Explorative Analysis – Personal Relationship with Technology

Explorative Analysis – Personal Relationship with Technology

            Smartphones and other portable technology devices have become part of our lives. This assertion implies that many people, including me, can hardly keep off their phones and related gadgets. Addiction to these technological inventions is a critical concern for many researchers. Notably, these devices have become an integral aspect of people’s lives, thereby resulting in a state where people often find it different, especially when not using those tools. In this case, the individual experience involves the collection of data related to the use of electronic devices in a real-world situation. The purpose is to record the findings, interpret them, and make conclusions concerning the experiment.

In the first test, I took part in an interactive session involving a group of relatives. Many of these individuals were past their youthful years, and the topics they discussed were not appealing to me. I felt out of place, and at other times, I would quickly walk away from such situations. However, I decided to remain put and I also kept my phone in the pocket. Initially, I had endless and recurring temptations to operate the phone, but I am glad that I overcame the feeling. Honestly, this was one of the hardest experiments I had conducted in my life. Not that it was complex, but it influenced me to defy a regular way of life to which I was already used. Bandura (2014, p. 83) states, “As a rule, people do not pursue most activities that differ moderately from what they know or can do.” For a person to function effectively, it is necessary to facilitate the selective deployment of attention to achieve the desired results. The session lasted for approximately six hours, a period in which I usually touch and operate the phone for an uncountable number of times. Nevertheless, this time was quite different because I barely removed the device from the pocket.

Just like the others in that setting, I was surprised by these actions and the choices I had made. Questions came up, most of them regarding my social life. Some of the people present assumed that I was undergoing a relationship issue, thus the reason I was not holding my phone as I did in most cases. Others concluded that I was probably in a bad mood that influenced me to remain calm and communicate with no one. Surprisingly, one of my aunts even asked whether I was a victim of bullying because I was not accessing online social platforms. Basically, none of the persons available was able to detect the experiment I was conducting. For me, this was a learning moment, which helped me realize that social life was not only achievable on online media platforms, but also in physical settings. From the social cognitive theory, expectations play a critical role in influencing the choices that individuals make concerning a behavior. Notably, people can learn quickly from the consequences of their behavior, which, in turn, affects the interactions with the environment in the future (Bandura, 2014). Based on these propositions of the social cognitive theory, my interpretation of the experiment was that individuals could benefit from reciprocal determinism. Learning was possible, especially by taking relevant actions concerning an underlying topic. The primary conclusion was that the application of the social cognitive model in technological settings would be critical in facilitating positive change. The desired change is to reduce my addiction to technology gadgets and participate more in physically interactive sessions. Thus, the results from the investigation were essential in influencing my current understanding about the contribution of observational learning to behavioral transformations.

The second investigation, on the other hand, was a two-day observational study, which involved the documentation of findings. With the help of an online app, I recorded my progress concerning the unusual thing that I did. Precisely, the data was more about my morning schedule, which consists of a recognizable long duration of tweeting, posting photos on Instagram, and accessing my emails, among other activities. However, during this inquisitive period, I did not access social media; neither did I go through my emails. Instead, I would wake and engage in other activities that did not involve technological devices. Still, this turned out to be challenging compared to the other experiment. The primary reason was the fact that it is habitual for me to rise, access my emails, respond to clients and other relevant professionals with whom I maintain close contacts. It was a tense moment for me because I felt that I might be ignoring an important email, which would probably result in adverse outcomes for me. Therefore, the urge to access these messages was such a significant problem for me during this study.

Just like the previous trial, the procedure produced quite astonishing outcomes. I realized that I had power over my media usage. Unlike my initial assumption that I can barely wake up and ignore my phone, this observational study proved that I could easily manage the times I frequently used the technological device. The uses and gratification theory posits that individuals can control their media usage, and they are not passive consumers of media services. In this model, Whiting and Williams (2013) claim that people will consider using a specific social media platform to fulfill particular desires and wants and result in ultimate gratification. Thus, my initial understanding that I couldn’t have full control of my phone was challenged. I relied on the uses and gratification model to interpret my findings. I must admit that these were positive results, which would be useful in demonstrating that I could quickly redeem myself from the bondage of technology addiction. In summary, the second experiment showed that it was practically wrong for me to assume that I can’t control my behavior and decisions, especially when using addictive social media platforms. It was a remarkable experience with productive outcomes that can profoundly impact my future, precisely when it comes to media usage.

References

Bandura, A. (2014). Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In Handbook of moral behavior and development (pp. 69-128). Psychology Press.

Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16(4), 362-369.