Back into university with this weeks BCM241 lecture where we were asked to reflect on the media we use and a specific story regarding that media. So, today I am going to be taking you through the blessings and curses of buying an internet sim card while travelling abroad during the break.
While I use my phone everywhere, all the time, I noticed how my social media presence was different while travelling overseas with unlimited data to at home. Usually, I never bother with getting an international sim as there is usually an abundance in WiFi. However, this trip was different. I was travelling alone in Thailand for a month and although WiFi is everywhere I thought it was worthwhile to buy a sim card that allowed me to contact people in all parts of the country and at my own convenience.
In reflection I have realised that this was a mistake for several reasons. Despite the many benefits a constant flow of internet has – continual music streaming, podcasts on demand, messaging/calling those you miss whenever you feel, downloading apps on a boring bus trip or just flicking up some pretty pics on your accounts at any time – I felt as though it stopped human connection that could have happened.
This isn’t saying that the trip was burdened by or buried under Snapchat stories, Instagram posts and talking to those from home. I was still able to make incredible connections and meet amazing people. However, at times I remember realising that all anyone is filming these people or this event for is to show their friends back at home rather than enjoying the present moment. Now this of course is a story line that is beyond common in society today. But for me, being overseas to experience new things, meet new people and taste new foods, can be hindered by the media we use.
One night, in the misty mountains of Pai in Northern Thailand a group of us, travelling from every side of the globe, went on a pub crawl from the hostel. We ended up at this funky little bar called Why Not where games of American Kings Cup were played. As the funky jazz band played popular songs next to us we were in the swing of laughter, drinking and singing. And right at the middle of the game, once people had become comfortable enough with one another, someone started a Mexican wave of filming the game and bar with their phone.
One after the other people would pull out their phone to film us and we would act 10x livelier for the camera. For some reason I felt compelled to also film the game but I refrained because the whole bar had just transformed to some kind of film set, each of us acting for the camera. Eventually though, I succumbed and filmed something to put on Snapchat for my friends to see.
It’s in these moments that I was least present. I found the more people filmed, the less people truly enjoyed themselves. But we all participate in this game. It is how we live our lives. Without this internet sim I think I would have spent much more time in the moment rather than talking to my friends and loved ones at home or filming those around us. But in saying that, I think that if we acknowledge this as a social burden we can stop using it for those purposes to be aware of why we are using our technology and if it actually has meaning.
I still like to think these stories capture the highlights of the trip that I can always reflect on in the future. If you want to check out my sense of nostalgia I have a typical white girl story highlight dedicated to Thailand: https://www.instagram.com/keiraproust/
A Travelling Proust 
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