Gain Connection with an Internet Diet

I start my morning by listening to television talk shows while I get ready to start my day. Usually, this chatter serves as white noise, but every now and then, something stops me in my tracks. Such a moment occurred recently, and I want to share it with you.

I was prepping for my day with Good Morning America sounding off in the background. George Stephanopoulos was interviewing Amy Adams about her movies, exactly what you would expect from morning TV. Then he asked her about going on an “internet diet.”

Internet diet? I had never heard of this. I was glued to the screen.

Adams explained that after her daughter was born, she imposed limits on her internet use. She only allows herself to check emails and read no more than two online articles at home.  These boundaries allow her to completely engage with her family.

I love this idea.

Once she is home, she ignores Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. For some of us, this would be frightening, like going without food or reality television. She admitted some anxiety about this digital diet, confessing that sometimes she feels like she is missing something important. But she isn’t.

We all attach an artificial importance to the internet, particularly our social networks. We get so wrapped up on what is going on in our digital lives that we forget to cultivate our actual lives. Websites like Facebook are great, but they are no substitute for honest-to-goodness human connection. It just doesn’t make sense to me that people sit in their living rooms, ignoring the people that matter most to them to check in on the lives of strangers.

We could all stand to go on an internet diet, to exercise some discipline with our precious free time. You might feel some unease about the snapshots you miss, but you will cherish the picture you create.