Internet Use

[Jason]

I believe that my use of the internet is creating cognitive issues, specifically my ability to concentrate on long form reading and writing.

I was curious as to people's views towards on-line use. Do you allocate and track time? Do you monitor your use? Do you differentiate between devices? Have you come to the same conclusion as I have and have consciously pulled back on the use? How do you contextualize it within ERE? Do you not see it as an issue you struggle with or is it something with which you are not concerned.

Thank you. If this was a previous topic, I apologize in advance and would appreciate the link.

[BRUTE]

brute likes to differentiate between devices. if he's planning on reading a physical book uninterrupted for a while, he'll go to a place far, far, from a computer as to not be distracted. then it's relatively easy.

[fips]

I have been trying to reduce my electronic devices- and especially social media-input for a while now, using different approaches.

I enforced a regiment on myself not to use any social media before noon on workdays and have recently blocked some social media websites on my computer and am thinking about / looking for easy ways to block them on my phone as well (suggestions welcome, iPhone user).
Also, I have installed an app on my phone to track the minutes on my phone (scaringly high!), which also helps me to view stats on what apps I am using the most. So far, this only had little effect on me though.

[slsdly]

I have not looked at Facebook since the spring. I don't use Twitter. Gave up online dating over a year ago (never again). I also gave up my smartphone for the most part, although I do locate and power it up when I leave my home area -- useful for plane tickets, offline maps, clock, syncing up with people when in transit and in WiFi coverage. I think it has lifted a burden off me.

[7Wannabe5]

The internet is bothersome, but children and husbands are worse.

[fiby41]

Do you allocate and track time?
Do you monitor your use?

RescueTime does all of the above for me.

Have you come to the same conclusion as I have and have consciously pulled back on the use?

Enlightened self restraint is difficult for me. I'm a product of my surrounding hence altering surrounding is simpler than modelling behaviour.
Example, locking up the phone in a drawer. Going to a reading hall.

How do you contextualize it within ERE?

It's an optimization problem where time, data, cost are freely adjustable variable, you are controlling for usage allocation into productive, neutral, nonproductive as done by RescueTime; and I'm solving for passing all subjects in this semester. You are solving for reading as you mentioned in your journal. fips is solving for reducing number of devices. slsdly has already solved for eliminating social media and now only needs to maintain haemeostaitic steady state and so on.

[fips]

fips is solving for reducing number of devices.

I am solving (read: trying to solve) for maximizing happiness(, independence, effectiveness and efficiency).
Restricting devices, betting with friends on reduced use time, monitoring time, using them only as a kind of reward etc. are only means.

[BMWalter333]

I turn off all notifications from my smartphone and my computer. This includes push notifications from social media, email, etc. That way I'm not being distracted and pulled away from what i'm focusing on every thirty minutes! When I'm ready to check something, I do it with full attention.

[Gilberto de Piento]

I believe that my use of the internet is creating cognitive issues, specifically my ability to concentrate on long form reading and writing.

I have experienced the same issues but I don't have any solution beyond what has already been mentioned.

[Farm_or]

Real life vs virtual life. A few of my neighbors come to mind when I think about this balance. One is way too involved in the virtual world. He goes days without leaving the house or even the basement. All of his purpose is somehow satisfied online. Conversation with him inevitably drifts into his online world and gaming.

Fear of addiction. In particular, Facebook addiction is a prominent problem. When it was novel, I had allowed notification on the smart phone. I was looking in several times a day! Then it occurred to me that I don't want to be pulled into the virtual world every time someone makes a cute cat video! I am happy to check in only once a week.

That grip has loosened to where I even skip weeks. FB is panicking. They be like, "we care about you and miss you. Here is a post you put on one year ago. Come back! We have beer, pizza and scantily clad ladies!" And our share holders can't stand the idea of a crack in the dam!

[Jason]

I now put on a my phone timer when on the internet - 15 minutes. Its not that I will inevitably stop at 15, but to let myself be informed of the fact.

My understanding is that people like Steve Jobs and the developers of all of this stuff forbade their children to use devices. That's like Pablo Escobar and the other members of the Medellin Cartel sitting their kids down and telling them of the danger of snorting cocaine. We will build our houses based on other people's use, but not allow the product in our house.

[fiby41]

Jason, you can use stayfocused extension for chrome that stops internet access after a preset number of minutes.

[Jason]

Thank you. That is very helpful.

But doesn't it inform you that there are serious issues here? I'm not saying it's like allowing kids to play football by telling the parents its safe because there are concussion experts on the sidelines, but maybe it is.

[FBeyer]

RescueTime lets you keep track of almost everything you do on the computer.
StayFocusd helps cut down on distracting sites.

My Personal daily allowance of fuck-around-on-the-net is 30 minutes before StayFocusd nukes almost all internet access besides Wikipedia and stackexchange.

It does wonders for your tendency to piss about when you know that every second counts.

It's artificial because you can always find ways around the extensions, but it really helps to set your mind straight.