I do, and at the risk of sounding like a total curmudgeon, I actually miss it.
I should clarify – I don’t miss all of it. I love the ease with which I can find certain information; For example, if I saw a video or heard a random song on the radio that I just needed to know more about, it’s so much easier to find what I’m looking for and dive headfirst into my next musical hyperfixation (looking at you, Bad Omens).
I like the ease with which I can obtain things that are really needed. This is my way of saying that I should be using Amazon’s same day delivery to buy emergency cat food or medicine or something and not just whatever random crap token it’s urging me to buy today.
I like the cat videos too.
What I don’t like is the way it’s made it even easier for us to be self-critical in a world that was already doing a pretty good job of making us hate ourselves. I’m speaking purely from my perspective as a woman here, by the way. I honestly feel like I should be over hating my body and my face and pretty much everything about me, but thanks to the internet, I get to have the idea that women still need to look a certain way at 45, when the natural way for 99.9% of the WORLD is that shit just starts to break down, shoved down my gullet on an hourly basis. I do not envy kids growing up today and having to deal with that.
I know I should be concerned with how dependent I am on being constantly plugged in, and I’m scared about how quickly that transition seemed to happen. I know I need to start a digital detox at least one day a week, but in true ADHD fashion I forget about it before I have a chance to implement any sort of plan.
Long story short, it’s a double-edge sword for me. I am so grateful for the ease with which I can connect with things (books and music, in particular) that I love. Unfortunately, opening that door lets the bad shit in too, and I’d be lying if I said I’d figured out how to ignore it at this point.
Maybe I can look up how on the internet?
Keep It To Your Shelf 