What’s in my bag?

My bag is a snapshot of my life in one photo:

Deodorant
Snack
Tissues
Daytimer (with many stickers)
Notebook (for coaching volleyball)
Extra battery charger
Gum
Advil
Airpods (in a cute Shiba Inu case)
Pencil case with a pen, mechanical pencil, a multicoloured pen, a sharpie, an eraser
Wallet that sticks to the back of my phone with care card, bank card, credit card, Costco card, and Tesla key card
House key, keys to my in-laws, mailbox key on a Disneyland lanyard
Floss sticks (Pompompurin themed)
Electrolyte packets
Hand sanitizer
Lip balm, lip gloss, lip butter balm
Tide pen
Grocery bag
Dog poop bags
Brush
The bag itself (from Oak + Fort)
Another smaller bag (Lululemon)
Another even smaller bag (for organization of smaller items)
Not pictured: Phone (not pictured since I needed to take the photo with it)
Also not pictured: Water bottle, I never leave home without it but don’t keep it in my bag because it’s doo large

A portable biography

What can you learn about me from the items in my bag? My bag is like a portable biography, each item giving you a clue about who I am. It is a living text, each showing a bit about the tools and technologies in my everyday life. The contents of my bag are a tapestry of the many roles I shift into throughout my day. The contents have shifted over time as I move through different seasons or activities in my life.

The roles I play

I am a student, a wife, a mom to two teenagers, a dog mom, a volleyball coach, an avid hiker, a runner, a consumer, a technology user, and an urbanite. Each role I play comes with its own duties and responsibilities including driver, cleaner, chef, therapist, motivator, personal assistant, scheduler, shopper, and more.

My bag reflects my anxious tendency to be ready for any occasion, ranging from snacks, to self-care items, to study tools, to technology. I spend a lot of my day in the car so I am prepared to sit in it for long periods of time while waiting for kids at school pick up time, or at extra curricular activities.

What is your daily need for the items in your bag?

My items can be grouped into the categories of: productivity & organization (notebook, daytimer, smaller bag), technology & communication (AirPods, phone, charger, pens), self-care & wellness (electrolytes, snack, deodorant, floss sticks, brush, advil, gum, hand sanitizer, tissues, lip balms, Tide pen, dog poop bags).

I use my notebook to write down coaching ideas such as drills, motivational speeches or team reminders. My daytimer keeps track of what’s happening with each person in our family giving me a clear visual of our busy schedule.

These tools represent traditional print media that help me capture thoughts and tasks throughout my day. Most of the time, I then transfer these notes into my Google calendar on my phone or laptop; if I don’t, they often get forgotten. My organizational system usually moves from print to digital, text to technology, though sometimes I skip the paper step when I need to be quick or don’t have my daytimer with me.

How might these items be considered “texts” and what do they say about you, the places you inhabit, the cultures with which you engage, and/or the activities you take up?

My phone, AirPods, and battery charger reflect my need to stay connected and informed throughout my day. Whether I am at school, home, or in recreational spaces, I rely on digital technology to manage the different roles I play. These tools let me communicate easily via text, keep up with information, and even listen to music, podcasts, or course readings through text-to-speech while on the go.

The foldable grocery bag and the smaller crossbody bag I carry adds flexibility, allowing me to shift roles quickly, while I’m running errands, going to the grocery store, or grabbing a coffee on the go.

My pens, notebook, and daytimer shows my dedication to my studies and organization. Time management is a struggle for me, so having the daytimer to manage my learning among other commitments is very helpful.

Advil, snacks, a water bottle, and other self-care items show that I value my health and energy throughout my day. These items also represent self-expression and societal expectations around hygiene and care, which are often shaped by gendered cultural norms.

Finally, my keys (house key), wallet, Tesla key card, and credit card allow me to move freely across different roles – use technology to make purchases and transition from family life, to transportation, to consumer culture.

Thinking about the title of the course, what are the “text technologies” in your bag, if any? What do these items say about how you engage with language and communication?

The items in my bag show that I use a hybrid approach to managing my communication – moving between print and digital communication. The bag itself holds the technologies that allow me to communicate across multiple forms, contexts, and cultures. My phone is the central point of communication with most all other aspects of my life. The “text technologies” such as my notebook, daytimer, pens, and phone are all ways to capture a living text or record of my life. Technology and text are closely related and are interwoven in my everyday life.

The bag itself is visually understated, versatile, and modern, with easy-access pockets that keep my phone – my central lifeline – always within reach. The bag’s minimalist design contrasts with the maximalist items it carries each day, making it both functional and stylish. The bag can be read as a text on its own: the container that holds my narrative together. Its simple, contemporary style reflects my appreciation for design that combines utility and aesthetics, aligning with my identity. It pairs easily with my everyday athleisure, casual jeans, or even a smart-casual outfit when needed so I do not have to continually move items to a new purse. Beyond style, the bag is also a value statement. Oak + Fort is a Canadian company founded in Vancouver and led by women and represents gender equity and empowerment – values that are central to who I am.

What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?

The items in my bag indicate I have traditional print literacy (notebook, daytimer, pens) and digital literacy (phone, charger, AirPods). The bag itself can be tied to consumer and cultural literacies – it’s a locally owned, women-led, sustainable company. This is juxtaposed by the cross-body bag I carry that is from Lululemon, a company that has questionable labour practices and company origins.

How does the narrative of the (private) contents of your bag compare with the narrative produced by the image you have of yourself or the image you outwardly project?

The private contents of my bag tell the story that I am constantly multitasking and also prepared for many roles that I play. The chaos in my bag and abundance of items may appear to be excessive, but outward appearances would appear differently. Many people consider me organized and on top of things, even though organization takes a considerable amount of time and energy behind the scenes as I am not naturally an organized person.

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?

My bag 15 – 25 years ago contained my simple daily mantra, “phone, keys, wallet, sunglasses, lunch” every time I left the house, as well as my teaching bag that had written lesson plans and sometimes marking. My phone was not a smartphone, AirPods didn’t exist, and no way would I ever think my phone would be used to operate my car. Times were simpler before I was married and had children, and worked full time as a teacher. My classroom was my “second home” where I kept a lot of the “self-care” items I now carry with me in my purse and I was not as “on the go” as I am now.

How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?

An archaeologist examining this bag many years from now may see it as a snapshot of early 21st-century life. Technology items such as my phone, charger, Tesla key card, and AirPods indicate evidence that my world is deeply shaped by digital technology and constant connectivity.

The notebook, pens, and daytimer indicate that I have not yet transitioned to fully digital culture, as I am still holding on to traditional text and print media literacy.

My Advil, gum, snack, deodorant, floss sticks, and other hygiene items show that I am a mobile person, value convenience and self-care. Our bodies can also act as text that can be read by other humans.

I believe the archaeologist would conclude that I belong to an affluent, technology-immersed, multitasking culture that uses mobile technologies and fulfils multiple roles.

If given the chance, I would point the archaeologist to the sticker-covered pages of my daytimer – an adventure in themselves – offering colourful clues about my personality, daily rhythms, and the values I live by. I invite you to make some more analysis of the text that is shown on my daytimer – what other insights can be inferred about me?

~Erica

AI Use Disclaimer
Portions of this assignment were refined with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025). I provided the original ideas and draft, and the AI supported me in improving clarity, grammar, and organization while preserving my ideas and voice. Final edits and approval were completed by me.

References:

Peña, E. (2025). [1.5] Thinking about Text and Technology. Canvas.
https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/173085/pages/1-dot-5-thinking-about-text-and-technology?module_item_id=8312700

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/

ETEC 540: Task 1 – What’s in your bag?