I’ve come to the realization I spend way to much time sitting in front of my computer. I’ve actually known this for a long time, but I just don’t seem to be able to do much about it.
Some of it is actually productive, like answering work emails, keeping track of my finances, and logging in my miles on the bike, but that only takes up a small portion of my time in front of the computer.
Too much time is spent playing around on Facebook, reading emails from other lymphoma survivors (OK, that might actually be considered worthwhile), and reading news and political commentary, sometimes even commenting when the urge arises.
Even writing this blog seems to occupy more time than I would like.
And now that I have my DroidX, I find myself spending even more time staring at a VDU (visual display unit).
Certainly the internet has been a boon to the world in many ways. Most notably for the amount of information that has been made much more readily available to everyone, and something I have availed myself of tremendously, especially in the area of medicine. Without the internet, there is no doubt in my mind, I would not be in the position, health wise, I am today.
Of course, there is at least one caveat to all this, and that is, there is no one, or thing, filtering this information. There is no one, or thing, telling is what information is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, highly suspect or an out right lie. We’re all left to our own devices to decide what is the truth or simply agenda driven.
Yes, there are organizations like factcheck.org and snopes.com, but by the time they’ve screened it, and printed their interpretation, the information has already made its rounds to the naive and unsuspecting, who accept it as gospel, without doing any additional investigation. Plus, who is to say those interpretations or comments aren’t suspect as well?
It’s a double edged sword, one we all need to be aware of, but unfortunately, I believe, too many of us are not.
Sometimes I still yearn for the ‘good ole days’, as I often like to say, before the internet. I get this way a lot, especially this time of year, when the days get shorter, and the weather more inclement, but life truly was so much simpler back then. My only question is, were we better off?
I’m not sure I can answer that question with any certainty. In fact, I’m not even sure there is a good answer.
