~ Offline Paul ~

Also known as Paul Miller. Mr Paul embarked on a year long journey to be disconnected from the digital world. It would be hard for a person like him to go offline for 12 months without internet.

I'd used the internet constantly since I was twelve, and as my livelihood since I was fourteen. I'd gone from paperboy, to web designer, to technology writer in under a decade.

In Information age, it is quite hard & takes a lot of effort to stay in-sync with rest of the world without Internet. At least to those of us who are constantly consuming endless data from various streams. My parents on the other hand  contradict me, they don't use or need internet for any of their daily chores. However, I do require it for my profession. Outside of work it is more or less for social communication, reading, consuming news, occasional shopping, watching videos & nothing beyond.

Here are some of the thoughts which I liked from Paul's first post after coming online - I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

"Internet is reprogramming our relationships, our emotions, and our sensitivity," said one of the rabbis at the rally. It destroys our patience. It turns kids into "click vegetables."

As my head uncluttered, my attention span expanded.

By pulling away from the echo chamber of internet culture, I found my ideas branching out in new directions.

It turns out paper books are really great. I don't comparison shop to buy plane tickets, I just call Delta and take what they offer.

In fact, most things I was learning could be realized with or without an internet connection — you don't need to go on a yearlong internet fast to realize your sister has feelings.

The moral choices aren't very different without the internet.

There's a lot of "reality" in the virtual, and a lot of "virtual" in our reality - Nathan Jurgenson

What I do know is that I can't blame the internet, or any circumstance, for my problems.

The longest I have remained offline in the last 3 years, the farthest my memory can be stretched, is about 3 days ;) How long have you remained offline?

Here is an interesting poster which I came across recently.

~ Knowledge never goes obsolete ~

In the era of Information Age where information is available at your finger tips. Adoption of mobile applications, by metropolitans, for carrying out daily chores has fueled the growth of Smartphones in the last 5 years. Many of us, at some point of time, cannot recall a person or place or information without reaching out to our smartphones. Feel that by constant leveraging of devices, we are getting dumb on some of the basic functions in offline world. Didn't know about Hippocampus region existed in our brains and was responsible for memory & spatial navigation.

Knowledge never goes obsolete. As we embrace new technologies for convenience, do  keep learning & don't outsource it to an app & become an handicap. An interesting talk by Ken Jennings: Watson, Jeopardy and me, the obsolete know-it-all 

~ Social Engagement ~

Social engagement these days happen through a diverse stream of channels. Some of the common methods of engagement being messaging {Gtalk | Skype | Whatsapp | SMS}, Emails, Social Networks {Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+}. 

Facebook has funded an IDC research on how Smartphones have had an impact on our lives. The report 'Always Connected - How Smartphones And Social Keep Us Engaged' throws up some interesting behavioural patterns, stats & how mobile apps are driving those changes. 

• Half of total US population uses Smartphones i.e 155.1 Million people (2012)
• Primary usage: Text/Message, Talk, Message on FB. All of them are direct communication.
• Highest levels of engagement happens during Friday through Sunday, with the peak on Sunday.
• Top 10 Apps: Email, FB, Web browsing, Games, Maps, Photos, Search, Local Search, News/Sports, TV/Video
• Wake up call: Within the first 15 minutes of waking up, 4 out of 5 smartphone owners are checking their phones.
• 79% of respondents have their phone on or near them for all but up to 2 hours of their waking day.
• Social Apps play a very significant role during Social Events.
• Average daily time spent on Facebook: 32 mins 51 secs
• Average daily time spent communicating on smartphone: 131 mins 43 secs
• Who we are most connected to via Smartphone + Facebook - Friends, Spouse/Parnter/GF/BF, Parents, extended family, colleagues/classmates, children, community.

*Note: The report is based on the online survey of iPhone & Android smartphone users in the U.S. 

I do agree that these tools have helped us connect with friends who are separated by time zones or distance. How about those who live in the same city & yet not meet friends. Most of us claim that we do not have time. Rather than lack of time, I feel we lack at effective Time Management & priorities. Time is just an alibi for our own short coming ;)

Go offline! Plan & meet your friend in the city. Surprise them.

Update 31 Mar 13: 

If you have noticed the Facebook profile picture updates among the circle of friends. The campaign is a for the support of future of same-sex marriage in the United States by HRC. Ever wondered how many people have taken part in this online civil rights movement or what the Big Data tells us. Facebook has the insights into the week long campaign. FastCo Design | Facebook