A couple weeks ago, I posted a blog about being addicted to Twitter. And even though I was mostly trying to be funny, there was some truth there. So if you did check me out on Twitter, you might have scratched your head at my last tweet (assuming you give a rip):
“Trying to reclaim my life from techno overload. So long Twitter. It's been fun”
What transpired in the short time period between my public confession of addiction, and my sign-off to the Twitter world? A reality check.
I realized technology had crept into every facet of my life, slowly undermining my time and relationships. I was tweeting, networking with friends on Facebook, checking my e-mails incessantly from my Blackberry, blogging, IM-ing, and even tracking points for my diet online. I was so caught up with the virtual world that I was missing out on the real one.
Fearing I’d lost complete touch with reality, I quickly signed off of the most recent techno parasite: Twitter.
Then, a couple days after my last tweet, I received an eerie confirmation I’d made the right decision through an article in Christianity Today. One paragraph reads, “I often find myself so drawn to my Blackberry and laptop that I fail to be present with the flesh and blood person who is standing before me. I look at them and pretend like I'm listening, but my mind strains to get back to my email.” (From “Does Twitter do us any good?” by Mark Galli, CT online, June 2009)
Wow. I could have written that.
It’s not that I think technology is all bad, or that I’ve sworn it off completely. Obviously… I posted this blog, didn’t I?
My blackberry helps me keep in control of my inbox when I’m away from my desk for meetings. Facebook helps me keep up with the latest pictures and stories about family members who are hundreds of miles away. Weight Watchers online has helped me lose 30 pounds so far.
I’m not saying goodbye to technology. I’m just renewing my commitment to keep it all in check.
It’s kind of funny. The day I said good-bye to Twitter, I suddenly received several e-mails notifying me I had new followers. Really? Did they not read what I just said?
Actually, part of me wonders if they started following me so that they will be notified at the exact moment I relapse. If so, I have to say, “Sorry tweoples. You’ll be sadly disappointed.”
I’ve left Twitter for the real world, and I don’t plan on coming back any time soon.
