A week without internet? We’re off on Sunday for a week’s holiday in France. And, as always, this means we’re working like very crazy megalomaniacs trying to get everything finished in time – including, as usual, the gazillion last-minute things every client and their sister needs us to absolutely finish by the end of this week, because one week’s delay would cause the world to explode. (I’m waiting for one thing to upload and another to download, while I write this, by the way. I am not slacking off to read eight or nine different social-networking sites. I just discovered that the cottage doesn’t have wi-fi. In my head it had wi-fi. Possibly because the one where we stayed last year did, possibly because one of the others we looked at did. I am now starting to get jittery about spending a week without internet access.
No checking G+, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger. Ed, BritMums every couple of hours between tasks, no catching up on blogs, no using my phone to upload photos to Facebook and Twitter (not to G+ yet – do hurry up and make a Windows Phone app, please, guys! , no random searches of the internet for information, no Upsy Daisy and Charlie and Lola to *cough* babysit *cough* amuse the children. Instead, there will be lots of time to read, to write (yes, it is possible to write without the internet, actually), to run, to swim, to play with the girls, to chat to Chris and his parents, to eat delicious food and drink red wine and eat cheese. OK. I’ll probably have a lovely time, won’t I? [And, yes, there will be someone in the house, so I feel safe telling the world we’ll be away. How would you feel about a week without the internet? Are you off on holiday somewhere this summer, or are you making your own fun at home? Use Technology to Connect, Not Disconnect! We are living in a very exciting age. Technology surrounds us and is a central part of our work, education, and home life. Now, more than ever, we rely on advancing technologies to help us with day-to-day life as well as the more complex tasks. We also rely heavily on technology to communicate.
Every day we send voicemails, e-mails, text messages, and instant messages. We enter chat rooms, talk on our cell phones, post comments on social networking sites and even talk with each other over web-cams. With each new advancement people can be brought closer together, even if they are miles apart. However, there is also a downside that can occur in the midst of all this advancement. Many people run the risk of relying to heavily on things like email and text message to communicate, causing a lack of person-to-person interaction.
Basically, if you aren’t careful and aware, the technology that was meant to further connect you to your loved ones can have the opposite affect and disconnect you, drawing you apart. Technology is a wonderful thing and can greatly help you stay in touch during times apart, but you have to have a balance between high-tech chatting and good old fashioned one-on-one communication in order to make your relationship (whether a friendship, family relationship, or romantic relationship) stay strong and connected.
