The creators of the Internet probably didn’t realise what a monster they were spawning! They must have thought that the World Wide Web would become one big encyclopaedia and replace libraries all over the world. That might have been the extent of their imagination. Or, did they actually imagine that one day, a large part of the world’s population would be mental slaves to their invention? For, what is our addiction to the Internet, if not mental slavery? We spend half our waking hours staring at the screen of our laptop or phone, if not more. Internet addiction is now an actual mental health diagnosis. Digital detox is a real thing, and many of us struggle to follow through with not looking at our laptop or phone even for 24 hours. We don’t exercise our brains enough anymore because Google knows everything. And here’s the worst part – if we are ever stuck without data or wifi, we don’t know what to do with our time, as if the internet preceded us! That’s how much we have been brainwashed by this man-made thing.
It’s time to reclaim your freedom, and put it to good use. Here are things you can do instead of wasting hours every day scrolling through your newsfeeds:
1. Go for a walk, jog, or a run
2. Get a cup of coffee with a friend
3. Read a book
4. Solve a crossword puzzle
5. Solve a Rubik’s cube
6. Write in your journal
7. Make a family tree
8. Go to a library
9. Go to an actual store and buy something pretty
10. Try a new recipe… from a recipe book, not Google!
11. Feed the stray dogs around your house
12. Go for a game of tennis with your friend
13. Play monopoly with your friends
14. Get that dusty bicycle out, and take yourself for a ride!
15. Write a letter to someone dear to you
16. Give yourself a pedicure
17. Go out – to an actual theatre – for a movie
18. Invite your friends over for a barbeque
19. Make yourself a pair of earrings
20. Go visit a new spot in your city. Take a friend along!
Get off your couch, off your butt, off your phone, and observe the world around you. The heftiest price we are paying for the internet is not the huge bills, but our innate curiosity. Don’t let it die!
