Would you give up the Internet for a year?
By Guest Author
May 2nd, 2012
This is a guest post by Geri Butner. Follow her on Twitter @geributner.
Today, the senior editor of a prominent technology blog announced that he is quitting the Internet for an entire year. Paul Miller of The Verge claims an Internet sabbatical has appealed to him for a while, and now he’s making it a reality. My initial thought? Paul Miller is crazy.
As someone who spends a lot of time working with social media and online publications, my heart skips a few beats when I think about not having access to the Internet powers that be. Not only will Paul be blocked from social media sites such as Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook (hasn’t anyone told him you’re not a real person unless you’re on Facebook?), but he’ll also lack everyday resources that we take for granted, like search engine capabilities and online news.
The fact that Paul is the senior editor at a technology blog only further heightens the impact that his hiatus will have on him, as well as those around him. Social media wouldn’t be social without the hundreds to thousands of people you connect with on them, so imagine the confusion that will be caused when all of Paul’s friends and followers realize they can only reach him by phone or traditional mail. Venturing outside of the confines of how this experiment will affect just Paul, the communication patterns of his family, friends and colleagues will be affected, as well.
With that being said, my second thought was this: maybe Paul Miller is not so crazy. In fact, maybe he’s even onto something here. If Paul is able to complete his self-imposed, Internet-free sentence, then his experience will provide interesting insight into the evolution of modern communication. Questions will be answered, such as: can a person successfully function as a professional in today’s society without the social networking, on-demand information and sharing capabilities of the Internet? Are we so dependent on the Internet that we’ve forgotten how to communicate in more traditional ways?
The Harvard Business Review would even go so far as to ask if the Internet is stifling innovation in communication. “Compared with the staggering changes in everyday life in the first half of the 20th century wrought by electricity, cars, and electronic communication, the digital age has brought relatively minor alterations to how we live,” writes Justin Fox, editorial director. “Electricity is still electricity, and still generated mostly with fossil fuels; cars are better but not all that much better, and still propelled almost entirely by fossil fuels. Only communication has been truly transformed, but is the transformation really as profound as the advent of telegraphs, radio, and TV?”
It does seem that Mr. Fox may have a point here. While the Internet has opened up the floodgates for creativity and an unprecedented exchange of ideas, have we allowed it to distract us from true innovation? Will Paul make discoveries about the ways we communicate and innovate that are possible only after he has released himself from the confines of the Internet? This has yet to be seen, but I, for one, am very interested in what Paul will have to say about modern communication at the year’s end.
What will you want to know about Paul’s Internet-free experience?
Entry Filed under: Internet
36 Comments Add your own
1. RaceTalk | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:28 pm
New RaceTalk Post: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/zbfdTIoR
2. Racepoint Group | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/epFhM3GM via @racetalk
3. Racepoint Group | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/epFhM3GM via @racetalk
4. Geri Butner | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Check out my latest RaceTalk blog: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/dlPoJqjl
5. Brittany Falconer | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Not sure if I could! RT @geributner: Check out my latest RaceTalk blog: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/XJ0RhdVv
6. Cheri (Lapane) Keith | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/XWwFH3Dn
7. Racepoint Group | May 2nd, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/C5lf0O3x via @RaceTalk Blog
8. Grainne | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/Mb2MVHCC
9. Grainne | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/Mb2MVHCC
10. Sandy George | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/uDSbX87t
11. Sandy George | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/uDSbX87t
12. Jenna Caswell | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/62CXxdGE
13. Jenna Caswell | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/62CXxdGE
14. Evan Siff | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/iAymEHiP
15. Glen Gracia | May 2nd, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Great blog post by @geributner RT @RaceTalk: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/4QGv71ab
16. Brent R. Carney | May 2nd, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/GNg6Glsz
17. Jen Signorini | May 2nd, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/y08XTy3W
18. Morgan O'Leary | May 2nd, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/5kt3gaFA
19. Monika Yeung | May 3rd, 2012 at 1:36 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/oiiyQTpm
20. Karan Chadda | May 3rd, 2012 at 7:56 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/f6UC4DRH
21. Alexander Gandhi | May 3rd, 2012 at 7:59 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/9Ir2QsM9
22. Nicola Waterman | May 3rd, 2012 at 8:11 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/rhwpji7R
23. Amanda Sina Griffith | May 3rd, 2012 at 11:28 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/eVFwBaex
24. Deanna Meservey | May 3rd, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/1J5Om71p
25. Samantha Hamilton | May 3rd, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Great post from @GeriButner! Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/9LkY96mr
26. Pamela Charpie | May 3rd, 2012 at 12:57 pm
@racepointgroup's @geributner asks: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/hBxHPdTZ
27. Ally Peebles | May 3rd, 2012 at 1:06 pm
@racepointgroup's @geributner asks: Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/zWCNCJJp My answer? Absolutely not!
28. Allison Kuhn | May 3rd, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/s2pQ1YP3
29. Dan Carter | May 3rd, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/U1sLeNob
30. Paul Roberts | May 3rd, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Interesting read…but no, I wouldn't do it. RT @danrpg Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/sjCHM8Kh
31. Theresa Masnik | May 4th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/xk2wEkN5
32. Nate Towne | May 4th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Oh please. Nev. ER! Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/Fvqko8He
33. Jon Temerlies | May 6th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/CscEgXQq
34. Bernie Muir | May 7th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/CscEgXQq
35. Samantha Porter | May 7th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/yOvgvpqm
36. John Fitzsimmons | May 7th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Would you give up the Internet for a year? http://t.co/aT5KDHfU
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