Featured In Mail Today, South Delhi Plus: Confessions Of A Netaholic
Mail Today/ South Delhi Plus (I saw the online version on Mail Today but a friend told me he saw it in South Delhi Plus) did a story on Internet addiction yesterday. I’ve been quoted in the main piece and there’s a separate mini-piece with my views.
(Click to see full pages)
(Photograph courtesy Sumit Jagdale)
My muscle aches some months ago, leading to false alarms of arthritis and spondilitis, came as a wake-up call about my posture, lack of exercise and most importantly, my unhealthy computer use. Ten years ago, I quit television and found it opened up a lot of time for me. Now all this while later, I find I’ve just progressed to another kind of screen. Odd it is when I think my favorite tee-shirt shows the evolution of man with the last figure crouched low over a computer screen and a caption that reads,
Something somewhere went terribly wrong!
Over and above the physical repercussions of excessive computer usage, I’m more concerned (and intrigued) with what it is doing to our minds. The Internet isn’t the idiot box but perhaps its effects are deeper. It has changed the way we do everything, from work, to managing our daily chores, to keeping in touch, to amusement, keeping informed, to building and sustaining relationships.
The last is particularly interesting to me. It is ironical that this article should have come at this time because this is the theme that’s big on my mind these days. My entry for NovelRace has to do with modern-day relationships, in the wake of technology and its effects on the social fabric, behaviour patterns and our expectations of each other. I didn’t want to talk about it, this early but perhaps I should, considering that the Internet is a social medium and writing about it should automatically include other people. So yes, it’s quite possible that I’m thinking of you when I’m creating my characters and making things happen to them.
I’m going to end by saying perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing, being a netaholic after all. Call it research for the book. 😉
Awesome! Thats something, being featured in a paper! 🙂 Congrats!
And you are a very pretty looking girl! 🙂
All the best for your book! I promise to pre-order your book! 🙂
.-= Ms Taggart´s last blog ..All about being Gay! =-.
Totally agree with what you said there!
I used to be an internet addict too. The minute I switch on my computer, I cannot just turn it off! So I control it by not taking my power cord with me, thus making sure that I browse only till the time I have power! That way, I can control my non-work time over the net!
But when I am on a vacation, I am on one! I just do not open the comp, and we have competitions on who among me and husband will open their comp first! Both of us want to win, and so we open it only after the vacation is officially complete! 🙂
.-= Ms Taggart´s last blog ..All about being Gay! =-.
Time to send Ideasmith in Iss jungle se mujhe bachao? No connectivity 🙂
I guess it must have been hard initially to cut down those 1-2 hrs.
.-= Sudeep´s last blog ..Ek kunwara phir gaya maara =-.
I very well thought that was you when I read the article. I agree with what you said about net-addiction and cant wait for your book to come out. TC.
You’ve turned into something of a blogging celebrity, haven’t you? 🙂
Belated birthday wishes R. Wishing you everything your heart desires.
Much love,
SwB
@Ms Taggart: Thank you. And oh, THANK YOU! 😀
@Sudeep: :-p If I go live in a jungle, there won’t be any more blogging or tweeting! Are you that tired of my writing, already?
@Shaz S: Hey girl, are you in Delhi?
@SwB: Hardly. The story wasn’t so much about blogging as about people who spend too much time online. But yes, most of my online time is spent on blogging activities. Much much thanks for the budday wishes! 🙂