A Reflection Paper on Deluged by Data

Of
Ian Harvey A. Labustro

In this high tech and modernized world, there is no doubt that data addict or data
sexual exist. In this era, indeed we are all bombarded by data. Most of us are
depending our lives on digital devices and I know as time passes many inventions will
came out that will make our life easier by helping us through our daily activities. In that
way we are so much depending on our digital life, on what information we can get that
satisfies our needs and I think that will bring us all on what we called “Deluged by Data”.
As for me as a college student in a competent school with a course of computer science
major in data science, currently I didn’t see myself deluged by data. Although there is a
need for us to study a lot for some ideas to research and some stuff that involves a lot
of virtual activities and collecting of data for research and my studies, I think I can
handle myself now compare to what I am been doing before. Speaking of before, back
in that time that I am always stress because of my gadgets specifically 2 cellphones, 1
tablet 1 digital camera and 1 netbook. Since I have plenty of digital devices, I can’t
refused to use them all, considering my ignorance is always present whenever I have a
new gadgets. After I use the cellphone, I will use the other one until I observed that my
time was dominantly spent in using gadgets while lying on the bed or sitting on the chair
inside my mid hot temperature room.
Those days back then in my junior years I can consider myself deluged by data. I can
spent hours, maximum of 12 hours just surfing the internet like scrolling my timeline on
facebook to get updated with my friends, family and relatives, collecting information and
trivia on google that I can use later on, making a time table schedule in my one and a
half crosswise paper just to know on what to do next, what to search next, and what I
need to update on my social media profile. I am also a photo mania that time, with
thousands of pictures every month and whenever I uploaded it on social media there is
an attitude of mine that I cannot delete pictures in my cell phones and digital cam
although I already uploaded it online. Also, my old document files are still there even
though I did not necessarily need those. Every night I fall asleep with my phone too, and
just like others that is deluged by data, I can really call myself too as a data hoarder and
narcissistic for before I am one of the “selfie lord” in our classroom. I am not contented
with one picture, I live in a thought that whenever I take selfies it is better to have many
pictures for accordingly “more chances of winning” that means you are most likely get
your best picture if you have more choices.
Until summer came, I am busy maintaining and doing stuffs in my virtual life, and
suddenly all my files are corrupted, it is like magic, in just one plug all my treasures data
vanish or deleted virtually. I became stressed and became prone to depression, I
always pray that I can handle this. I decided to keep away my digital devices and focus
on real life. Instead of maintaining my virtual life I realize of fixing my real life. What I’ve
been doing before really result to bad consequences, like my health, my appearance
and to mention my almost two layers eye bags, relationship with people around me and
many more. I am not happy anymore with the numbers of like (reacts), nor the
appreciation of others in virtual world, it just making me more stress and can’t enjoy life,
and I realized that although it will really make life easier, like connecting to other people
around the world but ​it is not the secret formula of finding the through happiness.
I try disconnect devices and reconnect with myself just like in the camp grounded
that showed in the documentary. I observed a lot of differences with me, in
disconnecting devices, I tried also the electronic break or the digital Sabbath for
summer. Lolly luck, a selfie and twitter addict reminds me of my realization that indeed
there is more to real life than to virtual life. There are people who are there personally
not virtually, just waiting for some real bonding. I indeed believe in disconnecting for it is
more much enjoyable than always taking pictures or getting documented every moment
of your life. You can’t enjoy the real happenings for our eyes are on the screen and not
on the real situation itself.
That is why in disconnecting devices, we learned to seize the moment​. ​“We capture
the moments by our own eyes and not on the lenses of the camera we used and we
remember it by our own minds and not on the device storage we have.” ​Those terrible
experienced hone me, but I can’t avoid that sometimes those doings keeps hunting me
now, it is just like history repeat itself.
And now due to peer pressure and family pressure in overestimating me, I am like those
people that also suffer from information overload or also known as infobesity. I tend to
study and search for more information in order to survive school and get higher grades
to prove that I am capable of achieving something, that I have knowledge and in that
way I can prove that what they expect from me are right, just not to disappoint them.
Sometimes I can’t control myself whenever my mind set is into study mode, I always
searching for information that related to that issues. There is a time that my anxiety
almost kills me because I can’t answer just one question. I know I can answer the
questions but due to infobesity I can’t answer it correctly, I don’t know what proper
answer I may put base on the different information I know on the topic. ​Indeed, no
wonder we are stress for we know too much​, we tend to push information to
ourselves to assess our daily life and this infobesity disease slowly kills us.
There is an overwhelming impact of technology on our daily life and we need to
address it. We need to slim down or under through digital diet all of us perhaps not just
me. For me, I really need to have a digital diet although I do not have cell phone now
but I am still using other means to access or surf internet just to study. I might need to
buy the book of Daniel Sieberg “Digital Diet” for I know it can help balance my virtual
and real life. I may not that tech addict just like before but I don’t know when it will
happen again, and now at least I am prepared in breaking tech addiction through digital
dieting and can share or help others anytime. Now, I am trying to have a digital diet for I
really need it especially when I’m using social media...
In this world full of data addict that are likely data scientist, full of deluged by data
people or tech addict I am one of the people that are trying to change by disciplining
and controlling myself through disconnecting from the virtual world and connecting to
the real world for a better life.
“Not to be deluged by data must start with disciplining ourselves, we must
know when to stop”. “I can not and will not see nirvana in numbers only, for true
happiness are there in the balanced life.”