Why Online "Noise" is Good For You - ReadWriteWeb: "Quiet time, time off-line, deep thoughts and long books are all beautiful things - essential to a healthy intellectual, psychological and social life. We argue, though, that the opposite of all those things - online social media noise, is also a great opportunity that deserves to have its worth recognized at a time in history when many of us are struggling to deal with it.
So take some time for yourself when you can, find a nice place to sit with a cup of tea and blow through a few hundred items in your RSS reader. If you can relax into it, it'll help you remember some of the reasons why you love the internet."
What a relevant little article!! It's an interesting read and I do understand what they're getting at. I quite like to have a browse through my RSS feeds and generally watch the world rushing by, dipping in a toe as I can. However, in the last month I've been so busy with other 'stuff' that the sense of being overwhelmed by the online chat, chat, chat of news, articles, blogs and general communication became too much. I switched off. And you know what? The world didn't disappear without me. Online social noise is good. It can make you think. Can switch you on to new ideas. Can give new perspectives. But let's not overstate its importance here. It's not an all or nothing world out there.
Tuning out can be just as healthy as tuning in.
Oh, and hello blog again! It's been a while! Last month we moved five times (one move around the world), I started working on two courses, had assignments due on two courses I'm studying, had no internet connection for some of the time, had to buy cars, furniture, general household possessions... and all the while look after my two little people. When real life brings in overload, online life can definitely take a back seat.
