Today, the world is at our fingertips. Literally, it is right there on our phones. Lost? GPS. Looking for a new lunch spot in your neighborhood? Try Foursquare or Urbanspoon. Looking to reconnect with old friends or make new ones? Search Facebook or Twitter. The sky is the limit on the amount of resources available at our fingertips. There are millions of websites and apps created to help you learn, buy, sell, teach, and entertain. With that being said, it is so easy to find yourself spending hours on the internet only to see hours of your day pass you by. (Disclaimer: This is not one of those articles bashing young people and their "addiction" to technology. I personally love the internet and do not find that it impairs my social skills or ability to absorb my surroundings.)
I love to read. Up until my freshman year of college I read constantly; so much so that I would get yelled at by my teachers because I wasn't paying attention in class. Once in college, I quit reading my beloved books and instead filled my time with friends, studying, and the internet. I found I had no desire to read after spending hours poring over textbooks and primary sources for assignments. So, instead of allowing reading to relax me, I took to Netflix and scrolling endlessly through Tumblr. Which is fine -- in moderation.
Like I had mentioned earlier, I believe that the internet is great and can be used to accomplish things efficiently. The problem is that the internet is a black hole, and if you aren't careful, it is easy to end up wasting half the day looking at cat memes instead of accomplishing your goals. I also find myself scrolling through Instagram and Twitter several times a day out of pure boredom, switching between apps hoping something new will show up but knowing that nothing will. It's sort of like opening up the fridge when you aren't hungry and mindlessly eating. Suddenly, you are in front of an open fridge unsure of how you got there when you weren't even hungry in the first place.
It's important to be mindful of your internet use and how many times a day you open your browser with no real purpose. Let me tell you -- it's a lot. I have realized all of this time laughing at funny memes and gushing over others' lives on Instagram has not helped me in furthering my own. All of the time spent mindlessly online has not helped me to follow my passions, maintain my old hobbies, or find new ones. I can pin as many recipes as I want on Pinterest, but they aren't going to do me any good if no attempt is made to try any. In the words of author Don Miguel Ruiz: "Act on your ideas -- don't just sit around waiting for them to be fulfilled. Without action upon an idea, there will be no manifestation, no results and no reward."
Yeah, the internet is great, but sometimes you just have get out and go do.
