After I just finished reading some mandatory literature in the university library, I walked down to the cafeteria to eat my lunch. As I start eating my hummus sandwiches, I open the application Last War. During the summer break, I got bored and decided to download an online game. When I was younger I used to play a lot of Clash of Clans, a game very similar to the one that I installed on my phone now.
Setting priorities
In Last War, the player needs to log in a few times per day to collect resources, stimulate research projects and upgrade their base. I always start my digital day by logging into this app to fulfil all the abovementioned tasks. Before, I would have immediately checked my social media applications, but I recently found out they do not excite me the same way as my mobile game. I will still reserve some time every morning to reply to messages, but knowing 99 per cent of them are not urgent caused me to prioritize other digital activities.
Ironically, a game like Last War makes me feel like I am older and maturing. When I was younger I loved to be on Instagram, engaging with other people and checking their stories. My days in the digital consisted of connecting to other people and making sure they viewed me as a cool, interesting person. Now I am older I feel like I care less about others and more about myself. In terms of digital context, I see it in my environment too. Friends deleting social media, replying late and even getting rid of their smartphones to switch to an old flip phone. The days in the digital get strongly limited by a decreasing network, which is perhaps another reason that led me to mobile games. Although I still enjoy engaging in the digital world, I understand the rejection of modernity by some of my friends. Given the overrepresentation of younger people online, it makes you wonder if the digital world is part of an adult’s lifestyle or merely a childish environment filled with cheap entertainment.
Independence
I was travelling in China this summer and noticed how dependent I was on my phone, as cash is uncommon and almost everyone pays through applications on their smartphone. As a foreigner, I was struggling with setting up all the applications and connecting them to my bank details. When I got back to Europe it made me realize how glad I was life was less digital, which caused me less stress. That experience made me shorten my time in the digital realm even more, as it feels ingenuine to me. I understand there are people who embrace the digital and feel (more) comfortable spending their time in the virtual world, but through the years I have realized that I differ from them. My activity online only goes as far as Last War, its simplicity sufficient to fulfil my digital cravings.
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