LIS 724: My Digital Map

                                                                 An Introduction

    Hello readers! Lately, I’ve been thinking about both how quickly the internet has evolved the past few decades and how far the internet has been fully integrated into all corners of society in the relatively short amount of time it has existed. It’s a little crazy to think back on how many hours a day countless people, myself included, must have spent on our phones and computers without even giving it a second thought. Between needing electronics for my coursework, chosen profession and using them for entertainment in my free time, I know I’m guilty of spending multiple hours a day glued to a screen in some shape or form. I can remember when I was a young girl during the early Aughts, I only used the internet for a couple of computer games at most, now as a grown woman, I seem to rely on the internet and my phone apps for all areas of my life, even without consciously considering its influence. When I’m done for the day with schoolwork, research and projects on the computer, I decide to relax… by taking out my phone and looking at YouTube and TikTok, or stream Netflix!

My Digital Map. Image Source: Personal Photos of Lizzy Prain, Created Via Microsoft Word App.

                                      What is a Digital Map?

    The sites and apps we use for recreation or work-based purposes can at times overlap, as well as recognizing how much time we devote to each app can be tricky in addition, especially when electronic devices play such significant roles in day-to-day life, helping us to complete important tasks, for entertainment or to aid in interacting with others for a wide variety of reasons. When reflecting upon my relationship with my phone, laptop and the internet by extension, I designed a digital map, shown above, in order to help organize and chart out my usage across different sites and electronic apps in both my professional and personal lives. But “what is a digital map?” You may be wondering, readers, a digital map is not a map in the traditional sense of the word; instead of showing real-world routes and locations, it categorizes where an individual spends the most of their time online and on which apps, divided into four quadrants: known as personal, professional, resident and visitor. A digital map is like a fingerprint in which each one created is unique to every person, reflecting where they spend the most of their time on their electronic devices, for what purposes and in what capacity, helping electronic device users with reflection upon their favorite sites and apps, or to help users with time management in app and internet usage.

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                              Analyzing My Own Digital Map

    After creating and giving time to reflection upon my digital map. I found that are many websites and phone apps that I use in my daily life, both in my schoolwork routine and for purely recreational reasons, realizing I use more apps than I had initially anticipated when beginning this project! I most commonly use Google for both professional and personal purposes, with the apps I visit most being YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook as a resident for personal usage, each of them used for recreational reasons or keeping in-touch with friends and family though the apps' messaging systems. When I’m not scrolling through social media, I’m using the Hulu, Peacock, Netflix and DisneyPlus apps to stream my favorite programming either in the morning or at the end of the day. I enjoy using Goodreads, Webtoons, Reddit, TikTok and Instagram for primarily browsing as a visitor over being a resident because I know I would get more addicted to screen-time than I already am if I spent longer period on those specific apps. I do my best to limit my Instagram and TikTok viewing as I feel I could get lost in Wonderland down those particular rabbit holes of the internet! I enjoy reading Goodreads in a recreational capacity, but have also found myself needing the app for professional reasons as well due to my study in library and information science. Furthermore, I found that most of the websites and phone apps I need for school or planning my future career in the librarian profession, I am usually also a resident of the sites in order to stay up-to-date on related news and research for my university projects. In essence, I feel that I use nearly just as many apps for my professional work in the resident quadrants, as I do as a resident in the personal quadrant of my digital map.

                                              Conclusion

Seraphine proves you can be a superhero and an influencer! Image Source

    I was a little surprised when I really stopped and thought about how many phone apps and websites that I use for both work and recreational reasons. I feel that I am responsible in that I don’t devote more time to my personal apps during the work week over my professional apps, while striving to use my personal apps more on the weekends or saving them for the evening when my school day is over and my daily responsibilities have been fulfilled. I also feel that creating my digital map was helpful in reminding myself to strive for a balance in how much screen-time I use each day. There is no shame in needing electronic devices for work or using them to play and relax during free time, but I think the digital maps are a useful tool for taking time to stop and reflect on one’s digital usage over the weekdays. I‘m glad to have created this digital map chart as it can help me focus, reflect and try to plan out my recreational screen-time better for the future.

There's always time for a selfie! Image Source