Time was, I sniffed at folks who spent the majority of their
non-working hours in front of screens.
I felt I was better than the potato couches (a.k.a couch-potatoes) planted in front
of televisions.
I looked down at generation Z-ers who sat next to each other
all the while staring at their phones.
Okay, I still bristle at that last one. If there’s a live
human to look in the eye and talk to, the screen, no matter its size, is better
left in the back pocket, and the device’s pingings are better ignored.
But as to the rest, I’ve joined the minions who start and
end their days in front of a screen.
Even before the blasted pandemic, screen time kept growing exponentially.
The lockdowns cemented it as the hangout place outside of which there’s a vast silent
desert.
Writing is already a keyboard and screen activity. Add Zooming,
Facetiming, virtual touring and video chatting, and the real world where
barometric pressures manifest as actual breezes becomes downright exotic.
I have to do something about that. But where do I reach out
to find new living breathing friends? Online, of course.
I couldn’t beat the screen-starers, so I joined them.
7 comments:
I soooooo relate to this. I never thought I'd be glued to the computer for any other reason than writing and submitting, but then there were manuscript exchanges with writing friends, and then . . . and then . . .
For a long time I thought even a cell phone was just for making calls. But the Internet caught up with me there, too.
What I have found is that if there's a good book to read, it wins over the computer, and live visits trump WhatsApp, But still . . .
Yup, esp. now that I have a smart-phone. I have to guard my leisure time for reading, playing piano, singing.
I understand. I'm the same way now except that I ignore my phone when I'm with people. At our office holiday lunch, I was with some younger people. As soon as we sat down, they all took out their phones to check them. I said, Hey! We're spending time together. Put the phones away. Happily, they did, although one young man kept his phone in front of his plate to watch a game, maybe soccer, and kept providing updates on the score.
Love,
Janie
Yes, I do way more than is good and need to change my habits. But I do keep my cell phone muted most of the time because I don't want its noises controlling my life.
I tried to leave a message but Blogger lost it. :(
Nothing lost, Evelyn. Both your comments showed up for my approval :)
Time was that I, too, was scornful of excessive periods online. I didn't even carry a cell phone, but left it in the car, to be used only in case of emergencies. But people text me, so eventually I began to text back, and now I'm even texting first! We all get sucked in at some point. Maybe people said the same things when the telephone and radio first appeared, then the TV. I guess we all adjust to the era in which we live. Still, I love meditation retreats, with no digital access, no pinging, no ringing, absolutely no screen time. It's heavenly!
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