A modern experiment

With the internet comes good things. It's cool to keep up on topics you're interested in, people you want to keep in contact with, and the vastness of general learning that's available is pretty radical.

The internet does however come with bad stuff too. Obvious morally questionable content that comes to mind whenever anyone mentions the bad part of the internet. There's the whole privacy, internet safety and yadda yadda. But one thing that's been driving me nuts is spam I'm getting because of the internet and specifically this blog. Not even spam, but companies trying to get me to announce some new-fangled product, cook book, event or whatever on my blog. Product releases for crap I don't even care about. I've had a lot of different people want to advertise on this blog and some of my other blogs. I know it's not much money, but even if it was, I resist it strongly. I started this blog a long time ago and I've put the work into every post. Not that I'm all that dedicated anymore, but it ticks me off to have some company email me, thinking that I want to post something about their wares, and ride on the back of the labor I've put into this. It's greedy and greasy. I get 2 to 5 emails a day. Some are obvious spam, but some do seem quite legit, with seemingly real people typing them. They're even email multiple times and reference the dates that the previous emails were sent. I'm almost to the point of simply responding with profanity-laced offensive comments in a return email. But, that would be in poor taste. So I've devised another way to stick it to the man, and thus I came up with my modern experiment.

I'm going on a 30 day internet hiatus. And, an email hiatus. 30 days. No blogging, blog reading. No tumblr, no twitter, no social media. No emails. None. I have a cell phone and business can carry on as usual talking in real time. If it's important that we need to communicate, we will.

The purpose of this experiment it to see what it's like before the internet and the pathetic dependance on it that I've developed. I always wonder how much of the whole social media thing is BS. I think it's more than I imagine. People I've never met, will not be driving me nuts via the interwebs for 30 days.

My hope is to read more books and magazine on subjects that fascinate me. To spend more time writing in my journal (which I do a fair bit already), more time drawing and creating things that bring me enjoyment. Most importantly, to be more present with my friends and family when I'm with them instead of reacting to the notification on my phone telling me that something happened on the internet.

I will miss reading my favourite blogs and I look forward to catching up with you after this 30 days is over.

Back November 8th.

Be well, enjoy life, and God bless.