Monday, November 05, 2012

Do We Need An Internet Sabbath?

As a professional web developer and social media strategist, I spend a huge amount of time online. Whether blogging, connecting on social media, developing websites or conducting research, the internet is an integral part of my daily life. Thanks to my smartphone, I am connected pretty much anywhere I go.

In general, I like things this way. I marvel continually at the power of electronic media to bridge time and geography, allowing me to communicate and maintain relationships with people throughout the world. Never, since the invention of the printing press, has our ability to share information been so dramatically amplified. We are living in a moment of great opportunity.

But these advances in communications have a shadow side. Social media can empower and extend real-life social interactions, but they can just as easily result in a world where most of our life is mediated by glowing screens, our conversations limited to 140 characters or less. At worst, electronic communication can objectify our relationships, cheapening our friendships and fostering one-dimensional conversations. There is a real risk that web and social media, improperly used, can increase alienation rather than deepening connection.

There is a balance to be struck between cyberspace and in-person relationships. For me, it feels important to heavily weight real-life interactions over the connections I build and maintain via electronic media. As important as web and social media is to both my personal and professional life, I view the social web as a supplement to my in-person relationships, not as a substitute for them.

My experience is that spending too much time online actually distances me from reality. When I have someone over to my home for dinner, or spend time walking around downtown with a co-worker, there is a rich mix of dynamics at play: Body language, tone, subtle pauses in the conversation and the felt sense of connection with another living presence. Contrast that with an email. I have nothing to go on but text on a screen.

There is a tipping point beyond which I can easily lose my grip on the real world. After sitting in front of the screen for long enough, it is easy to forget the colorful, complicated, surprising world that I live in. Without fully realizing what is happening, I can become disconnected from my surroundings, from my own body, and from my awareness of God's presence within me. I risk "losing myself" in the screen.

Particularly because I spend so much time digitally connected for my work, it is important for me to create boundaries for my use of electronic media. For example, I exclude screens from my morning routine. I do not engage with email, social media - anything screened - until after I am through with breakfast and morning devotions. That means the first hour and half of my day is screen-free.

I have also thought about having a cut-off time in the evenings; say, no web after 10:00pm. I have not had as much success implementing this boundary. I am usually on my computer in the hours before bed. Ideally, though, I think it would probably be best if I had at least an hour un-plugged before bed.

One new practice that I have been experimenting with is the idea of internet sabbath - blocking out entire days where I intentionally unplug. Think of it as a "digital detox." These sabbaths tend to happen organically when I am away at spiritual retreats (usually in a Quaker context). I always notice how much clearer my mind and body feel after a day or two away from the land of constant status updates - and constant work.

Recently, I have been attempting to set aside Sundays as a day of rest from my internet labors. Most Sundays, I have actually pulled it off - not turning on my computer or tablet, and not using my smartphone for anything except unavoidable phone calls and texts. This seems to have a positive effect. Even being able to take one day off each week, to truly disconnect from cyberspace in all its forms, feels healing for me. It gives me the strength to re-engage in a healthy way the other six days of the week.

What do you think about this? Is your relationship with the web a healthy one? How do you maintain balance between the internet and the rest of your life? What role does your professional work play in keeping you plugged in, and where are the places that you might choose to disconnect? Are you in need of an internet sabbath?

2 comments:

James Breiling said...

Your essay is "right on." IT is wonderful, but it has, as you point out so well, downsides. Here's an additional big one:

There is a growing body of consistent research that points up the significant risks to health in sitting a lot, and that this is not overcome by working out at a gym, even with daily workouts there.

Think about a stand-up desk. Stand up for phone calls.

Stand up and move about. Go see or call (stand up) people. Do walking meetings. Do spiritual meditative walking (these have been the occasion of my most powerful meditative experiences, and I stay awake rather than dozing off, as I often do when sitting in a meeting for worship).

Rethink your IT needs. No smartphone for me (a cell phone meets my needs quite well).

Schedule your "turn on" the computer or tablet times around what is important but not necessarily urgent (and thereby often gets put off) and that which is truly urgent and iomportant (which is not what a lot of what appears on the screen is -- it may or may not be urgent but it is usually not truly impotant).

"Turn off" as soon as you've done your planned tasks. (The start-up jolts to the computer are no longer a risk to the life of the equipment.)

Use paper and pencil to accumulate a list of "to dos" by category (important but not urgent; urgent and truly important) when you next "turn on." I discovered an unexpected benefit in this practice and the resultant slowing down of the back-and-forth e-mails: less distraction and more efficient AND substantive communication.

Read from paper rather than the screen.

Reading from the screen USING the text to speech option. With a tablet, you can then move about (remember: minimize sitting to protect your health).

Free yourself from the distractions of the screen well before going to bed. Read. Talk. Meditate.

Devoting more time to something often does not result in a commensurate increase in output. IT increases inefficiency with all the distriactions it makes so readily available and appealing. Control It rather than leTting IT control you.

FREE YOURSELF BY CONTROLLING WITH UNPLUGING.

SOAR WITH THE SPIRIT.

Micah Bales said...

James, you've inspired me to set up a "standing desk."