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I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a classic movie with a bunch of merry friends from all walks of life, all of them in their forties. We watched "Suspiria", an Italian horror classic from 1977. We had loads of snacks, drinks and comfy seats, so everything was set for a nice movie night. But, unbeknownst to my friends, I would also use this night to find out whether twelve people were able to focus on the screen for 90 minutes straight in the age of the internet.
The intro alone saw the first hands reaching for their cellphones. WhatsApp messages arrived, friends and families reported on their evening events and a bunch of spontaneous invitations and tips were passed around. A babysitter gave the all-clear and, while they were at it, it was obviously time to check out the weather forecast. Not only did director Dario Argento's intro create suspense and awaken expectations, it also prompted the viewers to google all the other movies he directed. Afterwards, Facebook popped up with Sunday appointments and fitness apps reminded users they still had do walk 2,000 steps to reach the "golden 10,000".
Enter Udo Kier, a well-established German bad guy with a knack for demonic facial expressions. Hadn't they seen him before? Google to the rescue. Good lord had this actor been in a lot of movies! The soundtrack met with general approval but also seemed strangely familiar, time for another Google search. Next, a qualified comment out of left field expressed concern that the movie had been cut. A quick research revealed it to be the "Limited Collector's Edition Uncut", accompanied by a sigh of relief from the knowledgeable audience. As the movie picked up speed, there were less distractions and incentives for them to reach for their cellphones. It didn't really matter anymore who was playing the leading role or where the movie had been shot. The movie's magic seemed to still work, even though they were conditioned to expect a steady and more varied stream of information and entertainment.
Though still a success, the evening got me thinking. Are we (or many of us) addicted to the internet? Shortly after the end credits rolled, many of my friends, semi-consciously, reached for their smartphones. A quick survey revealed most of them also use their devices as alarm clocks and to check the weather first thing in the morning, before they even set foot outside their beds. Breakfasts are supervised by YouTube, wake up tips, nutrition advice or performance enhancement strategies and plus 10-minute instant meditations. Goals from yesterdays game, the latest news and trends on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - in 2019, the day starts with information overload. And it doesn't stop once users arrive at their workplaces. Cellphones dish out shipment notifications for online orders and provide instant access to details, like visiting hours of the family physician, what's on at the movies and the latest snapshots aunt Hilda sent from her recent Yellowstone trip.
Many apps mean many push notifications: cheap gas, great grocery store deals, fitness tips or mundane reminders to take a drink of water. There's an ongoing informational buzz vying for our attention. Many workdays no longer end once workers leave the office but continue through online messaging - a nightmare for nine to five jobbers. And at home, social media, YouTube and, naturally, the big streaming services are waiting to eat away at your leisure time - even more so should you dare to install their free apps, which you probably will because you might miss something otherwise!
The feeling of missing out, whether its plain information or entertainment, puts people under pressure these days. On average, Germans look 90 times at their cellphones every day, that's roughly one look every 10 minutes on a 16-hour day. Manufacturers are working hard to improve battery life to allow for days of uninterrupted cellphone use - due to consumer demand. Being online used to be the exception, then became a growing trend with 24/7 online availability and has now become the norm, taking a huge chunk out of peoples' social lives. This phenomenon affects everyone, irrespective of age, social class or level of education. Nowadays, every internet outage leads to an outpouring of rage and despair, preferably on social media sites. It's as if individual happiness and personal self-fulfillment hinge on internet connectivity, with a motley bunch of outraged netizens, a cross-section of society, demanding revenge and compensation for a loss subjectively perceived as excruciatingly bitter.
Still, there are some who buck this trend, giving rise to the creation of cafés that ban the use of cellphones. These internet abstainers not only restrict WLAN hours for their children but also for themselves. Apps that enforce internet-free hours and check emails just once a day are already available to support this movement. Others have board game or literary evenings during which cellphones are shut down. Gradually, people are beginning to understand that not every email or whatsapp message deserves an instant reply and that current news reports don't vanish into thin air after 30 minutes. Time and leisure, two central themes in this movement, have also led to the resurgence of reading corners, some of you may remember them from your grandparents. Spending undisturbed quality time with a good book (or e-reader, if you must) is en vogue again and a welcome method of relaxation. My next movie night will be mostly cellphone-free (11 votes for, 1 vote against). Babysitter calls are okay but all other activities, whether communication, information or entertainment-related, will have to wait. Let's wait and see how that'll turn out!
What I would like to know: How much do you need the internet? I'll go first: a lot but I'm trying to cut down on internet use. How about you?
Sven Hi,
Have been reading through the comments made by your readers and note that it covers a multitude of issues.
Hobbies, Utube, social media et al.
One issue not covered and missed by me in mine earlier comment, is the common sight of drivers using their mobile whilst driving. It is more dangerous than been drunk driving. Yet it appears to be socially acceptable to do this.
I wonder what such drivers would feel like if one of there children was killed by someone using a mobile.
As always your articles prompt a diverse range of comments, keep up the good work.
IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder) and Nomophobia is changing (destroying?) society as we know it. And unlike some encryption software, there's no backdoor to 'crack' these problems.
It's freightening to see more and more people using their mobile devices while walking or driving - even though it's illegal in many countries.
Where will it end?
Good article Sven,
In sensible terms the Internet is a tool to simplify many methods of communication, learning and research in every field of daily life among everyone who has internet use.
As with many resources it is also used and abused by many miscreants for individual illegal gain.
Nomophobia is the name for cell-phone addiction.
I'm trying to cut down on internet use
Thanks Sven! I have a suggestion: How about if you (or someone else) writes an article "Internet as a new way of living". I think the 'older' ones of us have a luck of leaving thru the huge change in history of civilization. Internet is not - and it will never be a choice. We just need to learn how to use it to our benefit. Thanks to internet - companies like Ashampoo (recently I read circa 60 employees) become GLOBAL companies. As I said earlier - almost all of cumulative knowledge of entire civilization is at our fingertips. This are just two examples.
I think this is not a matter of choice. It is a question: 'What do we do with it'. Greetings!
Hi Mr. Dziembaj, an interesting idea indeed! Though I'm uncertain whether we can agree upon what is the optimal way to use the internet in our editorial office. But we'll give it some thought!
I agree with all of the people, who commented before me. But on the other side, I'm writing this comment before eating breakfast, after my first cigarette :)
You can get overboard with your connection to Internet exactly the way you are addicted to cigarettes. At some point in my life I wasn't going to the movie theaters, because there I couldn't smoke for 1.5 hours. The solution is simple: the phones can be consciously turned off when not needed. There are people who go in a group to restaurants and first person, who picks up the phone pays 'penalty' used later as a tip for the waiter. Some people (me included) turn off their sound notifications and act only, when they decide on the graphic notification icons on the phones with designated time for that - not like Pavlov's dogs. But all of this is for us to learn to exist in the world with new ways of accessing information and the fact that the almost all of the cumulative knowledge of our civilization is in the reach of our hand (assuming we have a cell phone/PC and Internet access). For the long time I refused to use smart phone, until my service provider forced me to buy more expensive model stating, that my older model is not supported and there is no offer to replace it without buying much more expensive 4G model. I still manage to use my smartphone strictly as a phone with 'text-voice-mail) and two little games I play to kill time when waiting/travelling on a subway or in the doctor's office.
As you can see I still can't express myself in max. three lines of text :)
There's no need for anyone to hold back here! I appreciate every comment and, this time, they're are so cogent that I can hardly argue with any of them.
Greetings Sven...I'm 71 and actually started communicating in the late 70s with dial up message boards. I do not have any social media apps the exception being whats app to contact my flight instructor. I'm a very curious person so i find I use the internet much as you guests did during the movie to answer questions. Having answers at your fingertips is a wonderful thing. I am also a DYIer I never pay to have something done that i can do myself...love YouTube it seems if I have a problem someone has already solved it. I find it to be an essential, quickly available tool in a quest for knowledge and using the right end of a screwdriver :oP... enjoy your day
Ha!
What a surprise the internet seems to rule most peoples lives. You are continually bombarded with how busy you are but then in reality spend much of your time wasting it on the internet,
Why, will the world stop if you ignore it for the next ten seconds.
Take a breath, relax, LEAVE THE WORLD TO ITS OWN DEVICES.
You will be better for it. My own use is restricted to my laptop. My mobile is for telephone or messages only.
Hello Sven,
I use a lot of Internet at work because I need it to find drivers for PC, or to find solutions to problems using applications (I work in a helpdesk).
At home, it's for messaging, weather, games ... But I always use it on PC, not on smartphone. I do not want to look like all the people I see in public transport who only look at their phones, they sometimes even put themselves in danger because they are distracted by all the apps that grab them. My smartphone is used to send sms, listen to music, make photos or videos, sometimes play (not online), and even phone.
I find the Internet indispensable when working on a music upload for YouTube, but not owning a smart phone I can not and would not Google anything during a, movie or dinner or whatever.
I have a smart phone that I never use for the Internet - it's for emergencies when I am out of the house and when I am traveling.
I have a tablet that I only use when I am waiting in a doctor's office or before I go to bed. I only use it as an e-reader.
I have a laptop that my grandchildren use. It is not connected to the Internet.
I have an ipod touch that I only use to listen to music.
I have an echo dot that I think is totally useless.
I have two desktop computers. One is for work and one is for fun. When I am home I check for email about 5 times a day. I also use one desktop to stream movies and TV shows. That's it.
I think it's rude when people take out their phones during social situations. I was having lunch with a friend when she pulled out her cell phone. I asked her if she thought I was boring. She didn't understand the question.
Hello Sven, ok ... I will go 2nd. Although I need the internet a lot I started cutting down as well. I never signed up for any social network because my privacy is more important to me. I usually don't read blogs or give a comment - you are the exception! A year ago I was thinking that apparently I still needed the internet way to much and I did something good for me and good for somebody else - I adopted a 2 year old rescue dog. Now we are going for our daily walks with just water for him, a napkin just in case and my house keys - no phone. First I thought I might miss a whatsapp etc but then I actually enjoyed my "off time". Or just this afternoon - sitting in the yard (20 C and sunshine), the dog sniffing for only he knows what and me reading a book. The phone was left in my home office and I didn't care. By now I realized again how relaxing time can be. I sure would have voted with your 11 friends ;)
Best wishes to anyone and if you don't try you don't know what you are missing .......
As far as your question, I need the internet a lot also. Being in IT kind of demands it. I cut down my personal usage by reading books.
I haven't ever watched Suspiria but I own the album of the soundtrack as well as several more by Goblin who did lots of soundtracks for Italian horror flicks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZ2rdbDHM4
Oh, I have to go. I have to check my phone impulsively. ;)