Blog off!

I can’t be the only one to have noticed the recent spate of headline-hitting reports about our ever-increasing use of digital media.

Apparently we Brits now spend the equivalent of nearly one day per month online with 23% of that time given to social networks and blogs. We’re also the biggest adopters of smartphones in Europe at 11.2 million users.

As a nation it seems we just can’t get enough of the techno talk. In fact, we can’t switch off – at home, at work, on the bus, down the pub, even in bed.

In one survey, 48% of self-confessed social media addicts said they checked their Facebook and Twitter accounts during the night and as soon as they wake up.

And, as more of life’s conversations move online - from shopping to public services, entertainment to socialising - there is an implicit assumption that everyone wants to get wired.

But, there are conscientious objectors who chose to opt-out of this techo-fest. For them it’s not so much a case of hating or fearing technology. It’s more about asking whether its impact is beneficial, for individuals and for society.

When it comes to online interaction other statistics suggest they may have a point. The Mental Health Foundation has found that one in 10 people in the UK feel lonely with 18-34 year olds feeling it the most.

Nearly a third of young people questioned for the survey felt they spent too much time talking to friends and families online rather than in person, indicating that an internet overdose can lead to social isolation.

Whilst the medium has increased our connectivity, the message it seems is often lacking. Human contact is red in tooth and claw – emotional, sensory, messy - whereas screen talk can be detached and distanced from reality. Just ask any celebrity sex texter.

Supporters of technology dismiss such criticism as old-fashioned and unfair, and it’s true we can’t lay all the blame for our national alienation on the worldwide web. It is after all a transactional tool that was never intended to replace the human interface.

However, we can be responsible and reflective in our use of it and, as the naysayers warn, being constantly plugged in simply can’t be good for us.

So, for the sake of our mental health, the quality of our relationships and the survival of a few high-profile showbiz nuptials, maybe we should occasionally just all blog off!

Image courtesy of Will Lion @ Flickr