No internet! (so what)
January 8, 2009
Wow, at first glance I thought this idea to observe no internet to be pretty easy considering I was without cable or the internet for the last two months. But then I realized that since I am taking 15 credits of online school that this may be harder than I had thought. Also this week I am trying to help plan a trip with some friends to Sunriver for this weekend and with no e-mail contact with anyone for a day that could complicate the situation.
Starting off my day at work was not so easy with the ban because I am able to use the internet for school or whatever. So right there, my morning of checking out the news and seeing what was going on around the world was over. I found the morning to be pretty slow and boring considering all things. I was unable to check any of my e-mails which I do a few times a day because of the volume at which I receive them sometimes from friends. So, funny enough that day I had received about 50 emails unchecked and was not able to communicate with my friends. The other main problem was not being able to go online and complete any schoolwork for that 24hour period. When you are taking all online classes, which can be a bit of a problem not being able to use the internet. I found that whole aspect to be the most frustrating because all I wanted to do was to be able to get some school work done at my job and figure out what needed to be completed for this school week. Other than that I really had no issues with not being able to go online.
The only way that it affected how I spent my time was the fact that I did basically no school work for that day which put me behind in my school work schedule. I only really use the internet to pass time when bored and for school. So, this was not too much of a shock to my system without the internet. I used my time instead listening to music and watching a bit more TV at home. I also used my non internet time to get out of the house and check some things out and run a few errands.
After looking into the readings for the week and learning about the way that we all use the internet and technology I found out that I am not an internet addict. I really only use the internet for non essential e-mail use and online classes. Of course having technology such as the internet makes life a bit easier for certain things and luckily it was not really missed for the 24 hour period I chose. Not being able to go online can cause a problem for certain things but one must remember that like 12 years ago their was no such thing as the internet and we all seemed to be able to survive just fine.
Hey Jared,
I still haven’t gotten around to re-doing my full 24 hour thing yet, but thinking back to those four days that I tried, yet was unintentionally falling off the wagon, I don’t think it would’ve been that hard if I had a way to turn the email feature off of my phone. Then again, that was before the term started.
I’m totally with you on the full-time online classes being a problem. I’m aiming to do this no internet thing on Saturday and have put aside my fiction writing assignment and the half a book of religion reading I’ve got this week to do on that day so I don’t fall behind. But if I were to have just “lost” my internet for a day and not planned ahead (which has happened a lot over the last year during school – ugh), I think it would’ve been a lot more bothersome. There’s nothing like losing your internet for 24 hours when you’ve got an online midterm to take!!
Heather
Hey Jared,
You must be one of the lucky ones who can survive without the internet. Not all of us are so lucky, I had to pick a Saturday to take my day of internet, I think I can say with confidence that I, Heather Smith, am an internet addict. Life without internet seems so hard, how am I supposed to find out news of my favorite shows, or movies or sports. I cant seem to live without facebook, even though my grades and schoolwork would improve if I had never signed up for it. I use it as an outlet to “take a break” from my homework and let my brain relax. I also use the internet to talk with family that live in another state. I am thankful that there is internet to give me the opportunity to stay in contact with them.
I can also relate to your comment that 12 years ago we didnt have internet, even though I was only 11 I remember having so much more fun playing outside and being more concerned with seeing my friends face to face rather than just chatting with them through instant messages. Life was simpler back then kinda wish I could go back and relive it sometimes.