Blogging Insights NF # 61 – Distraction

So. Here’s the quote:

I have never been distracted by the internet. I’ve been distracted by life. Illness. Moving. Remodeling. Major life changes that fall out of the sky. Reading a book too interesting to stop and just wanting to read one more chapter. The distraction was part of what I like to call “reality.”

Sometimes I stay up late deleting old emails. Not reading them. Just deleting them. Emptying out the endless trough of incoming emails from every place with whom I’ve ever done business, every Democrat running for something somewhere and, of course bad and worse news from around the globe. Some of that news is so horrible I couldn’t even scan the entire article without feeling like death was stalking me. Ye gods, what is wrong with people? Humanity sucks rotten eggs and we don’t deserve this lovely planet. But I digress.

When I’m ready to write, I do it. I don’t get writer’s block. Sometimes I don’t feel like writing because I’ve been writing my entire life, quite literally since I was old enough to hold a pencil and put words on a piece of paper and I’m 75 and tired. I get occasionally rebellious and decide I want to watch a movie or a TV show or edit some pictures. So although I might choose to not write, it won’t be because I’m watching cat and dog videos on YouTube or Twitter.

I think maybe some young people might be that seriously drawn to the internet and frankly, not even most of them. I’ve watched my granddaughter lose interest first in the phone and eventually all social media.

I was dubious about social media from its onset. All the things I was afraid would happen on social media have happened. All the evil we do has become part of every social media platform. Humanity seems to have a central well of ugliness that’s gone out of control. The internet has sucked it all up. It’s the bleak, sordid heart of social media.

I won’t be distracted by the internet. I might be distracted by other things including the people I love, birds, flowers, rivers and whatever I can salvage of what remains that’s beautiful. I’m pretty sure there’s absolutely nothing on the internet that’s beautiful. Not in our current reality.

Please note that I absolutely USE the internet for blogging and research and a lot of day-to-day chores, but that’s not distraction. That’s just how the world rolls and I’m actually really pleased with the research abilities of the internet. But “social” media? Is it social? Is it media?

Categories: #Birds, #Blogging, #Flowers, #gallery, #Photography, #Writing, Anecdote, Challenges, Media, Nature, social media

Tags: #Photography, birds, Marilyn Armstrong