Up until a few weeks ago, I would have said: "No. Hell no. Are you freaking kidding me? I can live without the internet! What do you take me for, an internet addict who needs to be online 24/7? Pff, you're so wrong, mate." But then I spent a few weeks offline and I'll have you know... I only whined about having no internet a billion times.
It's scary how dependent our society has become on the internet. I was browsing 9GAG the other day when I found this picture, an 'updated' Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
It perfectly illustrates the power the internet holds over our lives.
While I will never deny all the good stuff the internet has brought us, the doors that the internet has opened for us, I still think that it's good to leave the internet from time to time and open our eyes to what is right in front of us (It took days of whining before I finally came to this realisation.). Those weeks without the internet forced me to explore the offline world and made me realise that there are still many more adventures waiting for me. I read a book (Clockwork Prince, highly recommended, by the way) on the beach, which is something I've always wanted to do, but couldn't since I live in a country where it's nearly always rainy. I finally witnessed a clear sunset and captured it on camera. But the thing that surprised me the most is how much I learnt about family and friends I've known my whole life. It's ironic how little I knew about people I thought I knew everything about.The time for obliviousness is over, however. I appreciate every opportunity I get to hang out with them, every opportunity I get to strengthen our bonds.
The offline world has not only taught me a great deal about myself, but it has taught me a lot about my surroundings, too. I love the internet, but breaks are welcome every once in a while.
Yours faithfully,
Morgana
This was so insightful! A delight to read! Reading this makes me wonder about what it was like to live in the days where there was no internet, yet alone phone. Our generation is so depent on internet it makes you wonder. Had a great time reading this!
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I honestly don't remember pre-internet life. I wonder what I would be doing now if internet didn't exist at all. How different things would be! I reckon life would be really slow compared with life as we know it now. Thank you so much for reading, Vanessa!
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morgana
The internet and social media is a huge issue with me because I probably spend around 40% of my life on it, and I have no idea what would happen if I, like you, suddenly had no internet for a few weeks. I feel like more life would happen, yes, and I know that withstanding myself from this unhealthy need would be a good thing, and yet I still can't force myself to do it. It's a really concerning issue that takes too much willpower to fathom to solve.
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The Life of Little Me
Staying away from the internet and social media is definitely easier said than done. So many more productive things could be done if I put my phone or laptop away, but it's very hard to muster up the willpower to do that when I know I'm connected to the internet. As a matter of fact, now that I have internet again, I'm ashamed to say that I'm glued to my phone again. But from now on, I will try to go offline more often.
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Morgana
I also spent two weeks with only very occasional internet this summer, and it's amazing how much time I had. I read for hours, went hiking and swam in beautiful lakes. These two weeks were very relaxing and great bonding time for me and my family.
ReplyDeleteI love going offline, but at the same time it's extremely hard and scary.
Thanks for sharing!
Love, Mia xx
Having no internet made me realise how much time I spend browsing it. Without it, I had oceans of time to do other things that I love. It sounds like you had a brilliant holiday, Mia! I'm glad you found time to relax and hang out with your family. I agree that going offline can be hard, but it's so refreshing if we do. Thanks for reading!
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Morgana
That photo made me laugh a little too hard.
ReplyDeletexx Nicole Rose // Express Yourself
What d'you think about this one?
Deletehttps://m.facebook.com/9gag/photos/a.109041001839.105995.21785951839/10153745171786840/?type=1&p=20
Isn't it just hilarious (and super accurate xD)?
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Morgana
I often feel as if I was happier before the internet. I don't know why though.
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http://MyMotherFuckedMickJagger.blogspot.com
♥
I can see why you would feel that way. Browsing the internet is extremely time-consuming. You'd think it's easy to just go offline, but the matter is much more complex in reality. And then there are sites like twitter and Facebook that have taken over our lives and changed our social standards. I hope everything will work out for you :)
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Morgana