HW 11 - Self-Experiment 1

The experiment that I have chosen to reduce the amount of time I dedicate to the computer is to write letters instead of messaging or e-mailing other people.

I am used to sending e-mails and communicating through the computer with other people , so witting letters to them was a whole different experience. Although I was intending to say the same thing I would have on an e-mail, I kept on adding more to the letter and decorating it.
I was interested in learning how the person would feel if I wrote letters instead of e-mails, so I asked my boyfriend. He has gone to Japan for 2 weeks so I told him that when he came back I would give him all the letters I wrote to him. He said that he would appreciate them more than e-mails. So far I have written three letters and I have taken more than 45 minutes on each.
Personally I find it easier to communicate my feelings through writing rather than speaking, therefore I had too much to say. And because I had taken my time on writing it and making sure the letter looked nice, he would feel much happier about receiving it.


This experiment has also helped me to stay away from the computer. Because I am busy I do not think about going to the computer or distracting myself with any digital device. I realized that my "need" to use the computer is nothing but a reaction to boredom. If I distract myself with something else then I do not even think about my computer. So in other words I can get used to doing something else and eventually not using my computer as much will become a habit rather than a simple experiment.

Writing letters was a great experience. I actually enjoyed dedicating that much time on a letter. I am not sure If I will continue to enjoy it if I keep on only writing letters to others. It is highly possible that I will get bored/tired of it like other things I have done. Most likely I will have to find another way of distracting myself in order to avoid using the computer as much. It somewhat depresses me that I "have" to do something to distract myself from using electronic devices. I do not have the will to simply stop using them. Therefore, if these experiments work I can easily just find another alternatives rather than just depending on my computer to do something. Specially about school. I am aware that I can fall back into this bad habit once again in the future. And this is because computers are extremely available so not considering it as a first option would be quite difficult.