Article: I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

[SteveinMN]

A guy unplugs from the Internet -- all of it -- for a full year and comes to some conclusions about the Internet and about himself:

A year without the Internet (http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/1/4279674/im-still-here-back-online-after-a-year-without-the-internet)

[catherine]

Very interesting, Steve.

Two things that struck me were:

a) how he over time was able to read things much longer than a blog post. That kind of confirms my own (perhaps needless) fears that people simply will not read books we have known anymore. I had a weird middle-of-the-night anxiety attack the other night during which I said to myself 'OMG, what's going to happen to Shakespeare?!' I'm not kidding. I had been reciting in my head "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day.." and I realized that in another couple of generations those words will be buried like villages under Pompeii.

b) how social connections have actually been strengthened by the internet, not weakened or trivialized. My DH doesn't Facebook, and now and then, I'll tell him, "[DS] is playing at a music venue tonight" or "It's ___'s birthday today." And he'll still say, amazed, "How do YOU know??" I'm glad that have a tool that enables me to wish DS well and wish ____ Happy Birthday.

Very interesting.

[AmeliaJane]

I enjoyed the article also. People automatically go to the "internet is bad" well so quickly in certain circles that it was interesting to hear a more nuanced viewpoint, and a good reminder that good/bad habits are as much about ourselves as the options in front of us. Personally, I find the Internet a boon for social contact as an introvert. I lived four places in 10 years and without the Internet, most of those social contacts would be long gone.

[KayLR]

Now that's good writing to me.

It makes me think what I usually think: moderation in all things. Internet use doesn't have to be all or nothing. Balance is the key. Too much or too little and we lose relation-ship.

[oldhat]

I saw this article. The most interesting thing about it to me was the way he fell into a variety of unproductive behaviors after initially feeling liberated. I had a similar experience when I got rid of my TV last year. At first I was determined not to watch any TV or movies at all, even on my laptop. The feeling at first was one of liberation--all that extra time was like adding another day to my week. But after a couple of months I started to slip, first with a movie or two, and then with some TV news, and finally with some TV drama. I also had to admit that the time I saved by not watching TV at all was often frittered away doing things that weren't any more worthwhile.

The exercise wasn't wasted, however, since I found that watching TV streamed on a laptop tends to steer you away from the hypnotic effects of actually watching a television set. With a real TV it's too easy to simply zone out for hours, especially after a tiring day at work. Now I find it much easier to just watch one thing and then do something else.

From the article it sounds like he also gained some valuable perspective on his internet use. I think it's a good idea to "fast" periodically from habits of all kinds for this very reason.

[razz]

OK, I tried to access the link and my laptop cursor froze as has happened on a couple of other occasions with links. I could copy and paste but accessing the Verge froze and then returned to the original screen.

What is happening? anyone else having this?

[AmeliaJane]

From the article it sounds like he also gained some valuable perspective on his internet use. I think it's a good idea to "fast" periodically from habits of all kinds for this very reason.

I've been thinking about a "recreational screen time" fast for just this reason. I have no intention of giving up TV/computer games/the Internet entirely, but I think it would be good to take a break of a few days to figure out what I really value and what is habit. Plus I have a whole bookcase full of "to-be-read" books that need to be finished and sent on to their next home...

[Lainey]

Interesting, thanks for posting, SteveinMN.

[CaseyMiller]

Great article:

From the article:
"My plan was to leave the internet and therefore find the "real" Paul and get in touch with the "real" world, but the real Paul and the real world are already inextricably linked to the internet. Not to say that my life wasn't different without the internet, just that it wasn't real life."

This struck me. If everyone else is enmeshed in the internet, one cannot really stop using because all you do is end up using it thru everyone around you.

[SteveinMN]

I have long contended that the Internet is merely an enabler. It gives and it takes back, providing a wealth of information and connection even though itself lacks many of the nuances of face-to-face interaction. It becomes a "useless time sink" only if the user already is disposed to making useless time sinks of other activities. The author did a good job in establishing that "The fault ... is not in our stars, but in ourselves..." (:welcome:Catherine!)

[Spartana]

I go for long periods of time when I'm never online and I am much more engaged with living than I am when on line. However as a tool of communication - and to set up all those activities of living :-) - I think the internet is invaluable. It all comes down to useage. If you are happy with the amount of time you spend online and enjoy it then great. If you feel you aren't as engaged in living because you are spending too much time online - or watching TV or whatever - then you probably need to change something. I find it is almost impossible to get by in life without some kind of online access, but I can get sucked in to the detriment of my living-life. So I have found ways that allows me to be online but not spend too much the there.

[Gardenarian]

Interesting.
I wonder why he thought that, overall, the experience was a failure. After all, in the first few months he accomplished a great deal. And, it sounds like he learned quite a bit about himself - mostly, that he can't blame the internet for unhappiness, lethargy, or dissatisfaction.

I think taking time out from the internet is a great idea; I try not to use it for a few days every week. This whole "Year without..." is kind of faddish. I think if he had done "A month without internet" he would have called it a success.

I think it is also important to note that he had "used the internet constantly" since the age of twelve, which means that he went through whole stages of development online - different from most of us.

I'm afraid people will use this article to bolster their arguments that the internet is just wonderful. I feel that it is a tool with many uses, but 99% of the stuff online is sewage.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I'm afraid people will use this article to bolster their arguments that the internet is just wonderful. I feel that it is a tool with many uses, but 99% of the stuff online is sewage.

I wouldn't presume to know what 99% of the stuff is, unless I saw some study or something (a study has determined 99% of the internet is porn, facebook, and cat jokes :~)) ... since one has a lot of leeway what they view online anyway. I tend to view: news and politics, get involved in discussions and chat, research information (I can't even say how many times I've looked up the same stuff - like how many cups are in a quart >8)).

[SteveinMN]

I'm afraid people will use this article to bolster their arguments that the internet is just wonderful. I feel that it is a tool with many uses, but 99% of the stuff online is sewage.
Then they're misusing the article. I don't see where Paul says that. He says that, for him, the Internet is an important source of connection with his friends and of reference information (directions, phone numbers/addresses, answers to questions, etc.). Maybe it also supplies reading and viewing material, but one would make those choices with books or TV/movies, as well. I think it's hard to explain how that works to most people who grew up before computers were cheap, plentiful, and connected. For him, it works. Nothing wrong with that.

To claim that 99% of what's on the Internet is "sewage", however, illustrates a very incomplete understanding of the Internet. No, wait -- it's flat out incorrect. The Internet is a means of delivery. Saying that the Internet is "sewage" is on par with saying that 99% of all books are trash. Maybe, if we include pulp novels, pr0n, comic books, and bad sci-fi, they are. Ditto for phone conversations. Phones aren't trash regardless of what people say over them. Content does not invalidate a method of communication.

[Gardenarian]

Then they're misusing the article. I don't see where Paul says that. He says that, for him, the Internet is an important source of connection with his friends and of reference information (directions, phone numbers/addresses, answers to questions, etc.). Maybe it also supplies reading and viewing material, but one would make those choices with books or TV/movies, as well. I think it's hard to explain how that works to most people who grew up before computers were cheap, plentiful, and connected. For him, it works. Nothing wrong with that.

To claim that 99% of what's on the Internet is "sewage", however, illustrates a very incomplete understanding of the Internet. No, wait -- it's flat out incorrect. The Internet is a means of delivery. Saying that the Internet is "sewage" is on par with saying that 99% of all books are trash. Maybe, if we include pulp novels, pr0n, comic books, and bad sci-fi, they are. Ditto for phone conversations. Phones aren't trash regardless of what people say over them. Content does not invalidate a method of communication.

I stand corrected!
Tho' I still believe that 99% of internet *content* is junk.

[The Storyteller]

Saying that the Internet is "sewage" is on par with saying that 99% of all books are trash.

Not quite 99%, but close.

[Gregg]

I try to live amoung the 1% whenever possible.