Am I reading too much?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the time I spend reading things on the Internet. It’s a bit ironic to be writing this in a blog, but I’m wrestling with the “dispersion” of my thoughts as I read so many short articles. Obtaining information via blogs and Internet articles is not the same as getting it from books (though it does bear a certain resemblance to newspaper reading).

Years ago, my watch was stolen during a home invasion. I used that as a time to try and lessen my time addiction; I waited more than a year before I bought another watch. Week before last, my laptop was stolen (OK, Herald of Truth’s laptop). One thing I lost were all of my RSS subscriptions, all the feeds to articles, blogs, etc. that I read regularly. I had over 200 subscriptions.

I’m going to wait a while before replacing them. I’ll try and still read some blogs, and I invite you to feel free to point out to me good things that I might be missing. But for a time, I’m going to slow down my Internet reading (fully recognizing the irony of doing so while continuing to write).

This may be through the end of the year. It may be through the end of tomorrow. We’ll see.

But I want to get back to the deeper question: does reading widely on the Internet keep us from focusing on deeper thoughts? Or does it help us to be well rounded? I’d very much appreciate your input.

8 thoughts on “Am I reading too much?

  1. Ken Cukrowski

    Great question! I know that I have much quicker access to information via the Internet than ever before. Perhaps it depends; sometimes I need a quick answer; other times I need deep treatment of a topic, the latter of which is not usually found on the Internet.

  2. shannon

    Use a bookmark synchronizer like Xmarks in Firefox if you have more than one computer you use. Saves your bookmarks!!!!

  3. heavenbound

    Tim: Hopefully you have some interests that take you away from the computer,
    200 subscriptions? whew, maybe I watch T.V. too much……Golf is calling me to play…or is it God, well someone is calling me, I think its golf…

  4. Tim Archer Post author

    Ken,
    I agree. The problem is the Internet is convenient and the library is not. I even find myself doing more research via Google Books than actually getting the books themselves.
    Grace and peace,
    Tim Archer

  5. Tim Archer Post author

    Shannon,
    Actually, bookmarks are an area where I lost very little. I have thought about moving my RSS subscriptions to an online service rather than a program on my computer. And I’ve taken steps to improve my backups!
    Grace and peace,
    Tim Archer

  6. Tim Archer Post author

    H.B.,
    In my defense, a lot of these subscriptions didn’t post regularly, or were weekly news services, etc. But still, it was a lot.
    Grace and peace,
    Tim Archer

  7. Scott

    Tim,

    You and I are on similar trains of thought today. I posted “parable’ about a mountain lion who becomes distracted to his peril.

    It must be time for me to re-focus.

    Scott

  8. brian

    blogs, to me are like magazine articles, easy to read, might inspire thought, but books are still better, good books anyway, that build thought upon thought,
    I should really read more books, but my facebook games take up too much time.

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