I have been working from home since March 2020 and so the contents of my bag don’t reflect what they would if I was working in the office. My laptop lives at my work station at home, my lunch stays in the fridge and my activewear doesn’t need to travel with me. My bag today more so reflects my general everyday outing contents (which is incredibly limited the last few months…thank you COVID)… So, it’s basically what I bring to the grocery store. Furthermore, there are some additional items in my bag that have become essential that you would not have found prior to 2020.

In this bag I carry a water bottle, a snack, my keys, headphones (which are normally wireless but I’ve misplaced them), mints, gloves, sunglasses, glasses, a general notebook, chapstick, lip gloss and lipstick, hand cream, nail clippers, makeup remover wipes, my wallet (which is a whole world in itself that includes bank cards, ID, points cards, money, notes, business cards…etc), a reusable bag, a card carrier for gift cards, Kleenex, a mask, hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes. I usually have a receipt or two as well, but I’ve recently cleaned out my bag. Finally, my cellphone would normally be there but I needed it to take the picture 🙂

The most basic text I have in my bag is my notebook. I use my notebook for all types of note-taking – work, class and personal. I prefer to write out my lists physically, pen to paper, rather than type them out in my digital notebook on my phone. If one were to read the texts in my notebook they might get an idea of what my job is, what I study and how I live. The printed text on the packaged items is in English and in French which reflects that I am currently living in an area that speaks those two languages (French being the first since it is written first and usually in the bigger font). The textile of my gloves may indicate that I am currently living in a colder area of the world. If someone were to open my wallet, they would see that the text on my ID indicates that I am from Quebec. The texts and prints on some of these items could also reflect that I enjoy outdoor activities – the nature image on the cover of my notebook, the pattern of my mask and reusable bag and the plant image on my water bottle. The print on the electronic pass on my key ring indicates that I do yoga at Moksha Yoga Montreal. The headphones indicate that listen to verbally communicated texts like music, podcasts and audiobooks.

The most important and most advanced “text technology” that is in my bag (not shown here) is my cellphone. It is underrepresented because it does not appear in the photo but it is, by far, the most used item that you would find in my bag. I use my cellphone to communicate through digital text (texts, email, chat, social media). I use it to inform myself, manage my tasks (calendar), document my life (images, videos, text, audio), entertain myself and work. Because it is my most used item, it says that I tend to engage with language and communicate digitally. However, my notebook might say that I don’t exclusively communicate that way and I am still drawn to basic forms of “text technology”. Perhaps because I grew up reading and writing text on paper, I tend to remember and consolidate information more effectively when I write it down rather than typing it out. I am curious if younger generations would prefer the opposite. I do still write lists and take notes on my phone, but when I do so pen to paper, I feel more motivated and productive.

If you look closely at the items in my bag, I think they say a lot about who I am and who I see myself as. The items in my bag reflect some of my priorities and hobbies. The most obvious priority that is reflected is in health and comfort. I have contents that represent food, water, exercise and hygiene. I also have a lot of items that represent my priority to be comfortable – sunglasses, hand cream, chapstick, mints, the backpack. The textile of my bag and wallet are vegan leather and the reusable bag and water bottle might reflect my priority to be environmentally conscious. The patterns and colours reflect parts of my style – pink aviators, purple headphones, various patterns and colour, keychain and bright lipstick. If you were to open up my notebook, you would see written recipes, reminders, quotes, thoughts, to-do lists…etc. I feel as though most of these things align with who I see myself as and who I outwardly portray. I think my friends would not be surprised by any of the contents shown here.

If I were to have done this activity 15 -17 years ago, the contents of my bag would be very different. The only items that would remain (but in a different form) would be the earphones and the notebook. My bag would have been full of papers, binders, books and a pencil case (rather than 1 pen), indicating that all reading and writing I did was done through text on paper. The basic comforts would not be there as it was not a priority. I would not have keys, glasses or cards for my wallet. Instead of a smartphone, I would have an mp3 player or discman, a camera, an agenda, written notes from friends and a flip phone for emergency calls only. While there were hints of digital technologies at that time, the majority of text was communicated more traditionally.

I think we will all say the same here. If an archaeologist were to analyze the items in my bag, they would be able to identify the year of a pandemic. They would also be able to identify the time period by examining the digital technologies present. Technology advances so quickly that you could likely date my bag to the exact year based on the model of my cell alone!