I’ve been thinking of a small life experiment. It is brought on by a combination of things.
First, I’ve spending a lot of time lurking at dKos and BMT, becoming as informed as I think I have ever been in my life. I might best be described as a lab rat punching the refresh button in order to get my next fix of instant access information.
Second, the price tag for gaining this information has become something of a burden. I feel kind of isolated from regular people, because most of them are not accessing the information. They are still drinking the Kool Aid, and blissfully ignorant, and just don’t want to hear about it all.
Third, my alienation has me thinking about two iconic cultural ideas, one old and one new. The first is Walden – the idea of getting back to the basics to examine one’s life. And, the second is from the movie Super-Size Me – the idea of experimentally immersing oneself into the culture.
And these thoughts, have led me to my little life experiment.
Starting Monday morning, I’m chucking my daily routine of scouring the Internet for news. For the rest of the summer (to August 31) no more reading the truly informative stuff on dKos and BMT. Or anywhere else on the Internet. No T.V. news. I’m going to get all my information from the NYT.
No more interactive conversations analyzing the news. Just read the Times. Get the same information that is available through the MSM – about twenty-four hours later than those of you who are so well informed on these sites.
My goals are two. One, clear my head and re-connect to the folks who have not been unplugged from the Matrix, while spending less overall time pursuing the news. And two, write a series of diaries giving some insight into what people out there in the world, who are not connected to the blog world are hearing and thinking. (I know – how can you give up blogging and still write diaries? I’ll squint my eyes so as not to read the headlines – scout’s honor.)
Talk to y’all after my Summer of Ignorance Tour.
Oooh, I don’t think I could do that…you have a lot more guts than me. I had a day and a half without internet access after a thunderstorm, and I watched TV for the news! Awful.
Best of luck, I will be looking for your diaries, should be very interesting.
And then you’re going to respond to them, right?
I’ve been toying with the idea of putting my blog addiction on hold as well. But in my case, it’s not so much a case of trying to be informed in the same way as the general public (do they really read the NYT?) as of trying to avoid the strain on my eyes, time, and emotions when I could be doing something more beneficial.
I now am getting involved with a project at VerifiedVoting.org that promises to make good use of my skills (software, editing) without requiring some of the things that I find difficult (adhering to a rigid schedule, etc.). I’ll also be going on a vacation soon. So I think today will probably be my last blogging day for a while.
Good luck to you in your experiment. I hope we’re both successful!
You might want to check out that blog; this is a reporter who is travelling around to red states and interviewing average Americans. It is a real eye-opener.
That sounds like a good title for the series of diaries?.
I think your experiment sounds fascinating and a bit scary also..I can’t imagine giving up getting news here and having to rely on papers/tv…kinda creepy.
I will look forward with great interest in reading how this is going to turn out.
If you start having withdrawal symptoms, chocolate is always a good antidote.