Can YOU disconnect this summer?

Now that we’re almost a month into Summer Break and mostly full swing into our plans, I wanted to share an article from the Boston Globe about bringing technology along during our vacations.

The full article is here but I wanted to post a few quotes as well.

“I know it sounds bad,’’ said Wallace, of Roslindale, as she worked on her laptop at Panera in Brookline, “but seeing if I had an e-mail was more exciting than looking at the sunset.’’

She’s 22, the same age as me. I’m pretty sure if I were in her position, I’d totally be taking photos of that sunset… (Whether or not I’d be using an iPhone and then posting them to facebook is a different matter because I don’t have one yet)

 

The article goes on to describe how people are demanding wireless wherever they vacation, even if it’s camping. Did you know 5,000 of our 13,000 campgrounds now offer wireless? It boggles my mind. We have become so connected that we can’t function even on vacation unless we have our Kindles, laptops and smartphones with us.

I remember packing a backpack of things to keep entertained during a trip – either a plane or car ride. There would be coloring books or a sketch pad, kids puzzle books, a magazine as a treat, and a book or two for me to read. As I got older the bag included a gameboy and then an iPod (the kind that just plays music). But now it’s either my laptop or my iPod touch or both. (I’ll still have the books though.)

 

If the kids build a sandcastle on the beach and mom doesn’t update her Facebook status, did it happen?

I love this quote – reminds me of our generation’s insistence that nothing is official until it is on facebook. But there’s a difference between using the site to record memories – like the first sandcastle of the season, and live blogging every sandcastle of the summer. Some people know the difference and can leave their technology at home while others remain tethered to their smartphones.

Just something to keep in mind now that vacation season is starting up.

Reflection

From the hours of 2:30 PM Sunday the third to 3:30 PM Saturday the ninth, I did not use the internet. That’s 145 web-free hours. It was an interesting experience. The first two days were the most annoying, the hardest to kick the habit. Luckily, I was so busy on Wednesday  that I might not have even been able to get onto the computer even if it wasn’t Week Without the Web. After that, it got easier. Within the first twenty-four hours, I would have guessed that I would have jumped immediately onto my computer as soon as the week was over. Then on Saturday, I found myself not feeling any immediate need to get online. When I did finally log back on, instead of thinking “OMD I have to get on now!” like I thought I would, I was thinking “I guess I can check my email now.” And only because I was hanging out with  my boyfriend and there was a gap in our activities while he checked his email and log onto Netflix.

So, did I learn anything from Week Without the Web? I guess you could say that. I’ve learned that I need internet far less than I thought I did. Since WWW ended, my computer use has decreased significantly. Instead of constantly logging on to check email accounts I know are empty just because I’m a little bored, I’ve been catching up on my reading list and mastering card games. Also, I’ve learned that my internet priorities are a lot different than I had thought they were.