Step Away from the iPhone: RMU Students Ditch Technology

Lisa Folli, a freshman at , never noticed how glued she was to her smartphone until this week. 

"Most of the time when we talk to people, we're not looking at them—we're looking at our phones," Folli said. "I actually started to look at people and see their reactions when I was talking to them." 

Folli and her classmates in an RMU survey of mass communications course this week turned off their cell phones and logged out of their Twitter, Facebook and Pintrest accounts for 48 hours, testing just how much technology intertwines with their lives. 

For many students, the assignment was a lot easier said than done. Instructor Yvonne Bland challenged the class to go two days without texting, cell phone calls or social media and then document their experience with pen and paper. Students could plug back in for classroom assignments and emergencies only.

Bland was able to find out how her students fared on the assignment during class Thursday: Reactions ranged from feelings of relief to isolation. A handful of students said they could go no more than a few hours without their cell phones. 

Sophomore Sarah Cave said her friends expressed concern when she did not respond to their @mentions on Twitter. 

"I'm on Twitter way more than I text people," Cave said. "I had so many @replies when I got back on. People were like, 'Where are you?' 'Why aren't you answering?'"

Bland also logged out of her social media life—she said she even stepped away from Second Life, the virtual platform where people use avatars to interact with others. 

She said she used the time away from the site to make "some of the best meals" at dinnertime. 

"I realized that the first thing I do when I wake up is lie in bed and look at Facebook updates from the last 12 hours," she said. "It's my wake and wind-down routine." 

For junior Alan Buehler there was a silver lining to a few days without technology. 

"I texted my girlfriend and told her that I couldn't talk [because of the assignment]," he said. "It was kind of a relief to not have to talk to her all day." 

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