There's a list going around of things the Internet will end up killing. And it's a good opportunity for me to add something that I have been thinking of for a while now.
Some context: don't know about you but I have always lived with the fear that at some point I will not have anything left to do. I fear lack of purposeful activity so when I was at university I used to make endless lists of books left to read in case I had managed to be left without anything else to do. When doing my Masters in London, I asked my supervisor to enlist me for double the classes because the required number did not seem to fill my time. Later on, when I became an adult and got my first serious job I found myself again in that conundrum and quit that job to find another that would keep me busy as long as I wanted.
Today the fear of not having anything left to do/read/inquire about/search is meaningless. I wake up every morning at 6 and go to bed every night at 12 knowing that there are a million things to be done tomorrow and the day after. If I chose to not control it, life now would happen to me without me having anything to do about it. There is no respite. There is no time when I have nothing to do. Because of Internet.
For me, Internet has literally killed the idea of "mental leisure" - the option to be ON all the time is something I cannot escape. Even on vacation I need to find out more about the place, to post my thoughts, to post images, to write replies. I am connected and truly find that "the machine is using me" [like a famed viral said] to perpetuate itself.
so what about you: what has the Internet made redundant for you?
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6 comments:
Internet makes our life easier. You don't have to walk 2 miles nor to dress nicey. You can easily be at home, lay comfortable in your bed, dressed however you feel like and just write. You don't even need a pencil. This is mostly why you feel like being ON always. Internet became a habit, and it's not that easy to leave a habit behind. We think only once, then the habit takes control. You've said it yourself "I wake up at 6 and go to bed at 00:00", why don't you wake up at 7:48 ? Because there are habits you need to fulfill.
Probably soon but not too soon we will be wired. Always connected. Phone calls will be free and wireless networks will never be out of range. Then, we will only need a chip in our head so we can communicate without to carry a device. Some chemistry and we become robots, why? because it makes life much easier. I'm happy I grew up with real children and I had to have some scratches on my knees to score a goal. Nowadays, goals can be scored only by pressing "D".
"Internet makes our life easier. You don't have to walk 2 miles nor to dress nicey. You can easily be at home, lay comfortable in your bed, dressed however you feel like and just write. You don't even need a pencil. This is mostly why you feel like being ON always. Internet became a habit, and it's not that easy to leave a habit behind." In other words, comoditate si sedentarism
the internet will not dissapear but it will be used a lot less when people will become efficient and realise the purpose of the internet and most of all, when the people will get a life.
abusive internet usage underlines several unfulfilled needs most of them social and personal.
btw, harakiri is my next move if i ever hear the words "the internet helps us socialize". sure it makes us communicate easier, but god forbid if that's the modern definition of socializing.
main reasons: lack of chemistry, interpersonal relations, bodylanguage, etc etc. if you can pull off, say, a marriage, or even a good friendship with your internet-gained social skills, than my friend, you've gone beyond my undersanding on human behaviour.
I agree with @Adina. The same as with everything in this life, balance is needed. This time between our real and digital lives. And indeed Internet can be a reliable companion in times of solitude because of its great interactivity as well as in times of boredom because of so much variety available. In my case, Internet hasn't so far killed my real life, but I'm pretty sure of my previous TV watching habit
Internet it's more than OK as long as you have it all under control. Internet it's like alcohol and parties, it's easy to get dragged into an endless circle of wasted hours on big fat nothings.
Interesting points... think we might all end up like the fatty people in red suits in Wall-E :D
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