You guys are mixing social media or online shopping with internet access in general.

The internet is a utility and should be used as that. Use it when you need it, ignore it otherwise.

I'm never more at peace than when I've stepped away from my computer, and sit down to do some sewing for a couple of hours. I'd rather be tired from making a quilt for two hours, than have every other kind of fatigue from being on the web.

I spend my first 30 minutes in bed reading before I fall asleep, not doom-scrolling Instagram or Facebook. (I couldn't care less about TikTok and Snapchat is a hot mess.) There is so much streaming out there, that I just refuse to paw through things to find something to watch. Let me listen to music on my Beats, and sew, and lose a couple of hours that way in the evening.

We need internet like we need electricity, which means if I'm outside getting some sun or digging in the garden, it's unlikely that time I need electricity... or the internet.

Not saying we shouldn't share a pic on the 'gram, or whatever, but life is about balance for me. I'm a Gen Xer, so I grew up without all this, and having to entertain myself anyway, take care of my own time and happiness, even before I was out of school. I'm glad I have that in my 50s.

I can do without FB and Instagram some. Never done Shitter

but can't do without other information such as current news

and where you can find consumer goods cheaper.

It's a tool that I use so I can go any amount of time without it (as I type a repsonse on a web site) but I haven't actually tested that theory.

I barely use my cellphone anyway. I treat it like a "break glass in emergency" kind of swiss army knife type a situation. Important contacts like work/family starred, "do not disturb" mode enabled otherwise, only use if needed for a necessary task.

I don't have a TV so I need internet for my NBA. I like accessible stream of information. Pure internet would be harder to give up.


But speaking of these things, had anyone looked up from their phone lately and noticed like every clock in society is out of working order now? You literally need a cell phone to tell the time now, back in my day you had fully operating clocks in various physical locations with accurate times. Now everywhere's like the clock tower in Back to the Future where it's forever stuck on a time with no plans of ever resetting. "Is that clock broken?" "what? don't you have cellphone?"

[Edited 2/21/23 19:12pm]

WhisperingDandelions said:

You literally need a cell phone to tell the time now, back in my day you had fully operating clocks in various physical locations with accurate times.

I wish they'd make a clock you could just put on your wrist or something. That'd be super convenient.

TrivialPursuit said: