convenience to save some hassle.”
Alyssa Green, also a second year student, agreed with Ackford, stating that technology is extremely beneficial in this day and age.
“You aren’t always going to be at home, so it would be a lot harder to get in contact with someone if you were only using, say, a landline to do so,” Green added.
Upon learning about McMillan’s experiment, however, these initial responses became less resolute.
Green commented that though it wouldn’t be easy, she’s sure she would be able to do it. While Ackford noted, “It’s not necessary to always be able to text or message each other. In fact, visits would be packed with stories and feel that much better after less communication while apart.”
That is exactly the idea that McMillan has behind his experiment. As he told The Record, “It’s about reconnecting, and basically disconnecting from technology to reconnect with friends and family”. McMillan’s family is finding other ways to occupy the 9.9 hours that young people spend connected to media, finding value especially in being active and sharing face-to-face interaction that is now commonly taken for granted in society.
It is this aspect of the experiment that students can embrace. As course work picks up and more time is spent on the internet, it would be beneficial for students to keep McMillan’s experiment in mind. Though technology certainly has its advantages, and proves to be quite necessary, McMillan’s family has shown that everyone could use a little bit more “reconnecting.”