Regardless, at work I sit at a desk with Internet access all day. If I want to surf, the drug is at my fingertips. And on many days the first thing I do when I arrive home is turn on the computer. But what got me thinking was a recent study discussed on WXPN one morning last week, that showed that Internet use at work, when work involves a job with a computer, is essentially 100%. And respondents encompassed all levels of the corporate ladder. Everyone does it. Some more then others, but chances are, that if you sit down in front of a computer at work you are spending at least a part of your day online. Of course this time spent online is in some cases work related, but in many, or perhaps most cases it is not. Yet many of these people are not addicts in the true sense of the word. If you gave them the option to leave work and do something else many would accept that offer. And that 'something else' would not equate to time spent online, at least not the same % of time spent online while at work. There is even new evidence suggesting that one in four employees has a serious Web habit, spending more than one entire workday each week surfing non-work-related Web sites while at their desks. That's a lot of web surfing, and I don't think those same people would use the Internet so frequently if they were to spend the day out of the office.

The most telling stat is the numbers on news searching. The survey revealed that 67% of workers access news sites for personal reasons. People have turned to the Internet in droves as a means to keep up with the news. Does anyone really watch the nightly news anymore? In short, no. But this shift has created some other interesting dynamics. News talk dominates the work place. Whether it's national, international, sports or entertainment news chances are if a non work conversation is taking place the topic is not the lives of the participants but the news. It's even developed into a competition for some to the point now that it's a race to see who can be in the know first. It's as if your worth as a contributor to the group lies in your ability to utter the words, 'so has anyone heard [insert topic here] yet?' and receiving a resounding 'no' from your audience. Otherwise you are wasting everyone's time with information they already know, or heard. You will be sarcastically called 'scoop' (see entries 4 and 6) as if there is something wrong with you. And all this because you stepped away from your desk for 5 minutes and missed the most recent conversation about the latest political story to break. By the time you get back and come across it, it has essentially become old news and so much as mentioning it as if it is 'new' any longer will merit your coworkers scorn and derision.

That, to me, doesn't sound like a very healthy environment. Which brings me to my question: In an environment like that, is it possible to be an Internet Anorexic, if even for a day? In a world where information is just a click away and it's become a race to see who gets there first is it possible to willingly starve yourself of that which is at your fingertips? Can you sit, at a desk all day at work, in front of a computer, and not open a browser even once? Will forcing that disconnect even lead to anything beneficial? A greater sense of control over that which seemingly holds us captive. A feeling of freedom from the bondage of a 9-5 job. Greater productivity in terms of work related projects.

I don't know but I will find out. Tomorrow I'll attempt to sit in front of my computer and not browse online. No email, no news, no social networking, no sports, no reading of any kind. I know, one day isn't very long but cut me some slack. Baby steps. If all goes well maybe I'll try 2 days or maybe even a week long project in the future.