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I recently received an SMS. Since that rarely happens ever since my parents entered the "messenger age" it was either my phone carrier who was trying to foist off entirely useless services on me (Buy smileys? Why don't you have a look at your database to find out how old I am!) or - the last Internet refusenik. There's one in my circle of friends who decided not to go online, who doesn't own a smartphone and whose computer (an old Amiga) has been collecting dust in the attic for the past 30 years. We met over dinner at his place and, as always, that evening gave me a lot to think about.
When you think of people who deliberately stay offline, a lot of clichés come into play. The elderly who don't want to take the final step, the young who have enough on their minds with their pacifiers and those who live in countries that lack a proper Internet infrastructure. But someone in his mid-40s who is well-educated, works and lives in a major city of an industrial nation - who is completely offline? Yes, they exist and at least one of them makes excellent burgers. My buddy Lars* is a craftsman and refuses to be online in any way shape or form. He doesn't live under a rock and knows full well about the advantages of the "digital revolution", yet, he considers the Internet, smartphones and other gadgets inhumane, because they contribute to sensory overload.
Every time I pay him a visit I get to understand him a little better. His place seems strangely empty. No computer, no big flat screen TV or laptop, no charging station with tangled wires, he doesn't even own a classic telephone. His small, old cellphone that requires charging once very few weeks is enough for him. There's a fairly new 20 volume something encyclopedia on his shelf. Right, there was a time when those were around. He gets two newspapers every day, he doesn't like listening to the radio, there's too many ads and too little music he likes. He watches the news when they're on each day and doesn't know what happened in the world before that. And should a news program not fit into his evening schedule, he'll simply watch it the next day. A strange thought in a world of sensationalism with instant availability and an ongoing hunt for clicks.
He doesn't preach about his way of life, you'll only notice his being different once you get to know him better. And it's indeed a pleasant experience that he never messes about with his cellphone or has to leave in a hurry because something came up. He devotes his entire attention to you when you're talking and this may be related to his being constantly offline. Otherwise there'd be nothing to talk about he likes to say. He's right. Whenever I meet people who already document their entire lives through Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram, there's not much else to talk about. But if you haven't heard from each other for months, that's when talks become truly interesting and you barely know how to fit all the news into a single conversation.
His life is completely different. He buys everything at local stores, Amazon & Co. won't make a single dime out of him. He knows almost all his bank clerks by name, naturally, online banking is a no-go for him and he visits his local bank several times a week. Aside from books, CDs, meeting with friends and infrequently watching TV, his old DVD player is the pinnacle of entertainment to him, he also relies on one of the last video rental stores in his area. He has no idea about the latest Internet hypes or which sites are currently en vogue. I'd consider that an information deficit - but he appreciates boredom. Not every moment is filled with fun or excitement, he enjoys being idle. Both his job and his hobbies were the result of boredom, humans would not be the same otherwise or so he says, being slightly philosophical while he was servings desserts.
Should he really change?
The world is moving forward though and he knows it. That even his mother complains about his ancient cellphone - no big deal. But he's often left out during spontaneous get-togethers organized via Whatsapp or Facebook groups. He also can't contribute to talks about the latest series on Netflix between his workmates. If he still intends to become self-employed, he'll eventually have to get up to speed with computers, the Internet and even how to create a homepage. He also gets annoyed when his encyclopedia doesn't have the information he's looking for and he knows very well that he'd probably find it on Wikipedia. Finding a partner who also prefers to stay offline is equally challenging, the target group is shrinking. That's why he recently turned to me as a "computer guy" (a jovial mockery) for advice. He was looking for a smartphone and needed tips on available devices, plans and apps.
I was uncertain as to whether I should open Pandora's box. Should I drive him, one of the last of his kind (at least in my circle of friends), out of paradise? I didn't like the thought of him soon sharing images of cats subtitled "LOL". I promised I'd look into it but I actually just needed time to think. If he truly wants to change his lifestyle, maybe he will, whether I like it or not. It's his decision. Maybe I can learn from him the way he is now. To be clear: if I decided to live like him I'd better quit my job with Ashampoo right away. Always being up to date is a huge part of my work, I wouldn't be able to write about the latest trends and affairs otherwise. But having nothing to do for once or trying out something new to escape boredom - that might actually work!
What I would like to know: having just read this blog, could you imagine yourself living without Internet access or are you even longing to be offline?
- name slightly altered
Short answer: No!
Sven, this is way off-topic, but I wanted to pass my experience along to you, it has the makings of a blog item for you.
I just had a call from the Pakistani office of "Microsoft Systems Tech Support" or something verbally similar, I really didn't catch the exact phrase he used. He wanted to "fix" my computer since their computers showed that mine had a lot of errors in it and the "operating system license" had expired. I kept him on the line for 15 minutes while I "booted up" my computer, complaining about having to re-start the boot up a couple of times, how slow it was, and how long I've had this problem, that I was really glad he called to fix it. Eventually he asked if I had Windows 7. I said "no, I'm operating Linux. Ubuntu Linux." He said something about "just a minute" then the line went quiet. After about a minute, the dial tone. It seems like the opportunistic lowlife can't handle Linux.
Is Lars thinking about selling his Amiga? Some of these early electronics are worth a lot of money. When buying a new PC most people throw their old junk away.
His lifestyle choice is relaxing, but unfortunately one can not enjoy both his style and the digital age style. Once you start using and learning the digital age gadgets you become addicted to the convenience. Like right now I need to check my bank account for funds left, and I do not want to drive to the bank to find out. The convenience gets you hooked, but also can be a major cause of stress. Like all money gone!!
A few years ago I got a mobile call from my Boss. He asked whats that sound? Are you taking a bath? No I am 35km out at sea fishing. I thought I was out of mobile range, and explained to him that after completing all work Assignments I was feeling a bit stressed. Now he made me feel even more stressed and even a bit guilty for being there and not in the office waiting for him to give me my next job. (selling drilling bits for Oil and gas companies). I should have turned the Mobile OFF and gone back to Lars's lifestyle. Everything just turned out fine. But the time I went to Fiji was a bit more complicated. Working from home with all these convenient gadgets and VPN connections often means working 12 hrs or more a day.
A good article. A few of my friends (naturally of close to my age) have been reluctant converts to the always on digital age. I can see many advantages of not being on line but nearly 50 years in the computer industry (as I still think of it) will have their way with me.
that guy has an Amiga gathering dust !!! where does he live??
really enjoyed this blog, brilliant.
Oldenburg, Northern Germany. :)
of course perfect telepathy would be able to replace all above I.T, smartphone apps, GPs and the like gadgets...
Maybe the next evolution in some distant century???
Thanks a lot for your telepathic message. I’ll respond telepathically as soon as my mutation cycle is complete. :)
i have my doubts on his 2 newspapers a day how many sensory overload this represents.
and my many friends from foreign countries won't share anything that keeps them busy in newspapers, nor any latest development on environmentyal level i found there ever, nor any serious info on sustainable construction... I would be nowhere in do-it-yourself for insulation , for solarthermic and ventilation systems and totally dependant on (expensive and not uptodate) companies/contractors and thus cheated more often than not... and not getting what i want because not knowing what exists... and can be affordable
Where already 10y ago found anything explained on specialised websites and high-tech info, nowadays even how-to is not longer picturised but found in youtube!!!
Even most recent yoga program be it american european india of my yoga mediation group i can find it online, as internet refusenik would have to phone them countless times or phone any friend willing to make the internet search in my place....
Even lost in another city could find map and public transport and their timings instantly, can make train/bus/autocar ticket online on my smartphone when not behind my desk computer...
No encyclopedia or phone or newspaper can ever replace the information highway. altough i admit it cost me time it save me time too
Computers are amazing. Mobile phones too. But these two miraculous inventions cause more problems in my life than anything else. I hate them. I wish they had never been invented.
Good article Sven,
The original mobile telephone, great, made better by reducing the size which was comfortable to hold and carry.
If one has a home computer which I have for email, research, photography with Ashampoo programs and gathering information I don't want, or have a use for a 'mini computer with a camera and telephone hooked on. My very small mobile telephone is application free and carried for emergency when away from home.
Owning the above there is no point for me to waste money on a 'smart 'phone' [sic] or other latest 'gadgets', and my land-line telephone is rent-free plus no cost calls, including calls to mini computers with a camera... (:-)
The Internet has wormed its way into our lives as a necessity, for many reasons. But whether Facebook, Twitter, etc. are necessary is highly subjective.
I, personally, would be happy if I'd never heard of social networking, but thrive on the Internet as a source of information. I've never used Twitter (jokingly, who really needs to know how many times I went to the bathroom on any given day, and at what times?), and I increasingly think of Facebook as an obligation to my friends - real friends, not Facebook-only friends.
In my "down time", meaning not on the job, I enjoy being offline more than online. I read books, watch movies, and write, instead.
Could I imagine myself living without Internet access? No. Do I long to be offline? There are times...
There's an old British expression: "moderation in all things". Unfortunately it seems to have been forgotten a generation ago. Today, many people have become obsessive about the internet to the exclusion of so much else in life.
I am old enough to have been brought up by parents who had a strong belief in that maxim. And my early adult life pre-dated computers, smartphones and the internet. I have an internet connection, and I enjoy a bit of emailing, checking the weather forecast, looking up facts, doing some shopping and streaming the occasional movie. But my principal social contact with friends and family is still face-to-face, and that will never change. If I ever took my smartphone out of my pocket while I was in the company of friends, I would sense my late mother's intense displeasure!
The above may sound self-satisfied and smug, but I'm actually trying to say that I regard myself as very fortunate.
Dear Sven, your subjects and concerns I find better and better every day.. Congrats !! I am not Lars unfortunately, as my workplace is in a modern hotel, but my sincere intention is to BECOME LARS as soon as I get (hopefully) hapily retired in just couple of years.
The only comment at this point is : as I see it from 1984 (my strongest involvement with 286 Olivetti Garage app programming) -- Lars lives his life, and the rest of us are living mostly other people's life. The world's guidenance would like to have us ON screen, and a human being needs both REAL PERSON company, same as his own inside being, as a intinate company at times. Everything else leads to quick frustrations, due to lack of time, and unhapiness with yourself.. I wish the best for all of us - a close future accompaniment of just a few good people/friends, providing/and a lack of other people's negative energy.. BR
My computer is connected all day and all night so I don't need to be. It collects email the way my doormat collects mail and I don't use Faecebook for messaging (utterly pointless). SMS is terrific for notes which don't need extended contact and those which do are what the phone is for. That phone is smart so that when I am away from home and without access to the internet (should I need it) it is simply achieved but I have only once reached a GB of use within a month and that's for the inbuilt SatNav which saves me carrying books of mapos as I did before. I watch the TV news at breakfast and I watch fiction on TV at other times: it is just entertainment. I carry a tablet because books are often cumbersome, I love to read and Kindle is a library. My wife uses her phone for TV while commuting and my son watches children's TV on his 10" slate everywhere. When not working I am offline, these machines were invented for utility not slavery. I am over sixty and I grew alongside technology it's all just a tool set.
I had a friend like this. He even got a phone line put back into his place. Old people with English as a second language with only the home phone still fit into this category.
In theory you can live "off grid" but in practice it is getting more difficult to do so unless you are a complete hermit and totally self-reliant.
Having a fall at home opened my eyes to the value of having a strong social network and support services that you can contract in an emergency.
Also in some situations it is best not to know what is going on minute by minute as is the case with Syria or a tragedy in my home city where I was spared the extra stress of the rolling updates as it was already bad enough.
Good stuff Sven!
I have a love/hate relationship with my computer, don't have a cell phone yet, and watch free local TV. When I go to my cabin in the woods, I LOVE the freedom and simplicity being away from those damned gadgets! Reading a good book and chilling in the country is made better by the fact that technology cannot reach me.
Then I have to come back into the city! Aaargh!
So I'm not alone!!!
The only modern thing I own is a Surface pro3 with Win 8.1 pro - I love it!
I was born in the UK but I live in Poland so I have to have some way to keep in touch with my two kids who live in Spain and New Zealand respectively.
We have no TV but we do have a good and fast fibre optic internet connection (120Mb/sec) which gives us plenty of old films and from Amazon Prime and UK TV from TV Mucho.
I use Facebook to "track" the kids and some old friends but otherwise it's a straight basic email for the rest.
We have a fixed phone which gives us free calls to all EU countries plus the USA and Canada and also free calls to cell phones in Poland , USA and Canada.
I have an old Samsung B2100 for emergency use when away from home.
I tried using a Windows smartphone and found it too expensive to use the internet connection so I went back to the Samsung.
My wife keeps mentioning projectors and pull down screens for film watching. So far I've managed to deflect her thoughts but I don't think I'll be able to maintain my position much longer!
I am using an AT&T DSL (second only to dial-up for slowness), so I might just as well be disconnected! I lived a non-connected life for over 50 years before the PC and internet came along, I don't really see how it would be so terrible to go back.
I have most of the internet toys and wish I did not but, I hate it when a friend checks his phone every minute to see if he has messages which is more important than talking to me. I do not have regular tv only a roku box. I hate all the ads on regular TV. I am 78 and wish we were back in the 50's. What a great time then with low crime and no computers. Great articles and keep up the good work. I use a lot of ashampoo products. I do not use any social networks.
I would not like to lose the internet and email, I own a number of PCs and use them most days, they are a source of information which I use to find IC information for my hobbies. I have a landline phone and a cell phone that is just a phone to contact me if I am not at home. I will not use any social media, to much rubbish now they were great years ago before the younger ones got smart phones.
I repair a lot of PCs and laptops for my old customers and see all the junk, Trojans and virus's they manage to get from saying Yes instead of No.
I will not work on smart phones as I consider only smart people should have them and be able to fix them themselves.
I agree with Ron on the gizmos preinstalled are pointless.
PCs and phones should only be bought with an operating system and allow you to only install what you need to use.
Thank you Sven for another interesting article.
Any time! :)
Hmmmm...... I could not live my life the way I like without TV, the Internet and email. I own a smartphone but rarely use it, I own a number of PCs and laptops plus digital cameras and a lot of other digital paraphenalia but one thing I do not use and have absolutely no intenetion of using is pointless non-sensical "social media"
My wife and daughter used to have Facebook and from what I saw it was full of rubbish about the toilet habits of someones brat or equally mundane nonsense. They have since both left Facebook as they too realised what an intrusive item it is.
As for Google...a wonderful search engine but do I want Google plus and the other idiocy they try to foist on the public just so that they can send even more targetted ads to me - NO.
Whilst on the subject why oh why do smartphones have whole plethora of pointless gizmos preinstalled (which you cannot remove and often fill the already samll amount of memory)
Tech is great but there is just too much rubbish out there.
I nearly fell into the trap. I was itching to tell someone who has no idea who I am and doesn't even care, my opinions on this matter.
For reasons which would take too long to explain I have not had a television for the last 9 months and I don't miss it. I am on the net - obviously - but I won't join any "social media", I don't want my personal habits sold to third parties. I have a smart phone which both annoys and pleases me, I could quite easily live with the simplest of cell phones and probably will when the smart phone dies. So I believe that I have my online and offline lives reasonably well balanced. I do have a friend who is like yours though, no computer or smartphone and an ancient television. We write to each other !!, or talk on the old fashioned phone . Sometimes I drive 200km for a face to face visit which is always enjoyable.