My subject had:
-A tablet
Shane said that he uses his tablet daily for taking notes in class, and studying. Shane also has a laptop that he does not bring to class. His laptop is too heavy, so he uses the tablet instead. He also uses his tablet in place of physical notes in class. I asked Shane if he feels as though the tablet enhances his mobility, and he said that it does because it cuts down on the amount of things that he has to carry to class.
-A notebook
Despite writing his notes for class on his tablet, Shane writes personal notes in his physical notebook. On the page pictures, he wrote some notes about how to brew the perfect cup of coffee. He explained to me how he makes pour over coffee by timing out his pours precisely for a different flavor.
-A 3.5 inch knife
Shane uses this knife for opening packages primarily. I asked Shane if he ever found himself in a situation where he was especially thankful that he had his knife. He told me that he never found himself in a situation where he had to use his knife unexpectedly.
-Keys
Shane has his room keys, a key to his lockbox in his room, and his car keys. They’re attached to a paracord lanyard that Shane made himself.
-Earbuds
Shane uses his earbuds on the way to his classes. He listens to music to uplift his mood, and for a few of his class assignments.
-Mustache wax
Shane uses his mustache wax to help his mustache stay in place throughout the day. I asked him why he uses this specific brand of wax, and he said that he’s tried out several different brands and this is his favorite. He likes the medium hold of the wax.
-A multitool
The multitool on Shane's keychain serves several purposes. It includes a small screwdriver, scissors, a knife, and a few other tools. Shane says that he’s glad that he has it because otherwise it’s much more convenient for him to have the multitool with him than it would be to carry the larger alternative with him.
-A fidget cube
Shane uses the fidget cube for one of his psychology classes. He is doing a project where he was told to try to stop a habit. The habit that Shane is trying to stop is touching his mustache during the day. He accidentally pulls out his mustache hairs when he messes with it too much, so he’s using the fidget cube as an alternative.
-A phone
Shane said that he uses his phone primarily for staying in contact with his friends. He also said that he uses his phone to check the weather in the morning before he goes to class. At the end of the conversation, I asked Shane if he had to get rid of all of his possessions except one, which one he would keep. He told me that he would keep his phone, and get rid of everything else. I asked him why, and he said that it’s because it would make him have less social contact with other people.
Shane has a very utilitarian approach to the things that he carries with him. Everything that he carries has a specific reason and purpose. This ties into Shanes notion of mobility. Items like his phone, the multitool, and the tablet all enhance his mobility by condensing different tools into one smaller thing. As previously mentioned, I asked Shane what items were the most important to him by asking him a series of questions. I started out by asking him which item he would choose to throw out if he had to get rid of one. At first he chose the fidget cube because he viewed it as the least valuable to him. However, he thought about it a little more and he said that he would choose the knife. I asked him the same question, but this time I told him he would have to throw out four items. He chose the knife, the fidget cube, the notebook, and the mustache wax. I noticed that all four of these items served only one purpose to him. All of the multipurpose items were kept (the keys, the multitool, the phone, the tablet, the earbuds). The phone was the most important item to Shane. I found it interesting that Shane chose the phone over the tablet, because the tablet has more processing power and functionality. However, the phone is more portable. I also found it interesting that Shane chose his phone over his keys. I asked him why, and he said that it was because he trusts his neighbors in his dorm not to enter his room if he was gone.
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