Interactions and Social Media

            I did my iExamen on Friday because I figured it would be easier to observe my communication without having to worry about homework and assignments due the next day.  I went into this exercise without putting much thought into it.  I made some surprising observations about myself and others over the course of the evaluation.  I started my day and went about my usual routine.  The first thing I noticed is how reliant I am on browsing social media.  Standing in line waiting for breakfast, browse Facebook.  Waiting for the elevator, scroll through Instagram.  The list of examples is endless.  I never noticed how constant of a presence social media maintains in my life.  I never really considered social media that important to me, but the iExamen has proven otherwise.  I would say that I spent at least a few hours on social media over the course of the day. 

            Another thing I noticed while doing the iExamen is how I interact with people.  As I went about my day, I started to notice that most of the conversations that I had were short and about seemingly simple things.  For example, when I woke up, I didn’t talk to my roommates until lunch time and then we just talked about where to go to eat.  I don’t think that every conversation has to be profound, but it would be a refreshing change from debating whether to get Chipotle or Qdoba.  Also, I noticed how people don’t stop to talk to each other when they meet walking around campus.  Most of the time when I’m going somewhere around campus I’m in a hurry, so I won’t stop to talk if I see my friends along the way.  I want to ask how their day’s going, but I don’t have the time.  In the future, I want to make an effort to stop more often.

            The final thing I noticed was how I see the same people on campus as I go about my day.  I never really noticed this before but I see the same hundred or so people every day.  I guess that it is just chance but it definitely interesting to think about.  I especially noticed this when walking to class.  You share a kind of unspoken greeting when you make eye contact with the same people returning from class as you walk to class every Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday.  It’s interesting to observe the strangers faces as they are probably thinking the same thing about you.