What’s in your bag?

Day to day, my bag is quite minimal. I typically dislike carrying things, and I am lucky enough to have spaces to leave things such as my home, car, or office. Below is a video highlighting some key apps on my phone, as well as a slightly heightened picture of what you may find in my bag.  Please click here to watch the video of the phone. 

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

1. Phone: My phone is quite dear to me, it is the one splurge of technology that I rely on. Highlighted in the video is a more thorough explanation of the apps and their uses. In short:
   1. Notes are used to organize anything and everything. I prefer to jot down every little thing and get it out of my head and then begin the task. Prior to a busy week, I may even write all deadlines (both professional and academic) so I am able to prioritize easily.
   2. Gmail/ Outlook are used akin to another, Gmail is personal files and responses whilst outlook is for my professional sphere. Both afford me access to mass contacts and a more professional manner of communication with those.
   3. Drive is probably my most powerful app. I store everything, from social planning to professional developments and documents, as well as academic texts within my drive. I use this app frequently whether it be working through the app in lieu of computer access, or searching past work to refer to. Drive and its connectivity to all other applications are one of the most powerful pieces of technology I access. 
   4. Messenger/Social Communication: Snapchat, Messages, Discord and Messenger all take the place of social communication. Typically held for peers, or family, I use these apps daily to organize, communicate and share my life with those closest to me. 
   5. Games/Social Media: Tiktok, Fiton and D&D Beyond, are essentially pleasure uses. None of those are a necessity for my survival, however, they all upgrade my quality of life in some way. Tiktok is a great resource, however, I typically use it as more of a time-waster, exploring videos for hours, and everyone once in a while resulting in a lesson or idea to follow. Fit-on is my current active app that keeps me moving all through the week. D&D Beyond is immediate access to my hobby. Allowing me to plan, and prepare for my social experiences remotely. 
2. Physical Bag:
   1. As mentioned, I typically do not carry much. On the weekends, I may only have my wallet and phone for hours, even days. I have chosen to look more at workdays, or things I may use frequently. 
      1.  Jay’s Treats: I am fortunate enough to have a new puppy in my house. As such we have been working on constant training, so recently some form of treats can always be found around me as we work on manners and even new tricks. 
      2. Necessities: Wallet, Car Keys and Glasses. These are the items I can not leave the house without. I live in a small town, so whilst most items are within walking distance, I am often found driving to the nearby city for groceries or appointments. 
      3. Daily Uses: As my phone is my predominant tool, having it charged, or accessible charging is something that is always on my mind. Having a charger in the car, or my portable box, allows me to have comfort knowing I am able to access my tools at any time.
      4. Headphones: Not a daily use, as typically I listen to media on the car ride by myself, or when out walking I am alone so I am able to use my speaker, or just listen to nature. However, when I go on trips, or on any adventure they are a must. 
      5. Snacks, currently pretzels are featured here, however, the snack of choice rotates frequently. I love snacks, there is no better way to put that. My admiration crosses no bounds, I love to cook, and eat anything and everything. Having some form of snack is key to getting me through the day. 

• 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 items all are a communication, or anthology, of who I am. They all focus on ease of access, positive reward, and fundamentally simplistic living. It is clear from my phone, that I engage in a more “nerd culture”, having Discord, a typical gaming platform, as well as a D & D Beyond app. Having additional outdoor or physical pieces, such as dog training treats, movement apps, and Spotify allowing for media on the go, shows the more robust activities I may be participating in. 
• 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?
  • It is simple to start with the phone, a master point of text and technology. Using the phone, and the apps within, to not only interpret and create text but also host a robust form of text communication. The technology may also be seen through simple mediums such as the backpack, a typical; image for school, a place focussing on the text and its new overlap with technology.
• What do the items in your bag say about the literacies you have?
  • Overall, I believe the items do not represent the literature I have. Perhaps the “Drive” app shed a light on my dedication to academia and my learning, however, I do not carry items that show my physical literacy, or that compared to my social and personal literacies. It does not highlight my competencies in cooking or education. The tools in my bag are merely pieces to support my literacy adventure, not representations of that.  
• 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?
  • Overall this narrative is quite similar, I may have removed a few spoons I had been hoarding, from the aforementioned snacks, but this fits what I would typically carry. I believe in being honest in the narrative of who you are. The best way to combat the “photoshop” culture, as I call it, is to continue to post but as authentic as possible. Of Course, I did lay these items out in a nice order and threw some wrappers away, but I did not alter who I was, or what would typically be found with me. 
• What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago?
  • As a “young-in” as my grandfather would call me, I am only 26, so 15 years ago, I was 11. In simple forms, I would have nothing, except perhaps, the coolest item in my eyes, the iPod Color, and headphones. Snacks may have been found as well, but overall that was it. 
• 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 believe the sparsity of the items, or the connection that they all share to another, would demonstrate that most of my world had moved online. I work, read, enjoy and socialize online. The physical items are only tools or necessities to get me there.