In a recent conversation with a techno-phobic (or at least reticent) colleague she was bemoaning the constant state of connectedness that modern technology forces upon people. I've heard this complaint from a lot of people who struggle to remain unplugged.
she: I choose to remain present and not in a state of constant inattention!
me: It's more of a oneness with the datasphere, you're never alone, a living cell in a massive organism... a heightened state of awareness, the world is all around you, information conducted by you...
she: Wow...sounds almost like Zen Buddhism. Ohm.
One of the reasons this onlineness isn't work for me is because it's cathartic. I never feel like I'm doing work, it feels more like self expression. I'm the one who directs it, it's empowering.
What I find exhausting is sitting in traffic, fascism , traffic lights, current Canadian politics, indoctrination and standing in lines. If I had to do that 24/7, I'd go mental, yet millions of people accommodate these things as the necessities of daily life. When I'm online I'm orchestrating my interests, communicating with people I enjoy and feeding my mind. How would I ever get tired of that?
And as for information overload.... well...