Black Mirror

If you've never seen the Netflix original series, Black Mirror, I suggest you go and give it a try right now (after reading this blog post of course). Put simply, the show is about the dark side of technology, set in a world not too far from our own. The show gets its name from the black screens of phones and televisions that resemble a mirror when turned off.

One of my goals during the fellowship was to break away from technology, or at the very least, my phone. I have always prided myself with being below average in terms of phone addiction, yet I still fall victim to checking it during inappropriate times. Accessible WiFi and internet cafes have made it extremely easy to keep my device connected, and part of me wished the opposite were true. A recent trip down a YouTube rabbit hole led me to some interesting talks by Simon Sinek, who discussed the problem of modern cellular use in depth.

The attention problem is just as pervasive in Cambodia as it is in America. Whenever I go to a restaurant, I can place a hefty bet that when I look to my right or left, someone is going to be on their phone. The worst is when a group of two, three or even more are all on their phones. It makes you wonder what the point of going out together was in the first place. Cambodia is still playing catch-up in terms of the technological game, but in a matter of a few short years Facebook has already captured the attention of Cambodia's youth. People always seem to be checking their digital selves in the black mirror.

Since arriving in Cambodia, I have been extensively working at improving my artistic abilities. For the past three months, I've made sure to draw, or simply create every single day. For "a small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules." - Anthony Trollope. In order to inspire and cultivate creativity for my artistic endeavors, I need to allow for an incubation period, or a period of time for all my thoughts to come together in new and interesting ways. If I am constantly bombarding my brain with new information via a Facebook feed or other digital nonsense, there is no incubation period. There is no creativity.

In describing how his brilliant mind worked, Albert Einstein cited "combinatory play," or the blending of various ideas and disciplines into brand new ideas which were greater than the sum of its parts. This combinatory play however, required an incubation period, an allowance of oneself to be bored for a change, in order to produce meaningful ideas. In today's world we never allow ourselves to be bored, and because of this we lose sight of what's going on right in front of us. We don't give our minds a chance to make sense of the millions of stimuli we encounter on a daily basis.

I have been working on creating a personal logo for myself, and the process has been challenging. I had a breakthrough however, when I decided not to take my phone into the bathroom while I conducted my business. Having nothing to do except think, the idea for a logo I actually liked came to me in the moment, after I stared down at my watch and took a careful look at its intricate design.

This idea of work and creativity brings me to my next point, flow. Flow is the state of mind when you're simply "crushing work." Ideas are coursing through your neural networks, you're typing at 100 words a minute, you're laser focused, this is flow. In other words, you're "in the zone." But whenever we see that little banner pop up or feel the buzz of a new message, our flow is ebbed, and it can be near impossible to get it back on track. A simple solution is to just put the phone away.

As of late I have been extra cautious of my phone usage. I never take it our during meals with others. I leave it behind when the situation doesn't call for it. And I allow myself time to be bored. I look out into the world and see what is happening right in front of me. I believe the issue of phone addiction is deeper than just addiction.

In our digital world we have an unwritten social rule that you need to respond immediately to everything, which keeps us shackled to our devices. More and more people are answering emails off the clock and are distracting themselves from real-life conversations with digital ones. The world is simultaneously more connected than it has ever been, and more divided than it has ever been.

So this Thanksgiving, put those phones away, and talk to the people around you. Don't worry about that email or text message, it can wait. The people surrounding you on Thanksgiving are the only ones that truly matter. Take it from someone who is 8,000 miles away from the people who truly matter.