I'm not normally an apocalyptic, doom-and-gloom person.
So bear that in mind when I say that the book mentioned in the title of this post has convinced me that it's time to unplug (just a bit) from the overbearing digital infrastructure of today's world.
Hamlet's BlackBerry by William Powers describes some of the benefits of taking a step back from the hyper-connected world we find ourselves in, and explains why maybe we should all try to cultivate our inner lives a bit more, and monitor our digital avatars and their respective inboxes a little bit less.
The book takes a historical-philosophical look at digital overload, explaining that life has been speeding up since the time of the Ancient Greeks, and that even then they felt a bit overcome by the technological developments of their day. The text then progresses up through the years, touching on Gutenberg, Thoreau, McLuhan, among other philosophical types, and their views on how to find solitude, meaning, and valuable connectedness in life, mainly by taking the time to slow down, make real personal connections, and not to waste time simply keeping busy with things of little importance.
In other words, don't stay busy just because it's the thing to do. And don't think that staring at your cell phone screen while riding the subway is somehow better than looking out its window. Just because your mobile is new, 4G, and you can read status updates AS THEY HAPPEN doesn't mean that your friend's notice that she's "so super psyyyyyched for 2day!" is any more significant than the real landscape before you. Being addicted to a digital screen and its info doesn't necessarily make you in the know and popular, it makes you ADHD and likely to lack introspective thought.
Of course, I understand that the statements made in the book are not universal. For some people, looking at their BlackBerry every 2 minutes is just the thing for them. But it's an interesting theory, and worth an experiment to see if maybe a reduction in screen time could lead to happiness.
Personally, I am resolved to try and reduce the frequency of my computer check-ins, to a few times a day, tops. I can stay on the computer as long as I'd like once I'm on, but I'm trying to bring the number of individual computer rendezvous down. Even in the few days I've been testing this, I've noticed how OFTEN I would have checked my computer for no real reason, had I not stopped myself and said "Let's go find something else to do." I also notice that I feel more calm. In the book, Powers makes mention of the fact that something a lot of us like about vacation is the disconnectedness from the rest of the digital world. Upon reflection, I realize this is very true for me. Any occasion where connectedness is difficult (or expensive), I find I feel better, because rather than constantly feeling tugged to check and click and just be busy, my mind relaxed and works on something else.
This post only touches on a few facets of the book, and I can admit that I can feel my own brain being a bit foggy today (not due to digital overload, more likely due to tiredness and the emotional strain of attending a wedding earlier today), so please excuse any confusion in this post. Simplified message: just read the book. It's great.
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