you are totally not alone. My attitude towards the computer is that it is a tool--get on, do what you gotta do, get off. I feel like the outside world is forcing me to spend more time on the internet, however, and that they are takingaway my ability to just get things done in person (or even over the phone anymore). This program (and i know it's online) feels like an attempt to convert my social life from in person to online.
As for the benefits, for some things, like buying cheap sneakers from an outlet in Minnesota, yes. But, for example, in my job we used to get *one* paper copy of all policy changes, memos, etc. Everyone had to initial that they read it, and all were filed by fiscal year in a central location for future reference. Now, thanks to the cost-saving wonders of email, everyone receives the memo (whatever) as an email, Everyone prints it out (meaning instead of 1 piece of paper we produce at least8). no one really reads it (whereas if I'm intitialing something, i wanna make sure I know what it is I'm saying I was informed about). They are no longer kept in a central location (because they are "in our email"). And now, when seven months down the road a problem arises and we need to check the official policy, we must call around to other branches to find someone that did save a hard copy somewhere, because in the meantime, the "system administrator" complained that our box was full and we deleted all the old emails to make room.
Aaaah computers...nothing like 'em. But there are many, many, many more of us than the tech lovers want us to believe, that's for sure.
I agree with you both. To me the Internet should be just one tool among many. Although it provides us with wonderful opportunities that we wouldn't have otherwise (I can stay home with my kids while going to school, and I can order books from France or China with the click of a mouse), if over-used it can decrease the quality of life.
Just speaking from my own experience, it can make you gain weight, damage your eyesight and give your headaches, encourage you to avoid actually talking to real people, and make it easy to spend money that you don't have (there are tons of things to buy on the WWW, and you don't even have to make the effort to go out to the store). As for online library services, yes, I do download articles when I need them for a specific purpose, but I greatly prefer just reading books.
One thing that really annoys me is that since most of my relatives got on Facebook they never send me pictures (actual pictures on paper, that is) anymore. Sorry but even with my very expensive color laser printer, a print-out of a photo posted on Facebook just doesn't look as nice in my photo album as one printed properly in a photo shop. Luckily I have a few old (or just old-fashioned) friends and relations who are willing to make the extra effort to write paper letters. There is nothing like the feeling of getting a real paper envelope with a stamp and a friend's handwriting on it in the mail to make my day!
2 comments:
Hey Maggie,
you are totally not alone. My attitude towards the computer is that it is a tool--get on, do what you gotta do, get off. I feel like the outside world is forcing me to spend more time on the internet, however, and that they are takingaway my ability to just get things done in person (or even over the phone anymore). This program (and i know it's online) feels like an attempt to convert my social life from in person to online.
As for the benefits, for some things, like buying cheap sneakers from an outlet in Minnesota, yes. But, for example, in my job we used to get *one* paper copy of all policy changes, memos, etc. Everyone had to initial that they read it, and all were filed by fiscal year in a central location for future reference. Now, thanks to the cost-saving wonders of email, everyone receives the memo (whatever) as an email, Everyone prints it out (meaning instead of 1 piece of paper we produce at least8). no one really reads it (whereas if I'm intitialing something, i wanna make sure I know what it is I'm saying I was informed about). They are no longer kept in a central location (because they are "in our email"). And now, when seven months down the road a problem arises and we need to check the official policy, we must call around to other branches to find someone that did save a hard copy somewhere, because in the meantime, the "system administrator" complained that our box was full and we deleted all the old emails to make room.
Aaaah computers...nothing like 'em. But there are many, many, many more of us than the tech lovers want us to believe, that's for sure.
I agree with you both. To me the Internet should be just one tool among many. Although it provides us with wonderful opportunities that we wouldn't have otherwise (I can stay home with my kids while going to school, and I can order books from France or China with the click of a mouse), if over-used it can decrease the quality of life.
Just speaking from my own experience, it can make you gain weight, damage your eyesight and give your headaches, encourage you to avoid actually talking to real people, and make it easy to spend money that you don't have (there are tons of things to buy on the WWW, and you don't even have to make the effort to go out to the store). As for online library services, yes, I do download articles when I need them for a specific purpose, but I greatly prefer just reading books.
One thing that really annoys me is that since most of my relatives got on Facebook they never send me pictures (actual pictures on paper, that is) anymore. Sorry but even with my very expensive color laser printer, a print-out of a photo posted on Facebook just doesn't look as nice in my photo album as one printed properly in a photo shop. Luckily I have a few old (or just old-fashioned) friends and relations who are willing to make the extra effort to write paper letters. There is nothing like the feeling of getting a real paper envelope with a stamp and a friend's handwriting on it in the mail to make my day!
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