20th January 2020

OFFLINE EXPLORATION OF SELF

Good evening and thank you to everyone joining me here at TSCS!

As you may have noticed, the topic of discussion has slowly drifted in the direction of ‘digital detox’, as I have been discovering some of the more poignant truths of digital technology.

A very good friend of mine introduced me to a book this weekend. A book that can only be found in limited stores across the world. Unconventional to our digital habits in western society today, you can only contact the writers via a letter and the book is not available online. ‘The Analog Sea Review’ subtly suggests the digital impacts on ‘The New Generation’, it has not only encouraged me to share Jonathon Simmons thoughts with you all but also propose ways we can weave more present and conscious experiences into our daily lives.

THE ANALOG SEA REVIEW

BACKGROUND

I have only just started this journal, but its inclusion of different media: poetry, essays, stories, and photography, has allowed a variety of creative individuals to reflect and think deeply about society and how it’s drastically changed.

‘ I saw Analog Sea as a sort of search-and-rescue operation for fellow castaways—other poets and dreamers still thinking and feeling amid the numbing glow of a society increasingly electrified, digitized, and severed from the Real.’ – The editor, Jonathon Simons

I will share some quotes below in aid of this weeks ‘food for thought’. However, I have only picked out a snippet from this book as it wouldn’t be appropriate to share pages, on a digital platform, as this may disrupt their purpose as creatives.

QUOTES

‘In the internet age, the gap between the question and the answer has dwindled to seconds.’

‘In the internet age, the algorithm tells us what we’re looking for before we start looking. We see images of places before arriving. There is no time for drifting or wandering, no time for looking up at the stars.’

‘In the digital age, we never catch up. We are perpetually lagging behind and haven’t even the time to wonder how else to live our lives.’

What are your thoughts on this?

TIPS TO EXPLORE THE SELF

One thing which has really stood out to me across my discussion of the steps towards wellbeing, is that with digital technology there is very little time for thought and reflection. If we have a question, Google can solve it. If we are bored, Netflix can solve it. Sad? Instagram will validate our existence.

Read more books. Find a genre you’re interested in and try to make time before you sleep or time in the morning to read. I’ve found this has helped me fall asleep at ease. For my degree, I read a lot for academic purposes so this can sometimes feel like a bit of a chore. If anyone relates to this, I highly recommend autobiographies written by comedians: Romesh Ranganathan ‘Straight outta Crawley’ and James Acaster ‘Classic Scrapes’ – their witty, sarcastic anecdotes will have your stressful day forgotten about in no time.
Keep your own journal. I’ve found it is useful to reflect on both good and bad weeks. Where computer tabs can vanish, it is beneficial to keep something physical. This reflection time will allow you to look back on certain patterns in your lifestyle and maybe give you alternative perspective if you’re having a particularly strenuous week. It’s nice to look back at how you felt when things were good or when you accomplished difficult tasks, reminding you of your strength and ability (often fogged by a negative mindset!).
Exercise: Walk, run, cycle, swim, box. Engage in physical activity away from digital technology. Invite a friend or family member with you for company outdoors!

Now, I don’t want to come off too heavy on this whole digital detox idea. Here at SCS I do engage with social media and I also use digital technology for the use of this blog! It’s extremely difficult to separate ourselves from these things entirely, as so many institutions in society now function digitally.

But I guess the route I am taking here with this, is to not only prompt you guys but also prompt myself, to not lose sight of the fact that there are still many mindful, authentic experiences to be had outside of this Digital Age.

YOUR OWN SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT

By engaging in as many offline experiences as we can, we are empowering ourselves from within. When you stop looking for external explanations and validations, you are giving yourself time to think, be bored, explore be creative. These are things digital technology can stop us having time for, there is always an answer for everything.

Being conscious offline, not only creates space for mystery, but also space to sit and understand our emotions. In this digital age, whenever we feel something negative we immediately look for ways to solve it. There is little time to sit and accept that you feel bad. Sometimes feeling an emotion, no matter how extreme, doesn’t necessarily have to have a reason.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT