First of all, do we still talk about “memes,” or is that something else on which I am hopelessly behind? If we do, here’s a meme I’m seeing among some of my Twitter folks: an Internet fast for the holidays. Three of my colleagues have mentioned it, and two have cited spousal annoyance as a reason. That caught my attention, as I’m getting some heat at home for being buried in the BlackBerry or constantly staring at my laptop. Telling The Mrs. to follow me on FriendFeed did not elicit a positive response.
I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed by all my connecting methods lately. Ever since accepting the position of social media manager at SAS I’ve felt I needed to beef up my online presence. I started blogging in 2003 but I haven’t blogged about work until I started this blog, and that makes me feel at a disadvantage. At least once a day on the blogs or Twitter feeds of the social media gurus I follow I hear about something that I’m either not doing or not doing to its full potential. Steve Rubel is the worst (or best, I suppose). I’m convinced he makes his morning toast on his iPhone, via Gmail. I was awake at midnight Saturday, in bed with my laptop, with a vague feeling I needed to be doing something with my Facebook profile, or checking in on the groups I’m following but not, you know, following. And then there’s my LinkedIn profile, and should I be using TweetDeck, and do I have Twitter alerts set up and what was the tool that Jim Tobin mentioned last week that made his BlackBerry beep whenever someone mentioned him on Facebook? Or was it Twitter? And do I even need that?
So the idea of an Internet fast sounds appealing, and also terrifying. Does that mean I’ve let social media become the equivalent of a dozen new inboxes that need to be dealt with? And if I go cold turkey (heh) on the Web this Thanksgiving, where am I going to look for stuffing recipes? A cookbook? What is this, 1952?
Have you condsidered an Internet fast? What would you miss the most?
Filed under: Neck Deep in the Zeitgeist Tagged: | Facebook, information overload, Internet fast, Jim Tobin, social media, Steve Rubel, twitter
Dave, are you talking about just one day, Thursday? That sounds really healthy, actually. I have done some internet breaks while on longer vacations–ironically, including for much of my time in the US this summer, when I was in western NC.
It’s hard to do when I’m in my regular routine at home and work, but when I’m away it feels very easy to just do occasional quick checks of email and not even try to keep up with Facebook or Twitter.
I do try to compartmentalize as much as I can. I have dedicated blogs for personal and professional, Twitter for both, email for both, etc. That helps a bit.
Good luck.
I’d miss being plugged in. When I was a reporter, I read the AP wires almost constantly. I enjoyed being the first to know about stuff.
Years later, I’m compulsive about reading/posting updates and responding to email the way some people are compulsive about checking things off a to-do list. I consider “responsiveness” part of my identity (the Bev Brand, you might say).
That’s all well and good, but there’s definitely a downside. As my son gets older, will he feel ignored if I fail to park my BlackBerry for meaningful stretches of time? How is that different from my dad, who buried his nose in the newspaper every night after supper? (Yes, I sometimes felt ignored.)
Job duties require that I have an electronic tether. How do I leave it on, but not interact with it? I’ll try it Thursday and report back.
In the last several years, the longest I’ve gone without connecting was six days, when I was in Cuba.
I’d love to be the sort of person who could frequently separate from the internet for days at a time. I’d also love to be the sort of person who could exercise four or five days a week, without fail.
Yeah, yeah, there’s a difference between healthy use of the internet and non-healthy use, and moderation is probably the best prescription. But anyway.
Good the hell luck. Keep us posted on how you’re doing.
That’s funny, Dave. (And, yes, of course you need that tool. You need them all!)
But seriously, one of the things I like about social media is (generally speaking) the lack of expectation of a prompt reply. If you see the Tweet, great. If not, oh well. That sort of thing.
I’m pretty addicted to this stuff, but you definitely need to take a break periodically. All work and no play makes…
~Jim
I tried Dave. I didn’t make it even one hour of one day. I need the feeling of connection. The Internet connects me to my family, friends and the world. The news comes to me through Twitter, blogs, and mainstream news sites – instantly. It’s not an addiction. I just feel responsible to know about my world and I like knowing it before everyone else.
I went all day Thursday and most of Friday without touching the computer. Checked in maybe twice a day Saturday and Sunday. That’s pretty good for me.
Three years ago I did pull off an Internet fast for the Thanksgiving holidays, mostly b/c I was having back issues & really needed the physical relief.