Disconnected from reality

Photo by Taco Ekkel, via flickr

Moises Fuertes/Staff Writer

That person walking by on the sidewalk while tweeting probably doesn’t realize the area ahead just went under construction. Give him a few seconds; it will hit him eventually.

How much time do we spend online daily?

According to an Ipsos 2011 survey, affluent millennials- those between ages 18 to 29- spend an average of 40 hours a week online.

That’s the equivalent of a full-time job.

Let’s backtrack a bit here.

When did the Internet start being a tool that distracted us?

Let’s think back carefully on this, because it’s the result of a few technological advances combined.

Better processors, motherboards, graphics cards, batteries and transistors, combined with faster Net speeds, all contributed to the rise of the one single device we can’t seem to live without today: smart phones.

The tiny computers that allow us to be connected at all times, ironically enough, are also the devices that are disconnecting everyone from reality.

Today, our mismanagement of a technological renaissance is making us miss precious moments in our lives, moments that are often singular.

None of us can rewind life.

There are moments lost while hastily tagging people during a friend’s birthday or rushing to post the picture of an engagement ring onto social media sites as it is given.

Unintentionally using social media while out with friends for a nice evening is commonplace, as is using social media to stalk the profile of an ex, inevitably delaying the healing process of a breakup for an undisclosed amount of time.

According to an info graphic by mapsoftheworld.com on internet addiction, 24 percent of Facebook users missed important moments in real life while trying to share them online. The same info graphic says that 50 percent of Facebook users report losing sleep due to the social media giant.

In today’s world, physical contact is second to digital interaction. Digital interaction is an out of body experience with multiple individuals at once. The amount of information being sent back and forth is taxing on the person, making loss of sleep and information exhaustion common.

Perhaps the most obvious example of my generation’s inability to disconnect from the Net is found within texting. The new law that just went into place this week, which bans texting while driving, is a push to try and stop this current trend.

The solution to this problem is to wake up. Turn off those smartphones and disconnect from the Net. Enjoy a cup of tea in the backyard with family. Do something that involves anything other than social media or TV. Interact with people outside of work, classes and certainly outside of social media websites.

The bottom line is human contact. No amount of high speed Net, YouTube videos or interactive online experiences will ever equal real human interaction. Communicating with many individuals online does not bring us closer to them.

The truth, while difficult to notice for many of us, is right there in our screen: We have replaced our physical needs with machines that are meant to aid us.

The closer our physical and virtual worlds come, the clearer that distinction needs to be made.

We are not robots.

 

moises.fuertes@fiusm.com 

Sources:

1. “Demographics,” via newmediatrendwatch.com

2. “Why Facebook pictures mean the pain of a bad break-up or losing a loved one doesn’t fade like it used to,” via dailmail.co.uk 

3. “Is Internet Addiction Real? – Facts & Infographic,” via mapsoftheworld.com 

About the Author

Moises Fuertes
: a Digital Media Studies student at FIU. His productions include audio commercials, video coverage/reviews and still-image projects. He specializes in the video game industry and social media.

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