Time Online

[Squawk]

Do you ever spend, say 23 hours or more per day online? I gotta cut that out.

Seriously though, I do spend many hours of my free time online, much of it on social media. I think I need to wean myself off this tech a little, and start reading some books again. I think when our brains are engaged with the Net it divorces us from the real world in a way which is psychologically unhealthy. We have evolved to interact with what we perceive in our immediate environment, and online interactions break that connection.

[DanaC]

I once spent the best part of 3 years (4 altogether, but the last year of it a little less so) living primarily in a virtual world (Ultima Online). I would regularly spend 15 or 16 hours of a day either in the game, or writing guild fiction for the game, or plotting guild wars with other people in the game. My then partner also played and we primarily communicated through and about the game.

Fun times.

Nowadays, I dont have enough free time to spend that much time online - but what free time I have tends to be focused online, even if its just watching streaming tv on my computer.

[Griff]

I've let myself follow this Corona thing too closely online, my work is shifting to tele-therapy, thankfully I live far enough out that Benny and I can ride regularly... then I post pics online. The cellar continues to be the only real place in the cyber world to me.

[Carruthers]

I probably do spend more time than I should online but, despite being further down life's road than I am comfortable with, I still have an inquiring mind and the web can usually help to solve a puzzle or two.

I don't subscribe to InstaTwitFace or similar and whilst I read a number of other forums I only subscribe to the Cellar.

I should add that I do read a handful of Twitter accounts that concern themselves with aviation, a long term interest of mine, and subscribers do seem to be a decent and helpful bunch, but more mainstream accounts are often a repository of bile and hatred and are well worth avoiding.

[Griff]

I'm watching a weak-ass mountain bike group I've been following on Facebook fall apart as time indoors drags on. It never became a community so now it's a shithouse.

[Squawk]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I once spent the best part of 3 years (4 altogether, but the last year of it a little less so) living primarily in a virtual world (Ultima Online). I would regularly spend 15 or 16 hours of a day either in the game, or writing guild fiction for the game, or plotting guild wars with other people in the game. My then partner also played and we primarily communicated through and about the game.

Wow. I'm glad you enjoyed those times. Not my bag personally, but obviously it worked for you. I haven't played computer games since the Nineties. I used to spend hours on them, and I remember during a Doom phase I once walked round to the local petrol station to get some munchies and caught myself looking around the corner to check for monsters. I even got hooked on Mine Sweeper. So in the end I gave them up, as I realised I wasn't in control of my habit.

Originally Posted by Carruthers

InstaTwitFace

Hehe that made me laugh.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Griff

I've let myself follow this Corona thing too closely online, my work is shifting to tele-therapy, thankfully I live far enough out that Benny and I can ride regularly... then I post pics online. The cellar continues to be the only real place in the cyber world to me.

I've had a good deal of fun with the comix fans (primarily webcomics) over on Cross Time Cafe. Also the punslingers there. Still, it's not quite as silly as Camelot the Silly Place.

[Griff]

Yeah, I better not.

[glatt]

I’m following a backpacking group on FB, and they did a camp in your backyard thing thing this weekend. I was surprised at the community that formed. Too many members to be a real community, but they are trying.

[Griff]

Yeah, it definitely takes effort as we've seen here. Facebook isn't built for effort.