A Fast Binge?

I'm kinda horrified to see no one's used this pun yet; guess I'm the only one willing to stoop low enough to actually go for it. For anyone unfortunate enough to have read the second half of our group portfolio, you can thank me for every last one of those teeth-gnashingly cringe-inducing wordplays.

I was worried I wouldn't quite be able to pull off one of these activities because I'm a pretty serious tech addict. The only time I'm not "binging" is when I'm... asleep, frankly. And even then. I'm the sort of guy who checks Google News between sets in a gym. I'll position myself in a movie theater so I can read a tech feed and not get yelled at for disrupting the picture. I've considered putting down Google as my next of kin. So for me, binging (which, according to Google Chrome isn't a word although "bonging" is because, logic) on media is my de jour activity. Immersing myself in the cyber world, the world of streaming video (on Netflix, Amazon Prime and, obviously, YouTube) streaming music (Spotify, Pandora and, until today, Grooveshark which actually just went belly-up a few hours ago) news and digital books is simply how I conduct my life.

So you can no doubt imagine that I approached the impending three-day-media-fast with the sort of trepidation usually reserved for first dates, performing on stage and skydiving.

It's now that I'm supposed to write about what an unqualified success this fast provided me, how I came into contact with my inner self and finally realized I don't actually need technology to survive! Right... ?

I lasted 15 hours before I broke down and checked a newsfeed. It. Was. Brutal.

I spent the majority of the time trying to read (a great sci-fi series from the 1950's by Jack Vance), yet the gravitational pull of the interwebs was simply too much for me to handle. When I broke down, I opted not to try to go cold turkey again; the experiment was already tainted, I had failed.

And yet. While it ended up being only a mere fraction of the intended binge, I wouldn't call it a complete failure. It's so easy to forget how very much media and technology has taken over our lives, and what a striking shock to the system trying to disconnect yourself from it can be.

I hope to be able to media fast again, and gosh willing it won't be as fast as this fast turned out.