I use the internet in its many forms every day. This is true of both my personal and professional time, especially given that I’m currently taking exclusively asynchronous online classes right now. In an attempt to review, compile, and summarize my internet usage, I considered how often I was acting as a resident of a particular aspect of the internet vs a visitor. David White explains the difference as having a “social presence” online (resident mode) vs seeking and accomplishing a specific goal then moving on (visitor mode) (White, n.d.). Noting that we can be different things at different times, as explained in this video by David White.
Type of Usage
To apply this difference within the context of my own usage, I considered being a resident anywhere that I am creating things, whether that be crafting a text or posting a photo dump. If I am actively participating in something with original thoughts, ideas, or interaction, I counted that on my map as resident mode. I counted being a visitor as any place where I am mainly consuming things, without creating or interacting. A main example of this would be Disney+, where I am streaming things, or Pintrest, where I might go to look for an idea of something, but do not create original posts. With that understanding, I noticed that in most places where I engage with the internet, I am doing so in a fairly active way.
Both professionally and personally, I mainly fall into the resident category of internet usage. Analyzing my weekly screen time report on my phone, I know that I usually have an average of about 4.5 hours of screen time a day. The caveat being I do not think this report is synced to my laptop usage, so it is probably slightly higher than that.
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| Image Source: Author |
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| Image Source: Author |
Screen Time
Of this 4.5 hours a day, Tiktok, Messages, Instagram, and Twitter are the apps I use the most. Even just noticing how I use my phone anecdotally throughout the day, these statistics do not surprise me. I know that I cycle through these apps constantly, and I also know that when I am busy I’m on them less. Just last week I was busy with school work all day and had plans in the evening, making my screentime just 2 hours. The 2 hour difference (based on averages) really does go to show how much of a time suck my phone can be.
I think I have the most concentrated phone time in the morning before I get my day started and at night when the day is winding down. When I think about my phone or internet usage, I like to consider the purpose, because I think it’s really easy to say “how can I be spending 4 hours a day on my phone? I should be doing something else!” However, I try to keep in mind that sometimes I am using it exclusively as entertainment. In that case, I consider phone time as a replacement behavior. If I would have previously watched tv for an hour or an hour and half, but instead I’m on Tiktok for that length of time, I think it’s worth it to examine the purpose of use and frame the context. I don’t think it’s fair to consider internet or phone usage for the purpose of entertainment without considering the cultural shift of how we consume media and entertain ourselves.
References
White, D. (n.d.). Visitors & Residents. davidwhite.com. https://daveowhite.com/vandr/
White, D. (2014). Visitors and Residents. youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI&ab_channel=jiscnetskills
Hi Carly! I really enjoyed your post, especially how you included your internet time usage. That was such a smart idea and really added perspective on how much time you spend on these apps. The first thing I thought of while reading it, was my time usage as well, excellent point!! I also completely agree with your point about considering the purpose behind our usage; I mentioned something similar in my own post. It’s so important to be mindful of how we’re using digital spaces and what value they bring to our lives. As you pointed out, a lot of this use connects directly to both our personal and professional growth. Excellent work!
ReplyDeleteYour comment about "replacement technology" instantly made me think of SAMR!
ReplyDeleteHi Carly, I think it's really interesting when you look at your digital map and then also your screen time data on your phone. I think this is a very telling way to see what apps you really are "residents" of. I also really liked the way you defined "resident" and "visitor" for yourself because I feel like everyone can define these is slightly different ways.
ReplyDeleteHi Carly,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Your breakdown of screen time was especially interesting. I often just see the total number and feel a bit guilty, but your point about considering the purpose of that time, especially as a replacement for other forms of entertainment like watching TV, is a really smart and fair way to frame it. It’s not just about the hours we spend, but what we’re actually doing and why.
My follow-up question for you is: Within your time as a "resident" on apps like TikTok or Instagram, do you distinguish between "active creation" (posting, commenting) and "passive entertainment" (scrolling)? I'm curious if you place a different value on those two activities, even though they both happen within the same resident space.
,Alex