IExamen

Spending the day taking note of body language, the way conversations are started, and simply the methods in which we communicate was a very interesting experience. I went into this with a mindset that it would be easy, but what came out of it was far more complex. I learned how our body language says more then we think it does. The way students walk across campus staring at their phones with headphones in, the occasional wave, sometimes the robotic “how are you?” is common knowledge, indicating that we do not want to communicate with anyone. 

I learned that basic items in our everyday life — clothes, shoes, homework, extracurricular activities, etc. can spark conversations that otherwise would go un-started. How we dress, noticing someone’s new shoes, asking one another for extra help in class, even discussions about things that need to be done for a club — these are all ways in which conversations are started, furthering the relationships between those in the conversation. The hour without technology encouraged raw communication between my friends and I. However, while unplugging for an hour, I noticed their communication with one another as well. Technology gives us the power to communicate with those who are far from us, but it also causes distance between us and those right in front of our eyes.

By participating in the iExamen, I’ve realized how dependent our generation is on technology to communicate with one another. We would rather communicate over the phone on our own terms, rather then speak to one another in person. It’s the amount of these superficial conversations that we, as humans, subject ourselves to everyday that I found absolutely fascinating. Participating in this iExamen opened my eyes to not only the kinds of conversations that we have everyday, but the quality of them as well.