Internet Sobriety

(Finally, the weekend!)

Good day dear reader,

 

9:00 AM      

     Instead of talking about literature, in todays’ episode I conjured up a challenge for myself. It’s pretty simple, be productive, I mean I am not setting the bar too high. Just do not use the phone. I have made up some ground rules. Here it goes.

1.   No socials

2.   No YouTube and other streaming media

3.   No video games (ouch)

 

On with the challenge! As Jeremy Clarkson would say;

 

 

 

10:00 AM

So far so good, I have cleaned my room. Yes, it is not that big, but a step is a step. Done laundry too, so most of my Saturday work is finished ahead of schedule. Onwards!

 

11:30 AM

I read a bit of George Orwell’s 1984. Pretty dark book, that. To be honest with you, dear reader, things do look a bit of gloomy at the moment. I am caught between the tempting aspect of falling asleep, and going back to the phone. Things are not looking too well. I should find more rewarding alternatives soon. I shall keep the updates. 

P. S. A pigeon at my window.

 

1:30 PM

I’m still up and running! After a lot more reading, I went for lunch. They served rice, chicken, sambhar, omelet whatnot. I did not take my phone to the mess. To confess, I have developed this unhealthy habit of watching YouTube or a film while eating. Yes awful, I know. I used to (and still do) go to this state of paranoia while eating alone, what if someone is watching me or judging me since I am eating alone. It started as a sort of escapism from this unjustified fear. I can do just fine without it if I were with someone but being alone is a different story.

Without the phone, today’s lunch did feel different. Although I was very conscious about my surroundings, I could say I had a better taste for the food and had a better look at what I was eating if that makes any sense.

Now back in room, I have the big decision to take whether to take a lazy nap, or to do something a little more fun and productive.

 

8:00 PM

Sorry for the late update reader. Continued from afternoon. I did not stay up for too long since I got an awful headache. If you are in Chennai presently, you’d be aware of the immense heatwave that has completely turned up the temperature in just a matter of two weeks. Since I don’t have an air conditioner here, things were pretty heated up.

In the evening, I took my cycle went around places (still waiting for those muscles).

I had an online class from six-thirty so was engaged in that, until now. I do not have a problem since I was busy with something.

 

9:00 PM

Cooked dinner, ate it, it was pretty good. Read a couple of stuff for exam.

 

9:30 PM

It has been about twelve hours since I have started, and here I am now writing this blog, narrating my experience to you.

 

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     After a long stretch without phone, I have observed a lot of things which I found interesting. I’m listing them out.

Firstly, have I been more productive?

Yes and no. Yes, I spent time doing other things instead of being on the phone. No, I do not think having a phone would have yielded a worser result had I wanted to study in the first place.

 

Secondly, am I more or less happy?

To answer this dear reader, I’m afraid one day would not suffice. Like a substance abuser, yes there have been many instances where I desperately wanted to use my phone, to watch YouTube, play video games and whatnot, like a withdrawal symptom. No, I do not regret doing other things either, but I cannot say which makes me more or less happy.

 

Thirdly, is there any point of this exercise?

Yes, I would agree that there are obvious long-term benefits to alternative hobbies such as reading, exercise whatnot. Most of us do spend an unnecessary amount of energy worrying about what we see on a glass screen. Yes, it does provide a world of escapism, however it is what it is, escapism. And it will not suffice in the real world sadly.

 

 

      Dear reader, now there is one part which I do not agree when it comes to the old-fashioned response of phones are ruining the society. I feel like this is a hyperbolic way of mentioning the situation while ignoring the root causes. I’m speaking here for the overly obsessed phone users. Now suppose you ask them to play outside, you cannot expect someone who has created a whole virtual world to abandon it completely to return to a world of reality just like that. Especially for the people like me who are in need for better social skills. It is like a situation where you shame someone for being an alcoholic, a substance user and so on, without providing them opportunities to come out of it.

 

      In the present world, especially in the post covid era, many of us are yet to return to the real world, due to a long era of isolation. Here there is a great tendency to lapse into the unhealthy use of technology. Taking phones away just leaves a vacuum where one is confused without an alternate. For the ones like me, living alone does pose a greater tendency for this scenario.

 

Conclusion:

      According to my experience, there should be a greater amount of awareness regarding the overuse of technology, which should be treated as serious of an addiction as the other much known ones. Replacing it with much fruitful habits is necessary to overcome this scenario. I do not agree with completely abandoning the techno world that we live in, however it is important that we stay within control of ourselves. The motto I could suggest is “Just Get Busy” since I noticed like the loss of the phone didn’t affect me at all when I was engaged in other activities.

 

I hope I was able to provide a small insight from my experience today.

 

Goodluck dear reader!

Until next time…

Lan