I spend a silly amount of time online every week.
I’ve got accounts on most of the mainstream social networks (God I hate that term!), as well as twitter, jaiku, loads of fora, mailing lists and of course instant messaging systems.
My typical daily routine used to involve checking my email before I’d even had a shower in the morning, so this cartoon from XKCD brought a smile to my face:
But joking aside I sometimes do wonder if I am spending simply too much time online.
Fifteen years ago I didn’t even own a computer. My job, which was in food and beverage, involved me interacting with the public all day long, 5 days a week. The idea that I would have “friends” in Australia, US, Canada etc., etc., “chatting” to me at all times of the day or night would never have even entered my head.
I used to write letters to friends and relatives to keep in touch.
Nowadays I rarely write letters of any kind, yet I’m in touch with people all the time.
In some ways all these “connections” are fantastic, but in other ways I miss the simplicity.
I miss sitting beside an open fire and reading a good book. (While I still read I currently don’t have access to an open fire!)
I’m not complaining. I enjoy what I do, which is why I do it, but I still think it’s important to take stock of things from time to time.
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I hear you – I deliberately do not have a cellphone which is a massive relief from connectivity. I still manage to read but normally only as a way of switching off before bed.
Paul
I do have a mobile phone, but I don’t worry about where I’ve left it as much these days 🙂
It’s quite common for me to leave it in the car by accident!
Michele
In a roundabout way I said almost exactly the same thing in my own blog, about how rare it was to merely sit and read for an evening…
Just built a new house and against the advice of all the sustainable energy advocates I installed an open fire. Environmentally unfriendly and not very efficent but I LOVE it.
Congratulations Michele, you have reached the end of the Internet….
http://www.ro.ro/
Gary – brilliant 🙂
John
I love open fires. They’re a pain in the neck to clean out, but there’s nothing quite like them for creating a nice warm atmosphere in a room
Michele
Here ya go Dude,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8pMaH1WnuE
Now put your feet up, get out that book, and look at those Net Visionary on the mantle piece…….
I wish I could just let go. Im a 90’s kid, growing up with the Internet was just a done thing. Talking with people from the UK on MSN was the norm. But i get where you’re coming from. People need to just shut themselves from one area time to time. Gives people a chance to re-evaluate things and it can help creatively aswell.
If I’m stuck for an idea, a walk in Irish weather does me good.
Andy
Nice fire – thanks 🙂
Now if I had it on DVD maybe it would help, as laptop + me = checking emails etc !
Michele
Sean
It’s one of the reasons why I love my trips to the US so much – I’m so many hours out of sync with Ireland that I can’t get embroiled in emails etc., even if I want to!
Michele