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Addicted to the Internet

2013-01-08 (said on 2013-01-05 — implied: date said in the video; uploaded 3 days later) · letter vlog · John · 2:34 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Internet & YouTube (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion, civic or action cta

Recording on the Saturday before a computer-free family vacation, John worries that he has become addicted to the internet, though he loves it and credits its community with enriching his life, and wants a week of undistracted reading.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — 'Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday' as his most-said sentences; it is really Saturday; family vacation without a computer; comforting the computer

  • ★ John says 'Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday' are probably the two sentences he has said most often in his life, alongside 'I love you, let's get some pizza'. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:00 · Sydney Green, Henry Green, Sarah Urist Green
  • ★★ John says it is really Saturday: later that morning he, Sarah and Henry leave on vacation, and on Tuesday he will be without a computer for the first time since he got it. — 00:00:10 · Sarah Urist Green, Henry Green

00:00:32 — Resetting the brain; worry about internet addiction; Brotherhood 2.0 was supposed to replace internet time; loving the internet (whale sharks on Wikipedia); a week of reading without checking email

  • ★★ John says they are leaving computers behind because it is sometimes good to reset your brain not to expect a new celebrity pregnancy every day. (hedged) — 00:00:32
  • ★★★ More generally, John says he is a little worried that he has become addicted to the internet. (hedged) — 00:00:41
  • ★★ John recalls that in late 2006, while planning Brotherhood 2.0, Sarah doubted he could do it given his internet time, and he insisted making videos would replace it. — 00:00:45 · Sarah Urist Green, Brotherhood 2.0
  • ★★ John says that, in the manner of an addict, he convinced himself an online video project would reduce his time online; it did not. (playful) — 00:01:09
  • ★★★ John says he loves the internet and that the community and connection he feels through it have made his life richer and better. (hedged) — 00:01:16
  • ★★ John says he and Henry spent 20 minutes on the Wikipedia whale shark article settling whether whale sharks bite humans; he was right, and learning it cost nothing. — 00:01:20 · Henry Green, Wikipedia
  • ★★ John looks forward to a week of reading without a part of his brain asking every four minutes whether he has checked his email. — 00:01:35

00:01:43 — Venturing into the germy real world for his mental health before Carnegie Hall

  • ★★ John says he will venture into the germy world of face-to-face contact because he thinks it is good for his mental health, especially before Carnegie Hall. (hedged) — 00:01:43

00:01:59 — Carnegie Hall livestream gatherings for Nerdfighters without tickets (link in the doobly-doo)

  • ★★★ John tells Nerdfighters without Carnegie Hall tickets that a link in the doobly-doo lists hundreds of places worldwide to gather, watch the event livestream and meet other Nerdfighters. — 00:01:59 · doobly-doo, Nerdfighteria

00:02:16 — Sorry for missing news, he's in the past; thanks for the 53 jokes; sign-off, back on Saturday

  • ★ John apologises in advance for not mentioning anything terrible or excellent from the last three days, because he is recording in the past. (playful) — 00:02:16
  • ★ John thanks Hank for the 53 'wonderful terrible jokes' and says he will see Hank on Saturday, when he gets back. — 00:02:25 · Jokes in four minutes

Humor (significant)

  • John tells his computer it will spend a night without him for the first time and soothes it. — 00:00:22

    “It's okay. Shh, shh, shh. Willie's gonna stay, too. You're gonna be fine.”

  • John says that, in the manner of an addict, he convinced himself an online video project would decrease his time online. — 00:01:09

    “Yeah, no.”

  • John says the break is good for his mental health 'particularly in advance of Carnegie HALLLLL' (drawn-out scream) — 00:01:52

    “Which is the sound that my anxiety makes.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: An Evening of Awesome · internet addiction disorder

Also: People: Henry Green · Sarah Urist Green · Sydney Green

Projects: Brotherhood 2.0

Organizations: Tumblr · Twitter · Wikipedia

Rituals: Good morning greeting · Jokes in four minutes

Terms: doobly-doo

Concepts: whale shark

Places: Carnegie Hall · Dubai

animal: Willy

Also centred on An Evening of Awesome: North Korean Chicken, Stagecoach Travel, and other Thoughts from before Carnegie Hall · An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall · Thoughts from Carnegie Hall

Also centred on internet addiction disorder: Am I Cigarettes?

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