Strauss: Use online resources wisely, with purpose

It’s one thing to say the Internet is bad for us; it’s another thing to act on that… It’s one thing to say the Internet is bad for us; it’s another thing to act on that belief.

Most people, at some point in their lives, have done something hypocritical. Many members of our generation would admit that a few of our technological advances — especially in the social-networking arena — are negatively impacting society. However, if you’re in fact someone who agrees with that statement, consider the number of times today you’ve checked your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. How about the time you’ve spent playing Words With Friends or Draw Something?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we should be spending that time playing Scrabble or Pictionary or having a real conversation over dinner instead of Facebook-chatting over a Lean Cuisine. The good old days blah blah blah. But we can’t go back in time. We don’t want to. Life is what’s happening right now, and we’ve come a long way. Instead of longing for the past, we should be cognizant of the fact that not all new conveniences are good and adjust our behavior accordingly. Specifically, Americans need to realize that the Internet, like other inventions that promised speedy results (Ephedra, tanning beds, fast food restaurants, etc.), is a mixed blessing.

Technology facilitates procrastination. Think about the cutting and pasting you’ve done today, the hours you’ve spent clicking through links on Wikipedia and the number of Paranoid Parrot memes you’ve viewed. Sure, the Internet allows easy access to information we used to have to comb the library for, but are we efficiently utilizing our newfound time?

The truth is, this readily available data makes us listless. If you don’t like the direction an online article has taken, you can click on a new link before you arrive at the ultimate point. For instance, you could click a link for “dinosaurs” on Newt Gingrich’s Wikipedia page and never finish reading his information, which means you’ll always associate him with dinosaurs (which is not completely off-base — he is old, scary and pea-brained). The web makes it hard for us to keep our attention fixed on any one topic and instead pushes us to drift along in the information flow. The illuminated flat screen of our three-dimensional world is not itself a three-dimensional world. It is a simulacrum full of secondhand knowledge and hyper-realities.

The Internet affects us in two other negative ways. One is obvious: We can easily become three-legged bunnies to cheetah-like online predators. We’re well aware of the dangers of revealing too much information online or trusting someone too easily. When you’re talking to a “friend” online, you don’t know if it’s actually them. The nature of companionship changes and you have to develop a special conscience. Which brings me to the second way the Internet negatively affects people: through a personal information overload. Did your boss see pictures you uploaded from St. Patrick’s Day weekend? Perhaps some of your friends are perturbed by your new status updates every 30 minutes. If you use the check-in feature, your mom probably found out you visited a tattoo parlor yesterday. It doesn’t matter if you got the Tweety Bird tat where the sun don’t shine, mom knows now!

Thankfully, you can stay current without getting sucked into hyper-reality by following these tips. If you’re writing a paper, take your laptop to a study area without Wi-Fi. Anything you need to look up online can be discovered later once you’ve composed a rough draft. Make comments in the margins or use the highlight function to ensure you won’t forget what’s missing. This way you won’t be tempted to start falling down the web’s rabbit hole and can create a rough product that subsequent Internet searches will flesh out.

Don’t put Twitter and Facebook applications on your cell phone. Designate a time when you’re allowed to check these social-networking sites — i.e., before bed, while having your morning coffee, during the break in your busy day from 12 to 1, etc. I wouldn’t recommend installing games on your phone either, particularly ones you play against friends. While I enjoy the occasional Words With Friends match, the people I played with got angry when I didn’t play them back right away. I felt pressured to respond immediately and eventually resorted to deleting the game.

Though it’s tempting to click your mouse a few times and view the intimate details of people’s lives, you need to be concerned with your own narrative. Why do you give a rat’s tush if one of your 500 friends is drinking the best chai tea latte of her life in gen chem right now?

Final tip of the day: Unless Bono served you the latte, we don’t care to read about it online — so don’t post it.

Contact Courtney at cas136@pitt.edu.