Okay, lets just set the stage. I'm an "older" than average student so this whole blog, cyberspace, social networking, technopoly, mediated communication stuff is a bit out of my comfort zone. I have been actively using the computer for many years but maybe in a more limited way than many of my classmates. Internet "fasting" is not necessarily the trauma for me that it might be for my contemporaries. Having said that I must also say that it was harder than I thought as well. Even the thought of not being able to connect sent a shiver of panic through my soul "What about my e-mail?", "I might miss something in the news", "How will I stay connected in school?", "I feel somehow disconnected from the rest of the world". I imagine that I'm not alone in my imagined distress.
I chose to go "internet free" starting around 3:00pm on Friday to 3:00pm on Saturday. After I said my last goodbye's online. I decided that I would again take my place in society in merely 24 hours. It was hard!!! I ended my last session by making sure that all e-mails were properly dealt with and giving myself a good pep talk that disaster wasn't lurking in the wings. I realized that I could actually use the phone if I needed to talk to someone, that I could watch the news on TV and I still could use Microsoft Word to type schoolwork.
I don't spend more than about 1 to 2 hours a day on the internet unless I'm doing some kind of research so I really didn't have to find other ways to spend that time elsewhere. I did watch the news on the television but as we all know it was in the wake of Michael Jackson's untimely death and the airwaves were so flooded it was difficult to get away from it. I've not gotten into social networking online. I think I'm afraid to do it because I envision it being a burden to keep up with. I don't really know it that's true but I haven't had any motivation to find out.
I honestly think it's probably my age. If I were 20's then I think it would be quite different. Still I was surprised by the fact that the internet is a very important part of my life. E-mail is so great to be able to connect literally worldwide in such a short period of time. It allows me to get information so quickly that I can't imagine going back to only snail mail. I think there are times when there is no substitute for handwritten notes like a heartfelt thank you or sympathy in the loss of a loved one but to be without e-mail for even 24 hours seems debilitating.
I also realized how much I use the internet for research on a personal level. We are currently planning our move out of state when I graduate. We are looking daily for jobs and housing. I'm kind of hooked on having the ability to get to a job just as it's posted. I have several search agents and feel a sense of panic if I think I might miss that perfect job by not being able to connect online. I guess that's the point of this exercise, to be forced to evaluate what the internet means to all of us individually. I conclude that it's neither necessarily good or bad but as the reading pointed out it is important to take a "real" look at what it means in our life.
