A Month Without Computer Usage Every aspect of our lives requires the need for technology one way or another. Breaking apart from an old habit is extremely tough especially for these three students of Carleton College who decided to take a new challenge into consideration. Their challenge was to survive a month without computers. They knew it was going to be tough since finals were fast approaching. Despite this they decided to document their upcoming journey for their film class, they have now become “Disconnected” meaning no email, no Facebook, no Twitter, no web surfing and absolutely no Googleing for researching their upcoming term papers. Andrew, Caitlin and Chel need a new way of communicating with others, as well as finding a new way to type assignments without a computer. They will need to learn how to do research from books and other reliable sources like articles. Everything seem to be going effortlessly for the first couple of days, until Andrews teacher notifies him that his grade is suffering due to the lack of computer usage to turn in the assignments. Meanwhile Caitlen Magnusson tires a different approach; she starts to type out her essay in the typewriter at the campus library where she took a fair amount of time organizing and structuring her essay since there is no way to rearrange, relocate, delete or paste any words on a typewriter. In the other hand Chel has gather a couple of friends to help him cope with the situation. In my option, I believe he has already failed the task by having people use a computer in order for him to benefit from it. He call this a “Proxy” and claims that he’s not breaking any rules of their agreement but their classmates totally degree. In today’s world we like to think that we are relatively independent and not died down to technology however I can assure you this is not the case. I can relate to these three college students in this documentary because a group of my friends and I have tried going without the usage of cell phones and social media websites for three weeks and we have failed miserably. I believe one of the mean reasons we fail miserably is because we are so used to technology that we don’t even realize it. Social media is so important to people that it has now become hard to be taken apart form. These days people no longer ring door bells instead they call or text you to let you know your outside. I truly admire what these three students have accomplished it is not easy to do what they have done.
In the field of technology this would be nearly impossible to replicate. Corporations and business everywhere require the usage of internet and computers to efficiently manage everything and be productive. A business without a computer will likely be very slow and unproductive and end up been a failure. In my field of study which is networking, not having the use of computers is devastating because it would dramatically reduce the amount of job openings in the networking field. In this day and age mostly everything has a tiny computer imbedded inside; it may be hard to realize that even a simple alarm clock is equipped with one. I feel like we are attached to technology. From getting our assignments completed just like Andrew, Caitlin and Chel to communicating with people around the globe, we rely on technology for everyday tasks. Computers are a necessity and they’re no longer a luxury we’re surrounded by them and it’s hard to live without them. It is tough to get totally rid of them, but it’s truly possible to reduce our everyday usage.

References
Films Media Group (2009) Disconnected: A Month without computers. Retrieved from films on demand.