Carolyn Creative

My friend, Fred Stutzman, recently developed a program which temporarily blocks a user’s access to the internet.  It’s called “Freedom,” and he developed it for people who can’t pause their web searching in order to focus on their work.  A user basically decides how much time he or she would like without the internet and presto, no more surfing.  So far, he’s offering the program for free, or donations only, and he estimates the number of downloaders as 10, 000.  (His wife, Chelcy, points out that being free is okay and all, but it doesn’t really support her hip hop lifestyle.)

When I read about it, I thought two things: a). Fred is way smarter than us and b). those people who can’t stop internet-ing have problems!  It’s funny that he named his application, “Freedom,” as if the idea of breaking ties with the internet is more liberating than the limitless information the web provides.

However, this week I’ve started taking my computer to Charlotte’s main library in order to leave the apartment and focus on my work.  When I set myself up in the cozy corner of the “Quiet Zone,” a window popped up on my computer, asking if I wanted to partake in the library’s complimentary wi-fi.  Dang!  On one hand, I was delighted.  On the other hand, being cut off from the internet for a few hours actually means I can get work done.  As a compromise, I try to dedicate fixed periods of time to writing (45 minutes) and then allow myself some browsing (10 minutes) as a reward.

Although we can’t imagine living without the internet now, it’s interesting that what once was an outlet and connection is now a major distraction.  Is our internet surfing a extension of the jumpiness of our brains?  Or have our attentions spans shrunk due to our constant access of information?  Are we out of control?