Confessions of a Scottish Internet-eater
June 17, 2011 8:20 AM Subscribe
Help me hate the internet*.
Looking for media dealing with the evils of the interwebs to help me scale back my time online and sink my teeth into life again.
*(Mefi excepted, irony noted)
I am an internet addict. I spend an inordinate portion of my day (hours and hours) cycling around various social network sites, blogs and forums. There is so much quality internet resources out there, yet I seem to limit myself to rather banal timesinks.
I feel like this is stifling my creativity, impacting on my productivity, and holding me back from the joie de vie of real life experiences. I do have hobbies and a good social circle away from the internet, but I find the 'nets are keeping me away from them (rather than the reverse)
I have tried going cold turkey. I have tried all the little tools (Freedom, Leechblock) but to little effect. I would disable my home internet connection if I didn't share a place with someone, and if I didn't already have unfettered internet access at work.
In the past the only way I have been able to effect real change in my life is by encapsulating it into a philosophy or creed and reading the heck out of it. For example I got over the loss of my car by reading up on the environmental impact cars have. I was a vegetarian for many years after reading a copy of Diet for a Small Planet I found at a bus stop.
So
TL;DR: What are some good books, blogs, articles or documentaries on the negative impact the internet is having on the individual and, by extension, society as a whole. Any advice from fellow recovering addicts will also be gratefully received.
Things I have found that sort of encapsulate what I am saying.
- The recent BBC series: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace.
- The Shallows and its parent article 'Is Google Making Us Stoopid?'
- Books like Ishmael and Walden which advocate a life less dependent on technology, but would prefer something a little more focussed on computers and web culture.
I have also read this thread (which was quite helpful) but, again, I am hoping to find some books or talking heads which can expand upon it.
Thanks!
I am an internet addict. I spend an inordinate portion of my day (hours and hours) cycling around various social network sites, blogs and forums. There is so much quality internet resources out there, yet I seem to limit myself to rather banal timesinks.
I feel like this is stifling my creativity, impacting on my productivity, and holding me back from the joie de vie of real life experiences. I do have hobbies and a good social circle away from the internet, but I find the 'nets are keeping me away from them (rather than the reverse)
I have tried going cold turkey. I have tried all the little tools (Freedom, Leechblock) but to little effect. I would disable my home internet connection if I didn't share a place with someone, and if I didn't already have unfettered internet access at work.
In the past the only way I have been able to effect real change in my life is by encapsulating it into a philosophy or creed and reading the heck out of it. For example I got over the loss of my car by reading up on the environmental impact cars have. I was a vegetarian for many years after reading a copy of Diet for a Small Planet I found at a bus stop.
So
TL;DR: What are some good books, blogs, articles or documentaries on the negative impact the internet is having on the individual and, by extension, society as a whole. Any advice from fellow recovering addicts will also be gratefully received.
Things I have found that sort of encapsulate what I am saying.
- The recent BBC series: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace.
- The Shallows and its parent article 'Is Google Making Us Stoopid?'
- Books like Ishmael and Walden which advocate a life less dependent on technology, but would prefer something a little more focussed on computers and web culture.
I have also read this thread (which was quite helpful) but, again, I am hoping to find some books or talking heads which can expand upon it.
Thanks!
This often happens because there is a minimum of stuff you actually have to do on the internet and then you get sucked in.
Set a timer. Do your tasks – email your relatives and friends, do whatever work-oriented things you need to do – then when the timer goes off, GET UP and WALK OUT and go do something else for awhile. Don't go back and sit down until there is another actual definable task needing your attention.
posted by zadcat at 8:25 AM on June 17, 2011
Set a timer. Do your tasks – email your relatives and friends, do whatever work-oriented things you need to do – then when the timer goes off, GET UP and WALK OUT and go do something else for awhile. Don't go back and sit down until there is another actual definable task needing your attention.
posted by zadcat at 8:25 AM on June 17, 2011
recovering addict here. now that the weather is summery, what do you like to do outdoors that's physical? go for a walk, do tai chi/yoga in the park, birdwatching, gardening, watching the sunset...these are all things that can only be done away from a computer. focus on feeling the warmth of the sun, how the breeze ruffles your hair, maybe the feel of your pulse as your heart rate goes up. i know it all sounds kinda hokey, but it's to focus your attention on the sensations that the actual, physical world provides....something that your monitor doesn't at all. good luck!
posted by honey badger at 8:33 AM on June 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by honey badger at 8:33 AM on June 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: @TheBones: your point is noted. No I have not seen a therapist. My 'addiction' is not quite that bad. Rationalisation is just how my mind works.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:33 AM on June 17, 2011
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:33 AM on June 17, 2011
Honestly, what helped me the most is reading about OTHER addictions. Whatever you might think about AA, they really do know how this shit works to destroy you. If you're an addict, you're an addict - you just happened to get addicted to the Internet and not alcohol or gambling. The same things that help recovering alcoholics will help you, so I would read their literature and just substitute Internet for alcohol.
posted by desjardins at 8:34 AM on June 17, 2011
posted by desjardins at 8:34 AM on June 17, 2011
Best answer: I found this article, which is not specifically about Internet usage but media consumption in general, profoundly motivating. Since reading it, I have literally started saying "This book/tv/movie/internet-faffing is boring/bad/not productive/not helpful" and putting them aside.
Linda Holmes: The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything (Metafilter's own!)
posted by athenasbanquet at 8:38 AM on June 17, 2011 [9 favorites]
Linda Holmes: The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything (Metafilter's own!)
posted by athenasbanquet at 8:38 AM on June 17, 2011 [9 favorites]
I don't know if this applies in this case, but often when I want to stop doing something, or change my behavior in some way, the most effective approach for me to take is to find out how MY choices are making OTHER people's lives, or the world, worse. This is why it's been easy for me to change my eating to involve much less meat (high energy and environmental cost = bad for others and the world) but difficult for me to shift to exercising more ('cause poor people in other parts of the world really don't care if I do or not).
If this mental hook works for you, too, think about what resources your internet use draws from the common trough -- energy, other resources?
posted by rosa at 8:39 AM on June 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
If this mental hook works for you, too, think about what resources your internet use draws from the common trough -- energy, other resources?
posted by rosa at 8:39 AM on June 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Solitude and Leadership, "The lecture below was delivered to the plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in October of last year". Dropping truth bombs.
The OP is asking for books and articles about the impact of internet addiction, not for "hacks" or advice to to turn the computer off.
posted by caek at 8:44 AM on June 17, 2011 [12 favorites]
The OP is asking for books and articles about the impact of internet addiction, not for "hacks" or advice to to turn the computer off.
posted by caek at 8:44 AM on June 17, 2011 [12 favorites]
I would recommend that you read Republic.com by Cass Sunstein. Sunstein is one of the leading constitutional law scholars in the US.
His book makes a compelling argument that the internet creates echo chambers where true dialogue and discussion becomes nearly impossible. As a result, the internet presents a real danger to the public discourse which any healthy democracy requires.
A lot of people hate this book, because there is so much love for the internet, that Sunstein's suggestion that it might be bad is often met with skeptical anger. But it is worth a read, and there is definitely some element of truth to it. Even Mefi (which is much better than most sites) has its own leaning - it is less tolerant of conservative thought, and therefore less like a true public discourse. I don't think any web-site can completely avoid the problems that Sunstein describes.
posted by Flood at 11:24 AM on June 17, 2011
His book makes a compelling argument that the internet creates echo chambers where true dialogue and discussion becomes nearly impossible. As a result, the internet presents a real danger to the public discourse which any healthy democracy requires.
A lot of people hate this book, because there is so much love for the internet, that Sunstein's suggestion that it might be bad is often met with skeptical anger. But it is worth a read, and there is definitely some element of truth to it. Even Mefi (which is much better than most sites) has its own leaning - it is less tolerant of conservative thought, and therefore less like a true public discourse. I don't think any web-site can completely avoid the problems that Sunstein describes.
posted by Flood at 11:24 AM on June 17, 2011
I don't think this quite fits the "evil" criteria... but it does make me rethink my time online.
I can't look for a link right now as videos are blocked on my work computer... but I saw a TED talk recently that says Google, Facebook, and other websites are customizing search results based on your browsing history. So they will show you the results that THEY think you would click on. And so you're more likely to click on the things that are similar to what you the internet has already shown you before, because that's what comes up. As these computer filtration systems gather more data about what interests you, the choices it makes for you becomes more and more of a bubble within itself.
So while everyone thinks of the internet is this completely open-ended resource for anything and everything... but the vehicle we use is actually kind of limiting our exploration by filtering it.
I myself am prone to spending too much ton on "banal time sinks"... and I do worry about how I am closing off my own world and my own growth. So hearing about this bubble effect... that's helped a bit in my efforts to wasting less time on the internet.
On preview... I haven't read the book Flood is recommending, but I guess the idea is somewhat similar: the internet isn't as open-ended as we think it is. Sounds like Sunstein's book is saying people with similar interests are more likely to visit the same websites... they are also more likely to have similar beliefs/personalities/etc... so you expose yourself to the thoughts/beliefs of people who are like you. The TED talk I was talking about, adds that the websites actually filter what they show you to make it even less likely for you to "meet" people that are different from you.
posted by cheemee at 11:33 AM on June 17, 2011
I can't look for a link right now as videos are blocked on my work computer... but I saw a TED talk recently that says Google, Facebook, and other websites are customizing search results based on your browsing history. So they will show you the results that THEY think you would click on. And so you're more likely to click on the things that are similar to what you the internet has already shown you before, because that's what comes up. As these computer filtration systems gather more data about what interests you, the choices it makes for you becomes more and more of a bubble within itself.
So while everyone thinks of the internet is this completely open-ended resource for anything and everything... but the vehicle we use is actually kind of limiting our exploration by filtering it.
I myself am prone to spending too much ton on "banal time sinks"... and I do worry about how I am closing off my own world and my own growth. So hearing about this bubble effect... that's helped a bit in my efforts to wasting less time on the internet.
On preview... I haven't read the book Flood is recommending, but I guess the idea is somewhat similar: the internet isn't as open-ended as we think it is. Sounds like Sunstein's book is saying people with similar interests are more likely to visit the same websites... they are also more likely to have similar beliefs/personalities/etc... so you expose yourself to the thoughts/beliefs of people who are like you. The TED talk I was talking about, adds that the websites actually filter what they show you to make it even less likely for you to "meet" people that are different from you.
posted by cheemee at 11:33 AM on June 17, 2011
I have this book on my wish list, though I haven't read it yet.
posted by wordsmith at 2:54 PM on June 17, 2011
posted by wordsmith at 2:54 PM on June 17, 2011
Read the YA dystopian "the future Internet will kill us all" novel Feed. Chilling. Especially when read on my iPhone.
posted by instamatic at 6:12 PM on June 17, 2011
posted by instamatic at 6:12 PM on June 17, 2011
Ecclesiastes 12:12
51 Know how to Choose well.
posted by Drama Penguin at 4:13 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
...There is no end to the writing of books. Much study makes a soul weak.&&
51 Know how to Choose well.
Most of life depends thereon. It needs good taste and correct judgment, for which neither intellect nor study suffices. To be choice, you must choose, and for this two things are needed: to be able to choose at all, and then to choose the best. There are many men of fecund and subtle mind, of keen judgment, of much learning, and of great observation who yet are at a loss when they come to choose. They always take the worst as if they had tried to go wrong. Thus this is one of the greatest gifts from above.The Art of Worldly Wisdom
posted by Drama Penguin at 4:13 PM on June 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by TheBones at 8:23 AM on June 17, 2011