Being Connected All The Time
I am addicted to the net. I need to login every day. I can sit behind the computer for hours to end. Yet I refuse to use Blackberry because it'll get me connected all the time. I dont need that. I need my unconnected moments. Sitting there and read, or just watch the world goes by.
I know some Indonesian are rather proud of being always connected. Having all devices available to achieve that. Updating every minute details of their lives. I've seen people fall out because of some stupid status updates. I dont need that. It even scares me to think about it.
Yes, I blog. I'm guilty of putting way too much personal information in this blog. Yes, I have a couple of social media accounts which I mostly use to connect with my family as I dont use Blackberry as most of them. Each time I want to delete it, someone protested. Yes, I have a twitter account since this year because I had to contact this university for work and never use it again after that.
There was this conversation the other day on why there are almost 200million mobile user in Indonesia. I was told it's because we have traffic jam and Indonesians love to chat. I'm sorry, but I think it's because Indonesians arent into reading. Take any public transport in Jakarta, I bet you'll find people glue into their cellphones and virtually no one read any thing. Take any public transport in NL you'll find someone reading a book or a newspaper. With all the hours we spend being in the traffic, if we read instead of chat/text we probably can increase the book sales in Indonesia.
When asked why one needs more than one cellphone in Indonesia? Someone said it's because sometimes the battery ran out and she needs to be always connected and she needs to compartmentalize all her calls. That girl is not the only person I know who carries more than 2 cellphones with her in Jakarta. I know some carries up to 6 (!) cellphones. I'm guilty of carrying two old cellphones, one prepaid for work and one postpaid (my dad's old number) just in case I forgot to top up the prepaid one, and I dont always remember charging them. And since I dont remember my dad's number, I only give out my prepaid number to people.
At one point someone (unknowing about the girl situation) commented that one of the reasons why there are more divorces in Jakarta is the fact that people spend too much time on their Blackberry and not enough time with their partner. I guess there's a truth in it when that girl replied very crossed about that statement.
Back in Ireland, I didnt notice the Irish reaching for their cellphones all the time. It was only the Indonesians who did that. Seriously, lay off the cellphone every now and then, we lived without them for ages, how come now it's such a weird thing not to be connected all the time?
3 comments:
It's a blessing and a curse. It is gonna be an ever harder struggle to keep control of one's time. But I don't think we can weather the storm of technology.
Though it isn't proof of anything, I still remember TV became a common commodity. At the time we ( my wife and I) postponed one or two years buying one (because we didn't want our little children to waste their time). Well, you can guess what happened next.
Till this moment I'm about the only Dutchman without a cellphone (well actually I have one from the stone age. I don't carry it with me. I exclusively use it to do a little internet-banking). But pressure keeps mounting - especially produced by my daughter- to join the masses.
I pray: Give me strength! :)
just found out this article: http://m.theawl.com/2011/03/my-life-without-a-cell-phone-an-amazing-tale-of-survival
@ triesti: I was nodding all the time while I read this article. But when I did hit upon the remark on emoticons I felt a little embarrassed. I also refused to use them till last year. But now... well ...:(
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