Well this week my laptop crashed and I have just been lost without it. I took it to the computer doctor yesterday and I feel like I am waiting on pregnancy test results to come back I am so antsy! I never realized how much I have come to depend on technology. I am imagining that this is what it must feel like when addicts of something have to go without whatever their “fix” may be. For me, this ranks right up there with me trying to give up diet cokes.
I have said this several times before; I don’t know what in the world we did before we had the wonderful world of websites and social media.
It didn’t used to be so bad when it was “just” Facebook. But when stalking the walls of all my friends and family to see what was going on in their lives wasn’t enough; then I discovered the intriguing land of games and apps. I soon entered into the imaginary agricultural phenomenon of Farm Town and Farmville and it just got worse from there. I was up until one o’clock sometimes later thinking that I was actually going to the market to sell my crops for REAL money. I even started farms on all my kids’ accounts (since I do have their passwords) and when I was finished planting corn on my farm I would travel to theirs. But just like when I was a kid, I got tired of planting seeds and collecting my bounty from my gardens wasn’t satisfying enough for me to keep up with all my plantations.
Then I entered into the dark world of Angry Birds. For the life of me I can’t understand why it is so fulfilling to sling birds or all colors and bombs at rocks and structures to get the highest score – but it is. I had myself convinced that there was actually a prestigious trophy that I was going to be presented the end of each week when I won a tournament! I have to admit though on those really stressful days it did feel much better to just blow up a bunch of green pigs.
When Angry Birds became something that just wasn’t satisfying all my needs derived from too much time online, along came Words with Friends. I would have at times 4 or 5 games going with at least 3 or 4 people. I would find myself practically patting myself on the back every time I scored a triple word with the letter J or Z on a triple letter and come out with a score that would make the mouths drop open of Scrabble champions around the world.
And now I have succumbed to being sucked into the universe of Candy Crush. Who knew there would be so much anticipation that could build up waiting for a chocolate ball with sprinkles to match up with a candy cane striped jelly bean? I almost wither away into a deep state of depression when I realize I have played my last life and have to wait 30 minutes for another one or at least a friend that is playing to send me one. I am not above sending a text to my mom, brother or sister to plea for a gift of one of those lives.
At times I can’t believe that I have become so dependent on what Facebook and all its wonderful apps have to offer me. Then I get to thinking about the “real world” and all the stresses and worries that I have and suddenly I realize why I have this addiction that made men like Mark Zuckerberg very wealthy. It’s because it’s a nice break away from reality. It’s a visit into a world where you don’t have to worry about what bills you have to pay, how many appointments that you have coming up next week and just the every day stress that life can dish out to you. Even if it’s a pretend place of harvesting crops and crushing candies it’s a nice place to escape to and when I’m ready to go back to the real world – I go back a much nicer person.
It truly is an addiction but in all actuality it could be much worse. I, myself, probably need this break away from Mr. Hewlett Packard but I have to be honest; I sure do miss him.
