I am currently in rehab. I suffer from an addiction to technology. More specifically, I suffer from an addiction to my use of technology. Instead of using the wealth of the Internet for what it should be used for (a very quick mode of communication for thoughts, ideas, images, and other sophisticated whatnots), I find myself wasting time on useless pursuits such as watching a video of someone blowing up a 2-liter bottle of soda or reading about how a mom rewarded her son’s good schoolwork by smoking pot with him. Even now, writing this essay, I find myself striving not to take advantage of MIT’s blazing wireless connection and surf to my heart’s content. It is for this reason that in my self-portrayal of how I am a media user, I cannot deny how “wired” I am, even though the ties that bind are the ones I create.
My typical use of the net centralizes around the idea of instant communication. I love being able to “talk” to whomever I want at any given time on a quick whim. However, on the other side of the coin, I love getting a reply. For example, the thought that I may have a new message in my MIT/Hotmail/MySpace/Facebook inboxes keeps me on the edge, while being conscious of the fact that the chances of getting anything more than an advertisement for a student loan or a porn solicitation are slim. Regardless, I check anyway only to find a swift disappointment, or if something of value is found, it is immediately read, processed, and discarded without much gratification.
After the need to talk is satisfied, I’ll then move on the next progression, news. My next stop is at the Google News page where I read through the top articles concerning, but not limited to, the world news, economy, science, and sports. If there is something that interests me, I’ll probably read two or three articles about it. The reason for reading is my desire to have some idea of what’s going on in the world around me and is probably the closest action I make to an actual positive use of the net. This eliminates my need to keep up with the news via TV or newspaper because I find that it is a great deal faster and efficient to read online rather than tune in for an hour or spend $1.50 on a piece of print that I’ll discard in a couple of days. By this logical sequence, I actually require myself to go online to check the news because I rationalize that there is no better way to get it.
My typical use of the net centralizes around the idea of instant communication. I love being able to “talk” to whomever I want at any given time on a quick whim. However, on the other side of the coin, I love getting a reply. For example, the thought that I may have a new message in my MIT/Hotmail/MySpace/Facebook inboxes keeps me on the edge, while being conscious of the fact that the chances of getting anything more than an advertisement for a student loan or a porn solicitation are slim. Regardless, I check anyway only to find a swift disappointment, or if something of value is found, it is immediately read, processed, and discarded without much gratification.
After the need to talk is satisfied, I’ll then move on the next progression, news. My next stop is at the Google News page where I read through the top articles concerning, but not limited to, the world news, economy, science, and sports. If there is something that interests me, I’ll probably read two or three articles about it. The reason for reading is my desire to have some idea of what’s going on in the world around me and is probably the closest action I make to an actual positive use of the net. This eliminates my need to keep up with the news via TV or newspaper because I find that it is a great deal faster and efficient to read online rather than tune in for an hour or spend $1.50 on a piece of print that I’ll discard in a couple of days. By this logical sequence, I actually require myself to go online to check the news because I rationalize that there is no better way to get it.
Finally, when all is said and done, I make my “stupidity rounds.” This includes browsing the YouTube collection, weird news forums, and other games sites for things that are really of no intellectual value at all but give me an excuse to “LOL.” I predict that I’ll be looking at these things a great deal more not because I’ll have more time (P-Sets = 0 Extra Time) but because I’ll be looking for a distraction away from the thinking. I selfishly use the Internet as my escape and find it to be quite comfortable, which is becoming an increasingly bad thing.
In order to paint a complete picture, I must include that I have been making progress. Going away from the computer every so often is becoming easier. Staying active keeps me from lapsing into a “technological coma” and separating myself from the world. The computer is now not so much my life as it is a tool. In my form of technological rehabilitation, the prognosis looks good.
In order to paint a complete picture, I must include that I have been making progress. Going away from the computer every so often is becoming easier. Staying active keeps me from lapsing into a “technological coma” and separating myself from the world. The computer is now not so much my life as it is a tool. In my form of technological rehabilitation, the prognosis looks good.
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