My Great Big Internet Addiction

[HappyHiker]

Twitter drives me nuts - the whole concept. I don't have a smart phone. I know - I am weird for not wanting/liking these things but it just kind of goes along with living simpler - at least for me.--Pinkytoes

Nope, you're not weird, in my opinion...you're just trying to not be trapped by the technology...just as many seem to be. I do worry about the younger generation, some of them, unable to hold a conversation without also keeping an eye on their electronic devices...are our brains--or theirs--designed to multi-task like that? Maybe, but somehow I think we're becoming less social in real face time...me, I'm making an effort to get together with friends more and not follow their doings so much on Facebook. It's starting to feel lonely, so much time on the computer and so little in person.

But you know something? It takes a concentrated effort to control my electronic "social media" time. That's why I found that Amish Project mentioned in my article so interesting. My gosh, the art of letter writing? Seems so quaint, doesn't it? But I remember a time of letters and postcards--and how thrilling it was to receive them. How things have changed. For the better? Hmm, it's mixed bag, isn't it?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well I'm using bottom basement cost DSL here, no smart phone, I'm not on the net when not at home or work. That's part of why I don't watch a lot of vidoes (my darn internet is too slow! ). I like the written (even in pixels) word anyway though so it doesn't really bother me.

I DO write letters. I write them in emails, like true letters, I do. Just because it's electronic doesn't mean you can't write a letter. And I am thrilled to see a reply. Of course I've also used email for more wham bam things as everyone does but.

I like Facebook because I'm long term unemployed, and that helps me feel a little less isolated than I otherwise would. I don't do any of the games or anything just status updates.

that I totally understand, one reason I did keep facebook while unemployed. It's a lonely road being unemployed.

Mostly I love the net, since I find out about many things to attend in person via the net, meet people via the net, arrange meetings with friends via the net (introvert here hate hate that scary phone thing) I don't think it necessarily makes me less social than otherwise. But I am an intro. And I do think I often spend TOO much time on it.

It's also like television may be for many I think (no t.v. here), a way to regulate time and boredom. Like I've always found my mind a bit hard to regulate, I get easily bored and thus discontent (and no I wasn't overstimulated as a child, didn't watch too much t.v. and the net wasn't around then, it's just how I am). But net ... infinite conversations, information, etc. etc. out there ... a click away .... Still I do go through periods of finding other things to do when I resolve again I'm using too much of it. That's why I say the sabath one day off a week or something might work.

[CeciliaW]

You know, I have never understood Twitter. Only 140 characters and people post the strangest things. "I just had coffee and now I'm headed for work" So what, who cares? "I'm now at work" Again, so what, who cares? It's like random people standing in the street and shouting out random sentences or a segment of a thought and then you can't find anyway to respond or to find out what the rest of the thought might have been.

Then there's the 'celebrity' tweets that Leno or Letterman will read occasionaly. My god do they Want people to know they're ignorant?

Maybe this post should have gone on the rant thread.

[Gregg]

For the record I do have a smart phone, but all I use it for is weather and GPS on the golf course so it is still possible to fall even deeper into this addiction.

[ApatheticNoMore]

You know, I have never understood Twitter. Only 140 characters and people post the strangest things. "I just had coffee and now I'm headed for work" So what, who cares? "I'm now at work" Again, so what, who cares? It's like random people standing in the street and shouting out random sentences or a segment of a thought and then you can't find anyway to respond or to find out what the rest of the thought might have been.

no real interest in reading it for this . But using it for news as it was ... you can get a lot of headlines this way, you can follow people who care about things you care about (following some people is similar to google alerts). Whole revolutions were twitterized, right? And real time (but of course censorable). Now I'm not following the thing real time, it's not worth that much of my time, not at all, but I'm just saying what it is.

But you can't explain some vast rationale for holding a certain political position via twitter? No, that's not what it is for (but you can link to that). News and politics, yes. Finding out you had coffee this morning, not so much so

[Gardenarian]

I am on the computer all the time at work and so it feels like work to me. When I go home I am not interested in being on the computer. I do like being able to find quick info - a recipe for kohlrabi or how to treat my dog's torn dewclaw, so I rely on having internet access for that sort of thing.

This is the only forum/social type thing I do on the computer, and I do try to limit it (when I find myself having imaginary conversations with people on this forum while I'm out walking the dog, I know I've been online too much.)

I don't like telephones of any sort and use them as little as possible; I do appreciate email.

My husband got an iPad and I haven't used it and frankly don't really understand the point (well, for him it makes sense - it has all of his sheet music on it. So it's like a really compressed book.)

I think technology makes life a little easier; I think we are paying far too high a price for that bit of ease. And yes, I think a lot of people are becoming overly-reliant on it for entertainment, education, and particularly socializing. There's a lot to be said for going for a walk. Feel the wind. Hear the birds. Wave to a neighbor. Observe. Be.

[rosarugosa]

Happy Hiker, that was a good article. I don't even have a cellphone, but I do feel like I'm spending more of my leisure time online than I should be. I'm definitely spending a lot less time reading books, and I'm not pleased with that. I think I get value from online time, but not proportional to the amount of time I'm spending. I'm probably going to start setting some parameters for myself soon.
Gardenarian, We've been hiking in a local park/woodland area lately, and we notice how so many people are listening to their iPods or yapping on their cellphones and just missing so much of the nature around them. We've been pinpointing birds by their calls, and we only saw the baby snake because we heard that rustle in the leaves. I guess everyone has the right to enjoy the park as they choose, but it really seems as though the perpetually plugged in people do miss out on a lot.

[pinkytoe]

we notice how so many people are listening to their iPods or yapping on their cellphones and just missing so much of the nature around them.

This probably bothers me more than anything. How can one tune out birdsong, breeze, and all the other nuances of nature?

[CeciliaW]

That's happened to me several times. People I know, come over, nod to me, sit down and then spend the next 20-30 minutes typing on their phone/pad/whatever. It feels really rude. The other one I don't get is sitting next to someone and talking on your phone (headset/bluetooth) with no regard to the volume of the conversation. Seriously?

[CeciliaW]

The other one I see a lot is two or more people sitting in a booth at a restaurant and everyone is on a device. Not even looking at each other.