Check this out.....

[JustAnotherUserName]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090219/tuk-get-off-facebook-and-get-a-life-dba1618.html

Actually, I've been saying this all along. But it doesn't stop me from pulling my computer out every time my butt hits a chair. I often think about the ramifications of all this "online-ness" on my kids. When I was their age, a computer at home was so space age! Offices didn't even have them. (I'm giving away my age here!!)

We are a four-computer family. Three of us live here.

How does one balance the changing times and technology with having an actual life?! They are so intertwined now...!

We have instituted what we call "No Screen Sunday" in our home. The first Sunday we tried it, we decided to go to a movie. Oops. Then, as iPhone and Blackberry users, we debated on whether cell phones counted. We learned that you can't go anywhere or do anything and not be accosted by a screen. Even on the bus on my morning commute I am treated to the transit version of the news (in Spanish and English)! Are we really that unable to entertain ourselves?

We have high hopes for this Sunday. In the meantime, I think I'm really going to go try that life thing.....

[flophousepoodle]

The no screen sundays sound good. I can't imagine figuring out the balance for children in a duel social world. I'm alone 95% of the time due to painting - I've just found ways to combine the two and feel more connected for it. I am considering a break this spring - to get organized.

[JustAnotherUserName]

Geez...you guys are all so smart!! You bring up things I haven't even thought of (and as my husband and children will attest, I know EVERYTHING)!

I know how it is here with the family also pulling me in 27 different directions, yet I still manage to spend an awful lot of quality time with my little MacBook. I think it would be more challenging to pull away if you lived alone and had no responsibilities toward others in the household. I'd never get offline!!

[Jim]

Great discussion. Thanks to Ruth for starting it and to Syd for pointing it out to me. I love social networking online, and video-making is my passion, even though I never have enough time for it. But on Friday, I decided I was falling too far behind in my real life, so I didn't go online much all day. And I accomplished wonders! This online life is such a "time-suck", even though it's (usually) a thoroughly enjoyable one. I have to point out that it does have its advantages for staying in touch with real-life people. Recently I found several relatives on FaceBook, and we're now better in touch with each other than we've been in a long time. I don't know why, but I'm more comfortable sending a message online than picking up the phone and calling them. I express myself better in writing than in speaking sometimes. And I can do it at any time of the day or night. When you think about it, getting together with a friend for an evening takes a huge bite out of your day, but chatting with them online may only take twenty minutes, so it's much more efficient. The worst part about being on the computer a lot is the lack of exercise it gives you. I sometimes am relieved when my son needs my computer, because then I am forced to do other things that desperately need doing. Anyway, there are lots of pros and cons, so I think the answer lies in achieving a balance. What is challenging about doing that is the addictive nature of online life, which always wants to skew us toward being glued to the screen. Let's all try not to be "skewed" by technology, okay? =)