What do you mean "being digital?"
Being Digital: What it Looks Like in My Life
That is a great question!! Being digital in today's world means using technology in various areas of our personal and professional life. Think about all of the times that you reach for your computer, tablet, smart phone, or other electronic device to communicate, research, or do both. You are being digital! Not many reach for that paper and pen, these days, to take care of business. Well, maybe there are a few sticky note kings/queens out there like me! Even so, I don't use the notes to communicate or find information. That's another topic for another day.
Mapping It Out!
When it comes to evaluating your time spent on the Internet, there is a tool you can use to make it easier to organize. It is called a "
Visitors and Residents Mapping App." Within this app, you can create shapes/colors in any of the 4 quadrants to represent your digital use. What do I put in each quadrant, you may ask? The top, left quadrant represents digital use as a Personal Visitor. A Personal Visitor uses the web as a tool only for personal use. The bottom, left quadrant is the digital use used as an Institutional Visitor for searching the web for work/business. The top, right quadrant represents a Personal Resident who uses the web to communicate with others on a personal level. Finally, the bottom, right quadrant is for Institutional Residents who use the web to communicate mainly for business/work purposes. For more details on Digital Mapping, visit David White here. So go ahead, give it a try!! Map out your digital world.
What I Learned from My Map
Looking at my digital map was eye opening! I realized that I use the web mostly as a Personal Visitor. Many of the digital sources I use in this quadrant are for traveling or for preparing to be a new mom. These sources are where I find the information I need to go about my current season of life. The Institutional Visitor space is really for those things that I "have to have" for working part-time and going to grad school. the Personal Resident box is where I do spend a lot of my time also on the few sources documented there. I don't need a lot of different sources to communicate with those closest to me. Furthermore, the Institutional Resident quadrant is currently used as a way of communicating with others for school or church. Concluding on my digital map, I may need to reconsider the amount of time I am on the web, as it seems to be a bit much for my taste and view of a healthy lifestyle.
I found it interesting that you feel you need to reconsider how you spend your time online. Did you feel this way prior and this activity confirmed it, or did seeing it "on paper" prompt you to want to make a change? Just curious!
ReplyDeleteBefore this activity, I did feel like I was on Facebook too much. I feel even worse about being online so much now that I have seen my digital map. I feel like I should be reading more books (and I prefer physical ones), going biking or riding my bike, etc. These are other things I love doing, but haven't been doing as much.
DeleteHey Lori,
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting that you think you need to manage your online usage. I felt that your digital map had an adequate amount of applications. However, I feel the same way at times. I sometimes feel like a robot. It's a routine to check some of the applications that we use. We tend to get notified and immediately respond to most notifications. I try to manage my usage at times as well and use the "Do Not Disturb" feature to limit myself when using digital tools on my phone. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
I like the "Do not disturb" feature. I should really do that, because that is part of the distraction of hearing the messages or notifications come in.
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