The Lost Art of Being Offline
I read this piece in the New York Times the other day about this growing movement in London bookstores to opt out of having Wi-Fi and coffee shops within their establishments to maintain a disconnected space for customers. Because of the rise of Amazon and other online book outlets, brick and mortar book shops have tried to find innovative ways to continue attracting customers.
While there are some benefits to having internet access and grabbing a drink, I can also see how this is all a distraction. I worked in a bookstore for many years, and what I liked most about it was the meditative experience of discovering a book, becoming engrossed in reading and becoming more informed about the world around me. However, lately, it has become harder to have this experience because someone’s phone is ringing, or they are talking loudly on the phone, or they are screaming at the barista about their skinny, caramel, soy, macchiato, whatever latte.
I think this speaks more to the larger problem of people who feel that they need to be online all the time. Mind you, I make a living off of being online, as I am a web designer and digital marketing professional who spends between 8 to twelve hours a day looking at a computer screen. Nonetheless, I understand the importance of being offline sometimes to enjoy being in the moment. At the beginning or end of my day, I try to read a print book or periodical just to unwind and disconnect and give my eyes a break from the screen.
We went on a couple of short vacations this summer. On one trip I went on a bus tour of Martha’s Vineyard. One of the women on the bus spent most of her time just scrolling her Facebook feed instead of looking at all the beautiful scenery on the island. On another trip, I was surrounded by people who were looking at their phones and computers the whole time and getting mad that the train’s Wi-Fi would stop working intermittently. This one guy was upset because he couldn’t watch Game of Thrones on his computer. I think I was the one person reading an actual book on the bus in this digital oasis without a care in the world.
Am I an “old-fashioned” Gen Xer, or am I just a lost cause? I mean I just don’t get this constant connectivity business. I don’t have this need to post every aspect of my life online. My only digital vice is listening to audio books or some music I download onto my iPod, but I am not going to lose my mind if I don’t have access to said iPod at times.
This is the main reason I don’t go to live concerts anymore. Now when you go, everyone in the theater is taking selfies and recording the whole performance on their phones instead of actually enjoying the concert.
Unfortunately, the online world has also created a space for insecure people who hide behind imaginary personas, saying the vilest, and most of the time, untrue things about people they have never met or spoken to before in person.
Most of the people closest to me aren’t even online as much as I am. Some of them don’t even have online accounts. This new digital frontier has created a generation of people who feel more insecure if they are not sharing online all the time. I like having an offline life. I interact with other people in person, whether it’s at my dinner parties, going on trips with them or just hanging out together. You can not only learn more about that person, but also more about yourself in real time, and that is a lost art form.