Is It Okay Not to Be Online?

In this issue of the Elated Extra ( http://www.elated.com/newsletter/ ), I discuss the "nonliners" - people who simply refuse to get online:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8548456.stm

Should they be coerced into it for the greater good, or it it a perfectly reasonable stance?

Maybe the web community should be doing more to bring these people into the fold?

Sound off below!

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@Simon: This is a very interesting question. The way I see it, the "wired" world we live in has hindered rather than improve real social interactions. People don't spend enough time in face-to-face interactions but instead hide behind our computers/mobile devices. This has made a lot of people become shy and self centered. Such people are only interested in dishing out their individual thoughts/instructions without much consideration of the effect these thoughts/instructions have on others.

A couple of months ago, I travelled to a place where I did'nt have access to the internet as much as I would have loved. Initially I was very nervous and it took a couple of days to adjust to the new environment. But once I did, I found that I became more relaxed and had the opportunity to enjoy the natural environment and actually engage in lively face-to-face discussions. Such experiences cannot be replaced with the "sights/sounds" we get from our computers/mobile devices.

So like most things in life, I believe its a matter of personal choice. If the "nonliners" refuse to go online but to do things the "old-fashioned" way, its their choice and we should respect it.

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There was actually a program on BBC Radio 4 yesterday on this topic. There was a discussion between a woman who never puts her iPhone down, and a man who stays away from the internet and his mobile phone whenever possible, and hardly ever checks his email when he's working.

The woman would happily answer her phone or send/receive business texts and emails while on a date in a restaurant. Her logic was that these are tough economic times and you have to take whatever work you can get. The man argued that if she spent less time on her phone and email then she'd get more work done in the first place!

Similarly, the woman argued that her phone, Facebook and so on helped her make and maintain friendships. However, the man pointed out that her friendships would work much better if she turned her phone off in restaurants!

Although I think it's fair enough to refuse to get online, there's also a very real chance that these "nonliners" will become the next Amish. The internet is becoming so pervasive and integrated that it's nearly reached the same level of ubiquity as the telephone. When that happens, it's going to be much harder to be offline than online. Such is the march of technology.

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Matt Doyle, Elated
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