I have a lot of things that I’m interested in. This means that every day there are quite a few websites that I visit in hopes of catching some interesting or important little tidbit of information. I have a handful of sites that I check on a daily basis to keep up on news about comics, then there’s one for music, and one for basketball (yes, even though it’s the NBA’s offseason and there is hardly any news at all). I may or may not login to Facebook, or zip over to Amazon to check the price on something and then deliberate whether or not to buy it, or maybe I’ll get really sidetracked and wind up spending the better part of an hour on Youtube.
I always get annoyed with myself when I let a quick fact lookup turn into a full-blown, hour-long session of TMI absorption. And this is where the love/hate aspects come into play: if I’m reading up about things that I really enjoy, why should I feel like I’m wasting my time? It’s because it’s never a direct experience. If I wanted to devote time to the comics hobby, why not read a couple that are sitting in a stack in my room instead of an article teasing a story that’s coming out half a year from now? Or, how about instead of following a discussion of opinions on a new album, why don’t I just listen to it again and think about my own reactions?
This is such a great point. I often find myself running late for things because I get so side tracked on my internet excursions - not to mention how overloaded my screen gets with windows popping up from this link and that story. It's so hard to stay focused on one topic at hand when there's an unlimited supply of TMI in front of you!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I am not the only one who gets extremely side tracked when trying to look something up on the internet. It is amazing how checking my email can turn into a visit to my facebook page, a minute or two on ebay, maybe the school website? How am i supposed to stay focused on the task at hand if there are so many other things goin on!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I am constantly sidetracked on the internet. Whenever I plan on looking something up on line or checking Facebook really quick, it always becomes an forty-five minute-hour-long thing. However, it's hard to break away from the instant gratification the internet gives us!
ReplyDeleteThe internet is both a great source of information but also a great way to get distracted. I try not to have my computer with me when I need to do reading or work for a class unless it requires it because it seems that whenever I lose focus or need a break I find myself on Facebook, and I tend to lose focus quite a bit. In my post, as well, I mentioned my frustration with many of my "failed" searches. It really is easy to get side tracked with so much information available.
ReplyDeleteI agree Chris! Nothing is actually DIRECT on the internet, getting side-tracked is far to easy. I honestly believe it's the internet that has created such things as ADD or ADHD (in a sense) I know that may seem a little far fetched, but it's almost impossible to stay focused! Especially when you are doing 'research'. I can't tell you how long it takes me to do some assignments, because I know how easily I get distracted, there's just too much I know I can do!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Chris. there are now daily website i go on everyday because before when i would go on them I would find information i would be spending my day looking at. its hard to ignore. I now have more websites to check out from finding random information that i go on everyday.
ReplyDeleteThis hits the nail on the head Chris when it comes to my struggle with TMI. It is constantly a struggle for me to stay relevant to school work while on the internet. The temptation to look at my Facebook page or update my Fantasy Football team is just too great. Assignments that should only take an hour seem to always take several when the internet is involved.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt agree more. It is amazing how one intital search or checking of something(email, facebook,etc.) can lead to hours of nothingness. Sometimes, I will sit down to do something productive on my computer, weather its taking care of important emails or writting a paper, yet I always seem to waste a little, but more often then not, a lot of time! TMI is the devil!
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