Connection and Disconnection
As connective media technologies have been integrated into our lives, many have described them as an ‘unhealthy pleasure, an addictive toxin’, and questioned whether it is good for our health and productivity to be constantly connected (Jurgenson, 2013). But in more recent years, as these technologies have become not just integrated, but deeply intertwined in almost all aspects of our lives, the conversation has changed. We can no longer simply ask if we should be so connected. We must now ask if it is practical, or even possible to truly disconnect in our current media ecology.
DeBoer (2014) gives the example of The Verge’s Paul Miller, who, after disconnecting from his ‘internet life’ for a year, found that he didn’t feel any healthier or wiser. DeBoer (2014) puts this down to the possibility that Miller failed to truly disconnect, spending his offline time thinking about his old online self, implying that to truly benefit from disconnecting, we must fully commit to an offline lifestyle and state of mind.
While we can argue that this is possible to achieve, it is important to look at the impacts of opting out of digital life within the context of our current media ecology. As van Dijck (2013, p157) points out, ‘connective media have almost become synonymous with sociality,’ and are deeply intertwined not just in our online lives, but our offline lives as well (van Dijck, 2013, p173). For instance, how many social invitations and conversations would a person miss out on if they opted out of social media? Furthermore, interactions such as online ‘likes’ can be seen not just as indicators of approval, but as generators of trends (van Dijck, 2013, p158). Someone who has chosen to opt out of online life is also opting out of the chance to partake in and influence culture (van Dijck, 2013, p158). As in the case of digital literacy, those who are unable to, or in this case choose not to participate in online life may find themselves socially excluded (Nansen et al, 2013, p66).
There are many complexities surrounding connective media. ‘Filter bubbles’, a manipulated way of socialising, and large companies controlling our data are just a few of the risks we face in our online lives (van Dijck, 2013, P167). But whether or not we think the negatives of connective media outweigh the positives, one thing that does seem clear is that disconnection is not an easy option. As van Dijck (2013, p175) says, ‘you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.’
References:
deBoer, F, 2014, Digital Breaks or ‘Breaks’, The Dish
van Dijck, J, 2013, The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Jurgenson, N, 2013, The Disconnectionists, The New Inquiry, viewed 26 August, < http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/the-disconnectionists/>
Nansen B, Wilken R, Arnold M, Gibbs M, 2013 ‘Digital Literacies and the National Broadband Network: Competency, Legibility, Context’, Media International Australia, 145: Nov, p66–74.