A Waste of Time
I have decided to bark up a particularly nasty tree. It’s one that we all know and are connected to. We come to it daily and we have been for nearly 20 years. But, it doesn’t really have much to offer. The tree that I am talking about is the internet and one of it’s major branches, social media.
If there has ever been a bigger waste of time in the world than the internet and social media, I don’t know what it is. I know this and you know this. I think email is good, being able to order a part for my truck online is really convenient, I watch Netflix, the weather app on my phone is helpful, and I like being able to keep up with my bank account online. There’s other things that I like as well, maybe more than the things that I hate. But, the things that I hate are just too much.
Yahoo.com is trash, major news networks are propaganda machines, so many roads lead to pornography, and social media is a monumental waste of time. Back in 2006, Maclean’s published an article saying what I just did. You can read it here https://archive.macleans.ca/article/2006/10/30/pornography-gambling-lies-theft-and-terrorism-the-internet-sucks-where-did-we-go-wrong. I read it in 2006, agreed with almost everything that was said, and then walked away and jumped on social media like a brain dead zombie. I’ve done the same thing after reading several other really damning articles, like the one about all of the big tech executives who don’t let their kids use the internet, or the one that said if you’re on social media before the age of 18 you are guaranteed poor mental health. You can easily find articles about this stuff online that have been published by major news sources.
I recently started a Facebook page for Peace Initiative. I half regret it because I don’t want to lead people to being on social media anymore than they already are. I’m definitely moving away from social media and general use of the internet. But, for now I have decided to post stuff on the Peace Initiative Facebook page that encourages others to join me in disconnecting. It hasn’t been hard. For the most part, I was on my phone too much. I don’t watch YouTube videos, check the headlines on Fox News, or cruise Facebook. I’m on my phone for a total of 2 hours a day and that includes phone calls, texts, and listening to music when I’m in the car or working out. Very little of that time is spent watching entertainment and checking social media. I’m working on decreasing the time spent on my phone even further.
So, join me in kicking the internet and social media to the curb. Even if it means you not ever checking out the Peace Initiative Facebook page.