Written by Peter Weilnböck
Published on: 2023-03-31
I ramble a bit about issues I have with my use of the digital world.
It has not been long, since I started this blog. And I really enjoyed it so far. But from the very beginning there was a small struggle for me. Something that did not properly add up.
On the positive side, the blog pushes me to create stuff and present my ramblings to the whole world to see. The slight discomfort of putting my writing up for public scrutiny, the drive to continue to write and not give up again are just two of the effects, that certainly will help me grow and expand my comfort zone.
But: I spend my professional live in front of a screen, and a lot of my personal time as well. In principle I would like to get away from screens as much as possible, and cultivate hobbies that allow me to do that. The blog does the exact opposite. Writing a blog post forces me to spend more time in front of a screen. More time typing, even though I am struggling with a repetitive stress in my wrists anyways.
I could focus more on other hobbies. I would like to make another notebook cover, in this case for my coffee notes. I want to write more, using tools that I enjoy: fountain pen and nice paper. I like to cook and to ferment stuff. Reading in proper books. Preparing in more detail for ttrpg sessions, also using the physical rule and source books. But this would kind of mean giving up on the blog. Which is something that I don’t want to do.
The problem is of course exacerbated by my use of Mastodon. I do not post much, but I read it. And, because of how my mind works, I read it fully. So, all posts of people I follow will get at least skimmed. I try to curate my feed, to only focus on the stuff that is actually interesting for me, but this still means, that there are hundreds of posts to scroll through each day. On the one hand, this is nice, since those posts are what inspire me to do a lot of stuff, such as this blog. Or getting more into various ttrpg systems again. On the other hand, it is more time that I spend glued to a screen.
And the whole problem goes deeper. Taking my phone, or sitting in front of my computer are kind of my default go-tos for many things. I want to research something? Looking through the web, on my computer. Looking for recipes for lunch? Computer. Bored? Computer, Phone, or Youtube over the TV. The book series I am currently reading, I only have as e-book and therefore: I also read on my phone. Most of my time is spent in front of screens.
While I do not think, that the digital world is inherently bad and needs to be avoided, everything becomes bad once it is done excessively. There is a german saying: “Die Dosis macht das Gift” - “the dose makes the poison”. And for me, the time I spend in front of various screens is too much.
I know, that I am not alone in this struggle. It seems, like this is one of the basic struggles in the modern world - one of the more minor, inconsequential ones to be sure, but still one that effects most of the first world.
Do I have a solution for that? No, I do not. Not really. I will try to engage in more non-digital activities. Maybe write a few blog posts first on paper? Then I will have a second read of them before posting, which might increase the quality a bit. Also, I can try to not use my phone as default distraction. Maybe get bored a bit? Being bored is supposed to be healthy anyways.
It is especially difficult, because I enjoy my digital live. I like engaging with people on Mastodon, or just reading their stories. I like writing those blog posts. And I really like researching random stuff online.
If anyone has some tips and ideas, please comment, but I think this struggle is something that I simply have to live with.