Task 1: What’s in your bag?

Hi Everyone!

My name is Tristan Wong, I’m currently an eLearning developer for a local municipality in British Columbia. I am not often “on-the-go”, but when I am, I frequently need to be able to work from wherever I am going. This image shows what I usually have packed with me in these kinds of situations.

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

It is essential that I carry my laptop (charger not pictured), earbuds, and the classic phone, keys, wallet combination with me on these excursions. I also carry an external battery which can be used to charge my phone or laptop, sunglasses, an electronic hand warmer, and a thermos with iced peach tea + espresso (you have to try it!). These contents allow me to have a portable workstation ready to go wherever I travel.

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

Although the picture does not contain much, it demonstrates my reliance on technology in my everyday life. Half of the objects pictured are digital or electronic in nature – which could indicate substantial literacy with technology. Other than that, the bag does not give a more private glimpse into any other interests or hobbies I might have.

Still, one could paint a pretty clear picture of what I might do with this bag, when I might use it, and what kind of work I would be doing with it. It may come of as no-nonsense, business-y, or even café-hopping in nature.

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?

My bag does not contain a notebook or a pen as I do not often take written notes. The reason for this is two-fold:

• I have horrendous handwriting; and
• I often misplace my notebook, or wish I had the notes I wrote in a digital format

Both my phone and computer allow me to connect with others digitally. My phone is even displaying notifications from both WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams – two apps specifically designed for text communication. I also have earbuds in my bag, which might suggest I speak with people orally using a combination these technologies. The two main forms of printed text I have in my bag consist of an old gas receipt, and credit/loyalty cards of varying nature.

This bag indicates that I rely very little on written/physical text technologies, and that the bulk of my work and life takes place on these digital devices. The image alone barely contains any text on it save for the granola bar and receipt. If you were to explore my phone and laptop in more detail, you would find a well-used Google Keep list, as well as a very cluttered but idea-full Notion workspace – two other technologies that I use heavily to record important notes.

One could also garner ideas about what my work is like from this image. It requires no reference material or physical content. If I saw these belongings, I would assume the person worked in a tech or digital field.

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 that while this bag shows the kind of person I am while working, it does not accurately depict my hobbies and interests outside of work. In addition, this picture may give the impression that I am rather organized and clutter-free, which is absolutely not the case.

What would this same bag have looked like, say, 15 or 25 years ago? How do you imagine an archeologist aiming to understand this temporal period might view the contents of your bag many years in the future?

15-25 years ago, this bag would have been significantly larger, as any laptops and phones available then would not be as compact. Besides the outdated technology, the rest of my bag could realistically look exactly the same. My wallet itself may be almost 10 years old, so it could certainly have existed in a bag of the past. I think that this would be a very straightforward bag for an archeologist to analyze, as it has a clear theme, and does not contain many personal belongings.

Reflection and Final Thoughts 

This turned out to be a much more interesting exercise than I expected when I read it. My initial reaction was to the challenge was “but my bag is really boring”. However, it turns out you can gain a lot of knowledge (or assumptions) about someone just by what they carry around somewhere. This made me think of people-watching, and what makes it entertaining/interesting. Through this activity, you are able to get a glimpse into someone’s life. You don’t know how big or small that glimpse is, and you don’t know anything else about that person, yet you can feel connected to them or like you know them just by viewing the contents of their bag. Overall, I really enjoyed this exercise.

Fun Question: Does anyone have any guesses about things that might be my non-work hobbies or interests? What in my bag suggested this idea?