I had a conversation (a real one, not online!) with a colleague who is a self-proclaimed Luddite. Not only does she not have a computer at home, she claims also to have no phone, cable TV or internet access. I goggled at the lifestyle, gasping, "What do you do at home?"
The fact that I asked that question is a bit telling, isn't it? I paused and imagined an evening with no laptop, no internet access, no phone, no podcasting or blogging. Hmmm. Maybe I could... cook a nice dinner. Go out with friends. Enjoy a book (the kind with paper pages) at a coffee shop.
Indeed, what did I do before Neflix brought my favorite commercial-free movies and TV series to my door? What did I do before Skype allowed me to make a phone call from my laptop while IM'ing a friend in another state? What did I do before Wi-Fi allowed me to watch TV while editing my blog and IM'ing friends about the upcoming weekend's activities? What did I do before I spent six hours every week creating, editing and posting a podcast and show notes? What did I listen to in the car before my iPod was filled with six hours of weekly podcasts?
How about you? Is your electronic life taking over your real life? Are you listening to so many podcasts that you're not seeing the scenery when you walk the dog? Do you think that drinking the social media Kool-Aid is keeping you from your "real" life in any way?