As much as it pains me to make the title of this post a reference to a country song, Brad Paisley's song, "Online" actually is a good example of one of the issues that Katie Couric and William Powers discuss
here. In the song, Paisley compares his seemingly lame real life to his impressive online presence. He sings that every time he logs on, he grows taller and loses more weight, implying that he lies about himself online to impress others.
 |
| "Alright got my new profile pic, you can have these back now Keith." |
Powers acknowledges this type of behavior, and postulates that people need the interaction with others via the internet to validate themselves. Couric says that this is breeding "digital narcissists," and I have to agree with this. Like Paisley's song, I have seen people and honestly been guilty of stretching the truth, exaggerating, or spinning things online to get a reaction from others.
 |
| Digital Narcissist |
But it seems to me in general, many things people (myself included) post, tweet, share, etc. are obviously just desperate grasps for attention. Subsequently, just as Powers relates digital overload to drug addictions, we get little jolts of pride and pleasure when we see someone 'liked' a post or picture we posted. He says that because of this instant gratification and validation, we develop a need to constantly be connected. As Couric describes, this need affects all aspects of our lives, from sex to church. It can even strain relationships in the 'real' world, as we lose the ability to be patient and/or focus.
 |
| "Driving is sooo boring #amiright" |
The scenario depicted above is not too far-fetched, as the need for constant updates and connections has led to unfortunate events like
this. Are we
too connected because of digital media? Powers suggests that we are, and he has even implemented a "digital Sabbath" (he unplugs the modem on weekends) in his house to help repair the distance growing between family members. He acknowledges that digital media is important and even tweets daily, but he thinks that we need a balance so to not have a digital overload. An article on
NPR also describes the need for a balance with technology, relating digital media to food in that too much can cause problems even though we need it.
 |
| "This tweet is going right to my thighs" |
This balance though is hard to attain. How do we know when we are relying too much on digital media, and when it affects our personal or professional lives? Think about the last time you were alone...actually alone. Can you even think of a time? For me it's probably only when I am in the shower. But even then my phone is nearby, and sometimes when I hear that I have a text, I will reach out to check, so even then I am not truly alone.
.jpg) |
| "Bro, I was just scrubbing some mad soap. Real talk" |
This summer, I went to Ireland by myself, and naturally I turned off roaming on my phone as to not accrue massive charges. Thusly, when I went exploring, I felt very lost without the internet, especially when I was literally lost. On Sunday, when most stores are closed or open briefly in Ireland, I was legitimately worried I would not be able to eat that day until I found WiFi and was able to look up places that were open. Even when I met up with classmates there, whenever we went out to eat somewhere with WiFi, we immediately all whipped out our phones to check Facebook, message friends, etc. I never realized how reliant I really was on digital media until this experience. I even found out about the Colorado movie theatre shooting from a taxi driver, not from tweets or websites like I would have back in the US.
So I do believe that a balance is needed, so we do not push family and friends away by immersing completely ourselves in our online identities. Digital media is not inherently a problem, but can definitely negatively affect people who overuse it to the extent that it becomes an addiction. I feel we all need to create our own "Digital Sabbaths" like the Powers family, even if it just means turning a phone off in class, or not checking Facebook at work. Hopefully then, we will start to appreciate people in the real world more and move away from the need for constant digital validation. Such as when I pulled a Paisley, on my first day in Ireland when I made a complete ass out of myself in a pub, but relayed the experience to the "digital crowd" like so:
 |
| I'm so much cooler online |
.jpg)
