A Lighter Load | The Reluctant Joy of Being Un-Connected
This Wednesday we ventured out of the studio to the USS Yorktown for the Rise of the Rest stop here in Charleston, SC. The tour is being "driven" by Steve Case of AOL fame, which got us thinking about The Internet (capital T, capital I) and its impact on our daily lives, particularly as small-business owners and entrepreneurs.
Did you know that in 2014 there were more than 600 million websites, and in September of last year we hit 1 billion?! A year ago, the average working person received 120 emails per day. People spend more time on Facebook than they do on their pets – a statistic that shocked us, and made us grateful for our studio cats who jump in our laps for a cuddle when they (and we) need it. Here's Louie on Lindsay's lap, purring his way through the day:
Getting out from in front of our computers for the day was a total treat, though we were still tethered to the rest of the world thanks to our iPhones. We cheered on the local businesses who pitched for the Rise of the Rest $100,000 check. We connected with folks over cold beers and a sunny view of the Charleston harbor. We headed back to the studio for an evening playing catch-up with what was happening while we were "away."
As we worked and reflected on the day, we watched our studio kittens snuggle and play and not have thumbs for texting, and we wondered – Could we go a full day, week, or even month without firing up the computer, checking our phones, or just having something beep, chirp or vibrate at us? It's hard to imagine. Frankly, it's terrifying, even though there was a time not that long ago when we had no idea what a text message was, and businesses of all sizes were built without websites or iPhones...
When is the last time you were completely and totally un-connected? What would happen if you stepped away from your tech? As Sherry Turkle wonders in her TED Talk, with exponential advancements in technology, are we better connected? What is it that we're connected to exactly, and what are we sacrificing?
“What technology makes easy is not always what nurtures the human spirit.” — Sherry Turkle
We at Distil Union are with you in the desire for a simpler, less distracting environment. Having the space and the oxygen to focus on something – or nothing in particular. A chance to reflect, to breathe, to smile, to look around and be happy – which could very well be the source of greater success anyway! Hopefully, you find DU products are designed to help you simplify things a bit, and not just what's in your pocket. By making it easy to carry less, Wally's meant to take you one small step closer to making life a little lighter.