We have now entered an era of constant connectivity. With mobile broadband and kaleidoscopic smartphones, superphones, netbooks, and upcoming tablets, it seems impossible not to be connected anywhere and anytime. Before the iPhone came out, we tried to get on the Web when we could. Now, we must get off the Web when we can.
Constant connectivity can suppress creativity. It can narrow our views with the lens of apps and real-time streams. It can also destroy us in the long term. Have you seen the movie Avatar? We shouldn’t let technologies and machine consumption take control of our lives. We must find a balance.
People like Spencer Schoeben now gets it. He wrote an original and heartfelt blog post back in August 2009, called “We Live Inside A Bubble: Life With Technology vs Life Without Technology.” It’s one of my favorite posts on the blogosphere. Here are some excerpts:
After spending 12 days away from technology while at Hidden Villa summer camp I have discovered just how fun it can be to live without relying so much on technology in my daily life. There is a whole world out there, waiting to be explored. There are thousands and thousands of species of trees and plants and animals that don’t use an ounce of electricity. There are even people out there that don’t own a computer and their lives seem to be going great.
I now know just how fun the world that mother nature has created for us can be.
So, perhaps the best way to live is in the middle. Technology is something that I am passionate about. There is no use ditching it. I just don’t need to be so addicted. So, next time I see the Fail Whale or AT&T goes down, I don’t have to feel like the world is coming to an end. Maybe it’s just a sign.
What’s really important is the ability to separate oneself from technology in a voluntary way. We can’t always count on AT&T or Twitter to go down (← sarcasm right there), giving us chances to rest from being constantly connected. But I think Spencer gets this part too:
netspencer: “My room is entirely lit by candles right now.
”
HunterOwens: “Is the candle lighting by choice or power outage?”
netspencer: “it’s by choice. No power outage.I kinda want the power to go out though. It makes it really peaceful.”
HunterOwens: “Thanks for the inspiration. I’m going to go try that in my room.”
I think we should all try that once in a while. By incorporating non-technological actions and aspects to our tech-oriented lives, we can control our use of technology and benefit from it. We can learn to find a balance.
Click here to read the rest of Spencer’s blog post:
We Live Inside A Bubble: Life With Technology vs Life Without Technology
Update: @vibhavs just sent me a link to another great article related to this topic. Check it out: http://nat.org/blog/2009/12/internet-sabbath/



