Dear Herculodge,
Over the last 10 years, a creeping Internet and general computer addiction has afflicted to me so that when my computer goes out or I have to update software or I have to reload my iTunes and iPod I suffer from acute anxiety as if my whole being is being threatened. Is my computer addiction the cause of my unhappiness or does my unhappiness predispose me to my computer addiction?
Dear Reader,
Your sense of anxiety is neither the cause nor symptom of computer addiction or your unhappiness. Rather, your unhappiness and addiction exist in a symbiotic relationship. The interdependence is a messy tangle that millions of people suffer and because being glued to one's computer is so pervasive it is often perceived as "normal" when in fact such a dependence, one that gives profit-glory glee to marketers, is the cause of a host of pathologies, not the least of which is that terminable isolation on the computer causes a warped sense of reality. So as you try to emancipate yourself from your addiction, do not fall into the either/or fallacy or, to use a colloquialism, don't get lost in what came first, the chicken or the egg.
You would be wise to do several "non-computer activities" throughout the day such as rigorous exercise and housework in order to give yourself a healthy distance?
Is it possible to actually free oneself from the computer? I doubt it. The computer's easy access to commerce, information, and creative tools, the very qualities that make it so dangerous, are also the very qualities that make it such compelling technology. You must concede that there will be a certain degree of addictive behavior but that you will mitigate your addictive tendencies by creating balance through activities that exist outside the realm of your computer.
reader,, see "are you addicted to your personal website" in neurotic chronicles. herculodge has a self examining post on a relative of your percieved malady. it may give you some additional insight.
Posted by: gerald johnson | June 27, 2008 at 02:04 PM
I forgot I had posted that. Addictions must be on my mind. Funny, coming from a radio lover.
Posted by: Carrie | June 27, 2008 at 03:02 PM
i meant to ask, is "the beast god forgot to invent " worth a read?
Posted by: gerald johnson | June 27, 2008 at 05:57 PM
One of my favorite novels of the last several years--not the mention the fact that it's terse. I love short novels.
Posted by: jeffrey McMahon | June 27, 2008 at 06:07 PM