Coming Clean: A Tale of Internet Addiction
Internet addiction is an open secret in Millenial society. There's no proper count of how many of us suffer from it, though to be fair, suffering is a bit of a rough word. Constant mental stimulation is wonderful in the moment and there's no real biological hangover (that we know). You go online, click things, interact, get that shot of dopamine and move on. But move on to what? More surfing? And there's the problem.
I'm an internet addict. I use it to procrastinate, to feel better when I'm down, to stimulate my brain. I'm not alone, but I feel alone. As much as I can wander around on facebook, the bottom line is that I'm not really interacting with people, I'm just pretending to. For example, real talk: how many friends of mine know my favorite color? Favorite genre of fiction? How many even read this blog to answer this question? How many of my "friends" actually even see me (or this link) on their feed? I would bet it's a small percentage, and I'm not being cynical. Facebook has a history of filtering your feed. So what's the point, even?
Now, I'm not completely against social media. I love social media, and I think it really does help people communicate more about a great variety things. It's also a great place to share things like blog posts (ha) and other interesting content. However, constantly scrolling through my never ending feed in search of the next hit, putting off writing, and faking that I'm having consistent meaningful interactions with people is unhealthy. I need to get my priorities realigned.
To that end, I'm throttling my internet usage for a while. I can research, promote, write blog posts, make videos, and communicate directly with individuals. No pop articles, no web comics, no viral videos. Movies are OK, as are academic articles or other specifically challenging reading. Basically, the plan is to move toward an internet life in which I'm creating more than I'm consuming.
I just can't be hooked to the feed anymore - not like I have been. It's like junkfood for the mind: you eat it because you're hungry, you're not full until you're sick, and even then you're still malnourished. It's time for a healthier diet.
I'm an internet addict. I use it to procrastinate, to feel better when I'm down, to stimulate my brain. I'm not alone, but I feel alone. As much as I can wander around on facebook, the bottom line is that I'm not really interacting with people, I'm just pretending to. For example, real talk: how many friends of mine know my favorite color? Favorite genre of fiction? How many even read this blog to answer this question? How many of my "friends" actually even see me (or this link) on their feed? I would bet it's a small percentage, and I'm not being cynical. Facebook has a history of filtering your feed. So what's the point, even?
Now, I'm not completely against social media. I love social media, and I think it really does help people communicate more about a great variety things. It's also a great place to share things like blog posts (ha) and other interesting content. However, constantly scrolling through my never ending feed in search of the next hit, putting off writing, and faking that I'm having consistent meaningful interactions with people is unhealthy. I need to get my priorities realigned.
To that end, I'm throttling my internet usage for a while. I can research, promote, write blog posts, make videos, and communicate directly with individuals. No pop articles, no web comics, no viral videos. Movies are OK, as are academic articles or other specifically challenging reading. Basically, the plan is to move toward an internet life in which I'm creating more than I'm consuming.
I just can't be hooked to the feed anymore - not like I have been. It's like junkfood for the mind: you eat it because you're hungry, you're not full until you're sick, and even then you're still malnourished. It's time for a healthier diet.
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