Task 1: What’s In My Bag?

Hi everyone! My name is Chris Rugo (he/they) and I’m a white, non-invited settler based in Tkaronto/Toronto, Ontario, where I live, learn, play and work. In my professional life, I work full-time as support-staff at Humber College, where I support e-learning and digital fluency initiatives offered through the library. This includes developing online resources and providing assistance for students accessing our library makerspace.

For this task, I’ve decided to share several items I carry with me in the bag that I take to and from my workplace. I work a hybrid schedule and share my time between home and the office.

Laptop (and charger): Given that I work hybrid, I typically carry my laptop around with me. I depend on this for day-to-day work, as I use it to access a wide range of apps for e-mail, instant messaging, word processing, multimedia production and web design. On the top of my laptop is a sticker which reads ‘Idea Lab’ in block letters, which is the name of the makerspace initiative I support in my role.

128 GB Flash drive: I use a flash drive to back-up important project files and to occasionally shuttle files between my laptop and other devices at the office. Lately, I’ve found myself using this less as I rely more on cloud storage.

Spare mask: I keep a spare mask on hand for commuting on public transit and for large group meetings at the office.

Wireless vertical mouse: I use a vertical mouse at work, which uses Bluetooth to connect wirelessly with my laptop.

Lanyard with office keys and keycard: I use this to access my office and to identify myself as an employee to staff or students, if needed.

Chapstick: I keep this on hand throughout the winter season.

Portable power pack (and phone charger): I carry a power pack for emergency situations where I need to charge my phone. I can usually get 1 or 2 full charges from this.

Wired headphones: I keep these with me to listen to podcasts or music on my commute to the office (which on average is a 2 hour round-trip).

Reusable water bottle: I picked up this branded water bottle up at a conference I attended recently. I use it at both the office and during my commute.

Insulated coffee mug: I was gifted this at a work event a few years back. I use this to make coffee at the office (a twice-daily necessity).

Reflection

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?

These ‘texts’ speak to my identity, values, and literacies as a 21st-century digital citizen. For starters, my laptop may suggest that I place a high value on technology, given that I carry it to and from the office. This is true, given that my laptop makes it possible for me to fulfill my day-to-day work responsibilities and, by extension, sustain myself economically. Additionally, the vertical mouse I use with my laptop might suggest that I spend long hours at my computer and value ergonomics. My headphones speak to how I access and communicate audible information (i.e., podcasts, music, phone call), while the portable charger suggests that I value sustained access to my phone by extending its battery over long periods. As for the remaining items, the spare mask may indicate how I choose to navigate public space by protecting myself and others from respiratory illness. My decision to use a reusable coffee and water bottle says something about my desire to be more socially and environmentally responsible.

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 that I consider ‘text technologies’ include the laptop, mouse, and flash drive, as well as the laptop accessories and integrated components (mouse, keyboard, screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, speakers, camera). Each of these technologies plays a role in enabling access to information (i.e., the internet, databases) and communication with others (i.e., e-mail, instant messaging, or video conferencing). These technologies would suggest that I have some level of technical proficiency and linguistic knowledge required to operate these tools and achieve these goals.

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

As described above, the ‘text technologies’ in my bag (computer, mouse, flash drive) would suggest that I possess some level of digital literacy, including the ability to leverage technology to read and write or to communicate with others through oral, visual or text mediums.

The written text on the items (i.e., my key card, sticker, water bottle branding, chapstick labelling and instructions) speaks to my reading literacy and my ability to view text without the use of braille or assistive technologies.

The mask suggests some literacy around public health awareness/prevention, while the reusable containers might speak to literacy related to climate change and individual environmental responsibility.

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?

I think the narrative of the contents in my bag accurately connects to how I present myself publicly, as well as parts of my identity and privilege (i.e., white, cis, male-presenting, educated, employed). At the same time, given that these items mostly relate to my professional life, they do not capture every aspect of my identity or value systems. For example, during my off hours, I try to reduce my screen time as much as possible – which might not be obvious to an outsider given that I carry around my work laptop.

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

I believe the same bag 15-25 years ago would speak to a different set of literacies than the ones I possess today, given that many of the items would be unnecessary or non-existent (at the very least, in its current form factor). For one, it’s unlikely I would be working a hybrid work schedule. As such, I wouldn’t need to tote my laptop between home and the office. It’s also more likely that my laptop (or desktop computer) would live solely at the office, as it wouldn’t be portable or practical enough to carry with me daily.

Furthermore, I’d imagine the items I use with my phone would also be absent from this bag, as I wouldn’t be dependent on a cell phone for many of the functions that I use it for today (music, navigation, banking, notes, etc.). Instead, my bag might include a map, a notebook and pen, cash, and a CD or mp3 player. These items would require some level of language and digital literacy to use, but not to the extent that the items in my bag does today.

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

I would imagine that an archeologist from the future would draw several connections between the items in my bag, my identity, and any cultural/environmental influences occurring at the present moment. For example, based on the branded items or labels, they may consider my relationship with language (ability to read/speak/write in English). The technology would suggest I possess some degree of digital fluency with the applications found on my computer, my socioeconomic status and, by extension, other identity markers related to my privilege (able-bodied). The mask and reusable containers would convey something about my health and environmental literacy based on current events (pandemic, climate change, labour culture/conditions, etc.).