you can turn off the internet

A couple people sent me this Ezra Klein lament about Twitter, thinking that it would be right up my alley. I actually am much less of a Twitter hater than people think; Twitter can be a useful placeholder for broader ideas about the blogosphere, the digital conversation, etc. Twitter's just a medium. I do, actually, recognize the root of the complaint he's making. But if the constant jokiness is more apparent on Twitter (and I think it is), it's still prevalent elsewhere. He's right to say that the constancy of the stream probably contributes to the phenomenon, but it exists elsewhere.

You've got to be careful because complaining about the jokes can lead to a real joylessness. I guess for me the problem is some of getting tired of the tired recourse to jokes and a lot the fact that few people are funny. Stand up comedians, actors, sitcom writers, and others employed in the professional comedy world get paid a lot, at the top, because being funny on command is a very rare skill. Most of us just aren't that funny most of the time. So the constant drip can be annoying in and of itself, but really, it's that most people aren't going to say very clever things most of the time. Still, I think this is on balance a small problem, although if I had to professionally consume the internet the way Klein does, I'm sure I would find it more annoying.

The antidote, for most of us, is pretty simple: turn it off. That, again, is probably not a luxury that Klein has, given his job. But for most of us, it's a very viable and easy solution. And I think one that more people should avail themselves of more often. For internet obsessives, it's very easy to forget that this big machine that can produce unhappiness at times doesn't have to be accessed. It's also important to remember that the small, individual worlds of blogs and sites and communities can seem like the whole world, but with a little bit of perspective, are tiny little places most people have never heard of. (Some, like this blog, smaller than others!)

I get emails all the time from (sympathetic) people who point out that some so-and-so has been talking trash and ask me how I can stand it. I appreciate their concern. I just tell them, you know... I close the web browser. I go outside. When Gawker teased me, it stung for a moment, but then I got over it. Because, first, I thought their criticisms were fair, but also because I recognize that most people in the world have never heard of Gawker. And I say that as someone who recognizes their popularity online and who thinks that they publish some of the most incisive and important stuff out there today. It's not just that I wouldn't be willing to weigh in if I wasn't willing to get criticized. It's also just that I've learned over time to leave what's in the web browser where it belongs. I've fought with a lot of people, some of whom I've learned things from. Then you move on.

I suppose that's all incidental to Klein's tiring of forced jokiness and garbage. My point is just that you don't merely control the stream that comes in; you control your attitude towards it, and the weight you assign it. Doing this stuff has brought me some happiness, and has given me an outlet when I can't sleep or sit still over some issue. I value that, and I value all the people I interact with (good and bad). But I try not to let this affect my sense of self, in ways petty or grand. It's a fun, important part of my life, but it's a small part of it. I don't mistake it for something bigger than it is, anymore. I had to learn that, and I had to work at it, and I'm happier for it.

That said, they'll have to pry fail videos from my cold, dead hands.