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Hi my name is Nicole. I am in my twenties. And I too am an addict. I find myself sleeping with my phone no more than 6 inches to either side of my pillow. I am constantly checking my text inbox and hitting refresh on my Google Reader to stay up to date with the blogger headlines around the world. I wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and have a desperate urge to check my email and Facebook notifications. I can't go more than 30 minutes without scheduling a tweet or perusing the latest on Drudge Report or Mashable. I start to twitch when I haven't thought of a worth while blog post to consume my thoughts throughout the day, and when my internet at home runs out of download credit I go into a state of shock that is only curable with a pint of beer and the free wi-fi of the corner bar.
I wish I could say that I want to find a cure for the madness that consumes every fleeting thought that comes in and out my brain, every moment of everyday, but I don't. I love the chase in finding the latest update and trending topics from around the web. I can't get enough of the way it feels to be able to share a certain connection between another expat living in London, or a blogger in Canada or a tweeter in Sweden and know that if we ever crossed paths in real life, that we would undoubtedly be able to share and communicate like we grew up next door to one another for years.
I've met a lot people throughout the past year who don't understand the world of blogging and admittedly I too started out as a skeptic. When I began posting, almost exactly a year ago today, I thought it was going to be something that I would passively partake in every once in a blue moon when the mood hit me. I could not have been more wrong. Once I began to build a community of readers and get to know people from around the world, I couldn't make myself stop. I have a constant need to expand my network of tweeters, bloggers and friends and to learn something from each one of them that I can't experience on my own. It has been a drug of information for me during the past 365 days and the high isn't likely to stop any time soon.
I have friends from Minnesota, Chicago and now here in Melbourne who can't wrap their heads around why blogging and social media are so important, not only for me, but to the rest of the world, as well. Everyday I get harassed by the Aussies on my internet obsession and am constantly asked, 'why do you blog? why do you want people to read about your personal life? why should anyone care what you are tweeting about during the day?" And I can only respond with why not?
Why not try to engage with as many people you can while you have the opportunity? Why not expand your network into a larger playing field and broaden your horizons through the power of the internet? In my mind, our generation and our children's generations have been given such a gift to be able to connect with people that our parents could never have even imagined. So I continue to ask myself, 'why would anyone want to let an addiction like this pass them by?'
6 comments:
I'm not far off from what you are describing! I sleep with my phone on the bedside table, and 5 out of 7 nights will wake up at 3am or so and check my email, etc. It is so addicting, but also a way to feel connected, at least for me. Embrace your addiction - it could be worse!!!
I'm not quite to your point, but dang close. Phone on my bedside table, waking up at midnight and checking to see if I have a comment email.
One thing I've learned is that it's only a problem if you can't disconnect occasionally. If you honestly couldn't go on a camping trip and just shut the phone off we may need to stage an intervention. But if you can still do that, just embrace where you are at.
Well, My opinion is that most of the skeptics have NEVER tried it. Once they realize that someone who is in Minnesota can connect with someone in Melbourne and NOT miss a beat...I think it is worth it!!! Think of all the engagements, weddings, and babies that people hear of just from Facebook and Blogging alone!!!
Blog on Sista...don't let those Aussies scare you!!! LOL
The good news is, you probably won't need a 12 step program for this.
The bad news is, sleeping with your mobile next to you is bad for your health. Radiowaves, blah, blah-- no seriously...you'll actually sleep better if you turn it off and move it far away from you!
This is great material Nicole. You should go into author style instead. Is it okay if I use this material for some planning at Sony Ericsson?
I TOTALLY get this.
My addiction to FB, blogging, and my incessant BlackBerry checking drives Hubby a little nuts. Gotta see what emails are in (yes, at 3am if I stir), what the Oz girls are doing, who's surfing my blog, what people are saying on FB. Whenever I move from room-to-room in my house, my BlackBerry and Skype phone move with me.
But you know what? It's actually a really good thing. I'm a Web writer/editor by profession, so I've only spent like 40 hours a week in front of the computer for the last 10 years. How do you deprogram that? When this is your biz and passion, you have to stay plugged in. My foray into blogging/social networking has actually made me more marketable, which is just a bonus for the main reason I do it: it keeps me sane. When you're a writer, you have to get it out. And this way, I do it uninterrupted and the only one editing my copy is ME.
It has taken years for me to find the balance between sharing my experiences and putting my entire life online, but I've found a happy medium. My readers appreciate my honesty, and this is the cheapest form of therapy out there!
So next time someone who doesn't get it asks you why, don't you worry. The reality is that this whole concept is not going away; on the contrary, it is becoming more prevalent in the offline world daily. At minimum, you stay current and you grow with technology...at max, you gain great insight into yourself.
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