1.2 | Joining OpenLab (Instructions) & Blog Post 1: Your Phone as a “Self-Portrait”

For our first blog post, I’d like you to write a bit in response to the prompt below and post your response as a “comment” on this thread.  To do so, you’ll have to setup your City Tech e-mail and set up an OpenLab account here. You’ll then have to join the course here by clicking “Request Membership” on the left hand side.

The Writing Prompt (responses due by 10pm Wednesday): How is your phone a kind of self-portrait? In what ways does your phone represent your sense of self—that is, who you are and what you like to do? Explain.

24 thoughts on “1.2 | Joining OpenLab (Instructions) & Blog Post 1: Your Phone as a “Self-Portrait””

  1. A phone would be a self portrait of yourself on the way it use. What I mean by that is if your phone is always getting a text or notification or it doesn’t vibrate as much and is barely use, your phone can paint a portrait of you by how often you use it. I would say my phone represent my sense of self because it’s always in my hand, always looking up something or a new place to go.

  2. My phone is with me almost all the time so my phone has the things I find interesting which create a self portrait of myself. The apps that are on my phone are a result of what I use constantly on my phone. For example I like basketball so on my phone I have the NBA app to see what going on in the NBA. I wouldn’t have apps on my phone that I wouldn’t use because it has no reason to be on my phone.

  3. My phone was given to me as a gift from my father. If I were to describe it with a quote, it would be “things doesn’t go as expected” because recieving that device was far from my expectations, I wanted something better. After spending time with it, I find that my phone is like a smaller version of me. With its navy blue color covered by a black protection case, the real shape and beauty of my phone goes unoticed just like myself who always hides behind this wall who is meant to protect me, not giving others time to get to know me. As for my apps, they exhibits my traits and character: For instance, the bible app in my phone can show how deeply devoted I am to God and my beliefs.

  4. My phone is everything, well not everything but majority of my daily activities. I need my phone for work purposes, meaning where people contact me for work hours as well as for certficates. My job is where I help people get their security license as well as I am a supervisor for another security company so without my phone I wont make money. Money is life to survive so I need my phone to provide for my son. I mean I can always contact people another way but my phone is my main source. My phone help me as well help others. I love helping others as long as I am able. In life I want to help people as much as I can because some people are not fortunate or don’t have the support, this is why my goal is to be a nurse because I feel you can really be there to help a others!

  5. Living in a modern day society your phone is an explaining material of whom you are. It can vary from apps within your phone to how you take care of this material and keep the edges on it crisp and new. Depending on what entertains you, there is no doubt that when you browse through ones phone you’ll find what they enjoy. Weather if it’s shopping, binge watching shows or social media. My cellphone carries my interest in every way possible.My phone has my favorite color as a cover which is protecting it, a screen protector to prevent scratches or shattered glass and of course Pinterest. Pinterest is where I find my inspiration, motivation and ideas when it comes to fashion. My phone is a self portrait of who I am.

  6. Phones in their own right are a representation of us. We use it to socialize, show off, etc. We even customize it the way we see fit whether it be the outside case or the inside programming. My phone represents me in the sense that its plain on the outside but if you simply take a peak inside it’s sure to surprise you. Taking a look you see me as just a plain individual but if you simply talk to me you’ll begin to like me and see the ideas I can come up with. Essentially my phone is a representation of me in the sense that it’s basically me in a nutshell.

  7. My phone can be described as my self-potrait. There are several reasons for that; first, it has no protection which might show my carelessness or simplicity. Also the wallpaper shows that I like rolls royce. Not that much, but I don’t really know why I have it as my wallpaper, probably because I could’nt find anything else. It was just yesterday when I saw a girl with a pop tart. When I noticed her holding it awkwardly, it revealed to me that it was’nt actually a snack, intead it was her giant phone cover that portrays that she likes pop tarts. The way your phone looks can actually show a reflection of yourself.

  8. My phone was given to me by my mother and I’ve sort of been obsessed with it ever since. Well not obsessed but I use it all the time. It represents me because it has all the things I like on it. I watch Netflix or YouTube, I read fanfiction or Wattpad or my Kindle. I have apps like shoot bubble or word search or fruit slice. I use it to communicate with my family and high school friends that I miss dearly. I’m an anime fan, I’m a fan of action movies, comic books and I adore fictional novels. You could learn nearly all my likes just by looking through my phone. I’m personalized it so that it shows what I’m into, like how the screen picture is that of an anime person. Real technology has improved so much that you can customize what you want, to really make it yours.

  9. If I had to describe my relationship with my phone, I would say it’s the self representation of my life on a cell phone. I see my phone as the mirror of my life. From the wallpaper to the apps, I believe you can tell the type of person I am. It helps me connect with family and friends, and plus I can capture the best or worse moments and share them anytime. I pretty much do everything with my phone, it makes my life much easier by paying my bills, watching the news, registering to classes etc… It’s just amazing how much time you can save with it like joining the openlab and posting this comment while I am on the train.

  10. To be honest, I’ve always been careless with everything in my life even with my phones. I’ve lost them by leaving them somewhere else, and I’ve broke them by incautiously dropping them on the floor. I was so upset that I had lost my money for spending on them, and paying for repair. I’ve to admit that my phone is everything, it has already replaced my camera, time, and etc. But it is NOT the whole part of my life. I’ve always wondering what is going on? Who is texting me? who is doing what? I have apps like Instagram, facebook, wechat, etc. which I usually lookup them to see how is the world going on. My phone also helps me to keep in touch with people around me whenever I needed. However, we now spend too much time on our phones than our surroundings. I think sometimes it is acceptable to live without your phone for couples of time,

  11. The cellular device is an amazing technology. Nowadays almost everybody has a personal regardless of age, or native language. A persons phone is almost always a perfect “self portrait” for numerous reasons. Just one look at someones phone can show allot about him/ her. Hobbies such as athletics or sports statistics can be shown also religious tools. How customized a cellular device also shows how close to the device someone is. For example someone who only knows how to make calls compared to someone who has changed the phones browsers and checks and makes emails etc..
    From apps to wallpapers and many more, including even the phone case shows many traits about a person.

  12. Your phone is a self portrait of yourself because it shows your likes as soon as you turn on your phone. For example, when you turn on your phone, the first thing you see is the wallpaper that you choose. That wallpaper can show things like your favorite color, or a favorite picture, or a tv show. Your wallpaper shows lots about yourself, but your phone shows more. When you move into the home screen, apps might be all over the place or it might be in folder, showing if you are someone who likes things organized or just don’t care. Little things like this make your phone a self portrait.

  13. I am my phone, almost need it in order to survive in this day and age. The way I keep it clean and pristine is the same why I keep myself. It is a self portrait because it has everything about me on it as well, from goofy pictures to business it has it all. In a sense, even past phones are self portraits, each phone I get is a upgrade from the previous version and it is the same with me, as time goes on I become more mature and have more information to give. If you compare the two, I am my phone. I like soccer and video games, my phone has apps to let me enjoy what I love to do.

  14. My phone is a definition of myself. From the apps to the background photo, my phone shows my personal thoughts and the person I don’t let society see. If I let you into my phone, that means I trust you enough to let you into my life and that’s a big commitment. I’m always changing my phone cases almost as much as i change my clothes because i always want it to look nice or match my outfit or mood.

  15. When you, Monroe, read the question out loud in class the first thing that came to mind was go and research the meaning of a portrait. According to Collins dictorinary, a portrait is “a description or dramatic portrayal of a person.”. When I read this definition I began to ask myself what made my phone my self portrait or something that was a description of me.
    After analyzing all the things I do on my phone and the things on my phone, I have come to an understanding that my phone is a self portrait of me because of all it holds. For instance, half of the time my phone is usually full notified rom text messages, emails, snaps, etc.. Also, when you open my phone my wallpaper says a lot about who I am. My wallpaper is always a bunch of other pictures that I have put together. Some of these pictures include me, my mom, my dad, my grandmother, music notes, the cross, one of my favorite music artists, and many other things. My wallpaper alone shows you all my interests. Another thing would be my phone case. When you see my phone case you will be able to know that I’m not a girly girl. My phone cases are usually very simple, in comparison to those that I know that have either pink, flashy, or even rhinestone filled cases.
    Lastly, I have a lot of shopping apps on my phone so you would know that I love to shop online. Also, I have entertainment apps like Netflix, IROKOtv, and YouTube so it is very essy for you to know that I love using my free time to watch movies and listen to music.
    In all I would have to say that my phone is an exact replica of who I am and what I love to do. Without my phone, I think my day would feel very incomplete. My phone is probably the most constant thing in my life.

  16. Your cell phone is a self-portrait of you because it is who you are. What I mean by this is that in this modern day your phone defines you. You do everything on your phone nowadays, from looking at the news; to ordering food, to basically just being online scrolling through Instagram or sending snaps on Snapchat. My phone is a self-portrait of me because i have it all day in my hand, and I am using it for hours throughout the day

    1. My phone is my best friend. It is always there when I was need, whether if I was lost, needed help with any type of problem, needed to express myself, and most of the time is was a way to escape from any stress that I am having. My phone knows me inside out and vice versa, it knows all information and my deepest secrets. So if I let someone use my phone that means that I completely trust that person. I love playing games, you can tell because we are always playing games when we are free.

  17. A phone can be seen as a sort of self portrait for many different reasons. In my opinion it comes down to the content on your phone; and of that content what you frequent. By content I mean what your apps consist of. My reasoning behind this is that the apps you downloaded were downloaded (and not deleted) by personal preference thus showing some type of interest in the app. Whether it is used as a tool or entertainment is irrelevant because how much you frequent the app shows how much it plays a part in your life and/or the level of interest you have in the content of said app. Your interests and the tools you need are a big part of who you are and what you do. In conclusion explaining how a phone can be seen as a sort of self portrait.

  18. From the very first day I owned my current phone, it started reflecting who I am as an individual. I am a person who is fascinated by technology and eager to learn more about new technological development, with which I use my phone to do research and in the process, download photos to reflect my interests. my phone may also reflect who I am by the type of music I listen to, also the types of applications I’ve installed, these are unique to me because not everyone will listen to the music that I listen to neither will the applications all be the same. Therefore, in my opinion, these are some of the reasons I believe my phone represents myself.

  19. I would say my phone does not tell me who I should be or what I should be, but I can say that my phone gives me ideas of who it wants me to be. Since I have grown an attachment to my phone it’s like a sidekick to me and it’s leaning towards to a butler to me. This attachment to my phone is bad because I depend on it, I am very needy with it, if it’s taken away from I feel lost and not myself. Therefore, my phone makes me a needy person only when it comes to my phone.

  20. My phone is a reflection of myself. It shows how I look, how I feel, and I how I view the world. my phone is active like me and my daily life. It is a result of what I show therefore if I’m sad and don’t want to be bothered I put my phone on do not disturbed. if I’m happy I’m on FaceTime blasting Jay Critch. My phone represents who I am and the things I like to do from the phone to the case right down to the apps. Like my phone a rose gold iPhone 6s I could be sweet and shy shinning from behind but like my case I am strong willed. I am a person who loves to savior every moment and share with others, thats why snapchat and Facebook are my best friends. I am able to snap and post within seconds. My camera and gallery helps me record and keep memories of the things that mean a lot to me like my singing videos, tournaments, and vacations. Every app on my phone relates to something in my life starting with Uber eats so I can eat when I’m hungry, Forever 21 so I can shop for clothes, Citizen so I can be aware of my surroundings, Maps so I can get around, and outlook so Im up to date and notified about my work. I could go on but my ps 4 controller leaned on the power button and turnt my Mac off so when I turned it back on the page was there but my comment was gone. so half of the stuff I had typed before isn’t there. this is why I like my phone!.

  21. Posting for Chad Ahmad (post sent via e-mail):

    my phone is a kind of self- portrait because everything I do so far, I have to rely on my phone. For example, I need my phone for my boss to notify me when to go to work, when my family needs something from outside because I’m outside all day, or even when my marines sergeant needs me to come to the office. Besides this my phone represent my sense of self by showing I am an young adult with responsibilities and my phone shows the kind of things I like to do. If anyone were to check my history on my phone all I do is answer important phone calls, listen to music, or even to check my checklist I have on my phone for my daily agendas. Yes, there are other things I do on my phone to pass time like go on face book or snap chat but I’m not one to post on social media because I don’t like my business to be out in public. My phone would show that I am a humble and seldom person because of my actions.

  22. My phone is a reflection of my self. good looking and flashy on the outside (iPhone 7 with a supreme case) yet simple on the inside. the “inside are various apps I use which aren’t many. I use Facebook and snap chat; other than those two I only use my phone to make phone calls, and for directions

  23. This assignment sounds a bit cheesy so I’ll give a cheesy response.
    My phone is a galaxy s8 edge plus. Arguably the best phone in the market right now and yet underrated. Not that I’m the best or underrated. You can say I’m wise because nowadays many companies are implementing little things that aren’t much of a feature like Apple removing an aux cord port so you wouldn’t be able to connect headphones from other brands. You’re forced to buy air pods or pricey bluetooth headsets. With my s8, you can plug an aux cord in it, and if I need more memory, there is an SD card port for more external memory storage. Water resistant and also it looks cool with the edge. Have fun purchasing more storage via Apple Cloud!

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