"Some Fool Will Start the Machine Again"

I like the internet. Most people do. I've been a part of more than one debate on whether the internet is actually a good thing, and I've found that, generally, people walk a very, very fine line between technophilia and technophobia. I find myself enthusiastic when I hear about certain technologies being developed, but I still read "The Machine Stops" with a furtive glance at my computer, iPod, phone, TV, and PlayStation 3. I'm one of those crazies who believe that the Kindle is destroying the literary world.

Is appreciation of technology problematic? Probably not. But as wary as I am of the direction in which the technological age is heading, I derive great joy from the internet and video games. I had my first domain when I was 11. I started teaching myself Photoshop around the same time. Today, I continue to blog and design graphics (though strictly as a hobby). I have three email accounts, two blogs, a Facebook, a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Livejournal, and a Cosplay.com account. Fanfiction is my guilty pleasure. So what's the problem?

I wake up in the morning, get a bowl of cereal, and immediately get online. I check all of my social media sites and my email. I might watch a YouTube video. I sometimes play a Sporcle quiz. Before I know it, 30 minutes of my day are gone. I feel tired and sluggish, and dragging myself out the door is a little more difficult. I repeat the internet process many times throughout the day, often for no reason other than procrastination. I get online in the evening. Sometimes I play video games. Rarely, I sit and meditate on Jesus.

It's sickening. When did the internet become an idol? When did I start gaming when I should be reading my Bible? I honestly don't remember. At this point, I feel irrevocably set in my ways. I don't like the phrase "wasting time," but that's exactly what I do everyday. How many minutes, hours, days have I lost? And, more importantly, how do I change it? How do I make technology a tool for my life rather my life a tool for the tech world?

My answer sounds much simpler than it really is: stop. No Facebook. No Twitter. No Tumblr. No LJ. Nothing. When I think about it, I feel terrified. And then ashamed of feeling terrified about so tiny a thing. And then I feel...excited. The thought of casting off all of these hobbies that have somehow become chains - it's exhilarating.

Thus did I discern my Lenten sacrifice. Starting Ash Wednesday (six days from now), I will be giving up all social media. I've allowed myself a couple of exceptions so that I can still function as a good student. I will continue to check email several times each day. I will also allow myself ONE Facebook session in order to invite people to an event that's been in the works for some time. I'm also going to continue blogging here in an effort to chronicle my fast. Other than that, I'm quitting social media cold turkey for 40 days. The machine stops.