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My typical morning routine:
- Alarm goes off — the alarm function on my BlackBerry that is
- Brush teeth, with BlackBerry in other hand; check emails, Twitter, Facebook and BBC’s mobile site
- Get coffee and breakfast going, and turn on my laptop to read over local news, blogs, et al. and respond to emails
Does this sound like you? If so, you’re obviously not alone. (I also forgot to mention that while my BlackBerry is the first thing in my hand when I wake up, it’s also the last thing I check before heading to bed at night.)
In this day and age of being perma-connected via our mobile devices and online tools like Twitter and Foursquare, is it too much? I, for one, say no (though others like John Mayer don’t see eye-to-eye with me).
I’ve started to hear a lot about digital fasting, the act of unplugging for a certain amount of time. Some do it during religious fasts, and others choose to disconnect as a way to prove they can cope without the Internet. According to a blog I recently read, many people seem to think there’s something “dirty” about the amount of time we spend online, or that there’s virtue in eschewing it. But the article’s writer, Alexandra Samuel, points out that we’re simply satisfying a basic human need by participating in a digital space: the need to connect with others and to be a part of a community. Hear, hear.
Since jumping on the bandwagon and joining Facebook and Twitter, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about new initiatives in my area, like ReForest London or Emerging Leaders, that I may not have otherwise discovered. I’ve made friendships with people whom I first met virtually, then in-person, and couldn’t be more grateful for our connections. I’ve also read rousing Twitter debates about issues impacting the local community, getting to see both sides of the coin and not simply what media outlets tout.
So while I think there’s a happy medium to be achieved between being completely removed from the online world and being attached to its virtual hip, you won’t find me disconnecting anytime soon.
What’s your take on digital fasting and today’s 24/7 online world?
