I think it depends upon a lot of things, but principally our personality and character.

I’ve been an Internet addict since almost before it existed.

I first had to wean myself off Usenet in 1992 — I’d go out of my way nine times between where I had started and a my final destination … taking a ridiculously circuitous route, taking twenty minutes to make my way to a place no more than three minutes away from my start, taking in every location with access, so that I could check whether I had received any replies in the time it took me to get to the next one. It was getting so ridiculous that I realised I had a problem myself (no-one else did … no-one knew)

I had to do the same again in 2002/2003 … weaning myself off a popular BBS.

Again in 2015.

But it isn’t actually, Internet addiction … it’s an addiction to communication and knowledge. I don’t spend my time looking at ‘memes’, I spend my time learning about memes, creating them, communicating them (so to speak).

These days … when I don’t need to do anything else … I’ll stand outside, phone in hand, reading, jotting down ideas, messaging … and all the time glancing about, watching, listening, observing — it’s much better than being stuck in a room somewhere, with nothing but the Internet.

So … whatever works for you, but … a mobile connection to the ‘net needn’t mean you miss these things any more than I do … that’s up to you.

If you think you won’t be able to focus on anything but the nonsense then stay as you are … although you might like to reconsider what it is you spend your time doing on it.

But if you think you can multitask (because you want to ¹) then try it … you might surprise yourself.

Who you are won’t change because you have access on your mobile device … just as I haven’t (mobile or nine computer rooms, my behaviour is the same).

So, don’t worry overly that you might stop paying attention to the Word around you. Like you, I am an observer (I just observe different things than you perhaps) … which is why I continue to observe the World around me, when I’m seemingly glued to my phone. I doubt you’d lose the habit of a lifetime any more easily than have I.

So, it’s just a question of who you really are … and only you can know that and whether you have it in you to cope with it. But, like I said, you might surprise yourself 😀

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¹ And remember what I said about what people want.