I have spent rather more time than I can spare on this time-gobbler lately! I needed to do some research and the computer screen was closer then the Town library (and, knowing the way Murphy’s Law works, the library probably would not have had what I needed! 🙂
But it did set me thinking: how much internet time is too much? Like television, it sucks us in sometimes.
“Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Yes, OK, I’ll just print this…”
“Dinner’s on the table!”
“Almost finished…”
“Yours is on the stove!”
“Yeah, thanks…”
“I’m going to bed!”
And for some (I suspect, a great many), social sites like Facebook and MYspace and even blogging provide a contact that may be lacking in lives. Sad, but probably all too true.
So…when does a healthy interest in a hobby become an insidious consumer?
I could probably stretch this to essay length, but I have letters to answer, lino to carve, all sorts of pressing issues. And I must just read my favourite blogs first…
I’ll leave you with this. No, not one of mine. I told you, I’m busy!
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
And this…
Moreidlethoughts Weblog 
I totally hear you! I’m amazed at how much time seems to be sucked away trying to keep up with online ‘friends’ and various social and networking sites. Daily! twitter/facebook/blogging/misc. websites – I keep thinking I really need to scale back, but can hardly bear to cut anything/one out. 🙂
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A lot of people we know must be asking the same question. Do I imagine it, or has the whole art blogging scene started to tail off a little. Will it return in the Spring?
Certainly the computer is an addiction I have – should I limit myself? Difficult because I listen to the radio through my laptop so I can’t help noticing if mail arrives or Google reader picks up that someone has posted.
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I’d comment longer but I’ve been on here TOO LONG! 🙂 The Mustang’s looking fab.
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tara, robyn, andrea…yes, we all seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet.
A year or so ago there was quite a good thread running on the seasonal “lapses.” If I hadn’t lost my bookmarks I’d probably re-post it 😉
I think must of us will be OK as we have families and physical friends, but some people just shut themselves away and exist only for Skype or chat sites.
(I’m allowing myself an hour to get stuff done in here while I wind down from my swim!)
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Oh I think about this a lot of late. My husband and I both have ibooks and we are online A LOT. We’re setting a rather bad example for his two sons who are on their gaming equipment A LOT. I think we need to set limits for all of us.
Kim
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kim…at least you are confronting the problem. For many families TV/ internet are merely electronic babysitters.
Just don’t cut out Pearl’s blog, please!;-)
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Occassinal I’ll pick up a copy of Wired magazine and read about popular social networkers who spend most of their time on the computer and are never disconnected when they’re out, twittering from their mobile phones. They talk about the neccessity of doing this to maintain their popularity. It’s creepy actually, they live their lives like they’re seeing themselves publically in the third person. They’re totally disengaged from direct experience. That’s the generation that’s coming up now, a bit frightening really.
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Boy, that car is really coming along! Lookin’ Good!
I don’t really spend all that much time in the computer; maybe an hour a day, just catching up emails and reading my favorite blogs and posting, if I have anything to post. Until a year ago, you wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere near a computer unless I needed to look up information. I still mainly use it for just that.
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ellen…I find that creepy. What a waste of brain cells!
kate…Before blogging, I used this for my writing/research/email. Blogging has extended my reading use; even so, I’ve scaled that back considerably.
And, yes, the car is tarting up nicely! 🙂
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I’m very glad of the contact that blogging brings me, and an old friend recently found me thru FaceBook (altho personally, I don’t spend anytime on FB)
and as for the research possibilities that the internet offers, my children wouldn’t be able to do their homeworks without a computer (altho perhaps they are set with that knowledge)(I can remember using encylopedias and the library!)
but like anything, it’s all about being able to achieve a balance, isn’t it
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a real time waster but it is nice to keep in touch 🙂
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iltv and ziggi…well, we would not “know” each other if not for blogging. (And where have you been, Zig???)
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walking the black dog
:-S
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