Adios Internet
or
How to be 30% more effective in your life in 5 minutes
I don’t need Netflix to survive.
Last fall I started repeating this phrase, over and over, hoping repetition would make me believe it.
I don’t need Netflix to survive. Oxygen, sure… but not Netflix.
This ritual began after my wife repeated her evergreen question: “Do we really need Wi-Fi in our home?”
Is this the least American question ever posed? How dare she! I may fancy myself an Abrahamic wannabe, holding to the ancient paths and all… but listen sweetie, Daddy needs that interweb, 24/7 and lighting fast! Can I get an amen from the brothers??
…Of course, in honest-before-God sobriety, she had a great point. Neither of us works remotely for our job, and if we really need to get online, we use our smartphones. Of course, there’s the one modern function our phones just can’t perform: the streaming of fabulous, bottomless, sugary entertainment, onto our giant pulsating screens.
I don’t need Netflix to survive. I don’t need Netflix to survive. I already own Breaking Bad on DVD, and most of what’s on Netflix is crap anyway. Are they even streaming Lethal Weapon this month?
As you know, it’s now commonplace for households to “cut the cord,” dropping traditional cable and satellite providers in favor of net-based entertainment. Netflix, Amazon, Sling (an AW favorite), and a growing number of streaming services are stepping up to fill the gap, providing thousands of hours of binge-able entertainment. There are, no doubt, valid arguments to be made about the dangers of beaming endless catalogues of programing into your living room (and mind… and heart). I, however, was (ahem) a Film Studies Major* [sniff], so the prospect of filling a day watching Rocky I-VI and Creed with the click of a button feels not only delightful to me, but somehow noble (yes, that includes Rocky V. Come at me, detractors.)
*Important sidenote: There’s a difference between Film Production and Film Studies majors. Film production majors learn about photography, video, editing, and other potentially viable filmmaking trades; graduates are prime candidates for jobs in that industry. Film studies majors, on the other hand, write papers detailing ideas like the “themes of duality presented in Batman Returns,” followed by a year of post graduate work loading trucks for UPS, during which they curse their choice of major. Spend your time and money in college wisely.
Suffice it to say, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of losing the (umbilical) cord to our binge-able content. But I also knew that, more important than streaming the new season of “Better Call Saul”, was supporting the changes I was seeing in my wife:
As I’ve shared previously, my wife is (or, was) the spender in our relationship. Since we’ve been married, she’s grown into a real warrior at finding ways to save and make us money. Early on, when we started hacking away at our sizable debt, we reviewed our monthly budget. My wife would spot some iffy expense and ask, “Why do we need this, again…?” (We LIVED in LoDoFeb, buddy.) Premium memberships to Spotify and some favorite podcasts were the first line items that got her attention. (Sure, $10 a month saved me from the debilitating pain of hearing commercials, but… oh, who am I kidding?) Over time, I learned that, when my wife finds a bit of nonsense in our budget, downgrading is inevitable.
The question of whether or not to cut the Internet came up early, and initially the case for keeping it seemed strong: When we were first married I was working remotely for an online magazine and freelancing, which meant I was constantly checking email and submitting and receiving content. And thanks to a grandfather clause somewhere in the contract, our monthly Internet bill was under $30 a month! At that price, I reasoned, we couldn’t afford NOT to have Internet (SPOILER: If you’ve read this far you know this logic withered under my wife’s pecuniary scrutiny). And besides: how would I stream movies?
As usual, I knew my wife was right: we didn’t need the internet in our home, or any of the perks that came with it. We were both carrying online access in our pockets. More importantly, cutting internet AND streaming service subscriptions meant we had even more cash on hand to throw at debt.
I’ll also take this opportunity to re-state points made in lots of great books like Andy Crouch’s Tech-Wise Family:
- Always-on, easy-everywhere media is bad (really bad) for our brains
- Always-on, easy-everywhere media is even worse for our kids’ brains
- Always-on, easy-everywhere media is a detriment to family communication/intimacy
- Quiet, unplanned time is really good for our souls and makes for a more peaceful home
- Less media noise fosters prayer and worship in addition to the aforementioned communication and general contemplation
- News flash: none of us needs more entertainment (and I’m raising my hand! Guilty! I love it!)
- Psalm 46:10 doesn’t say “Be still ON THE COUCH and know that PRINCE PHILIP IS A WOMANIZING LOSER BASED ON THE CROWN, SEASON TWO.”
So, after a glorious Halloween weekend spent burning through season two of Stranger Things (Dustin is the man, amirite?!), we cut the cord. And despite our (well, my) worst fears, we have yet to be bored out of our minds. (Who’d have thought!?) And guess what it feels like we have more of, instantly: time! It’s much easier to clean and work around the house when there’s no “Continue watching?” option to distract you. We use our computers (mostly) AT WORK, where they should be used, and reserve our house for BEING A HOME. We talk more, I think! …and when we are in the mood for a movie, we have dozens of DVDs to choose from. (We finally joined–and now spend regular time at–our library. …it’s a lot like Netflix, except in addition to movies they also have music and books. Also, it’s free. The library: Democracy’s greatest triumph?)
It’s conceivable, maybe even probable that, at some point, we’ll reconnect to the web. But while early conversations toyed with how quickly that day would come, we’re now trying to avoid it for as long as we can. The changes to our lives, and not just our budget, are worth keeping. So: that FINAL cord, the one that brings the internet into your personal space? It can be cut, too. And you won’t just survive… you’ll thrive. You’ll find more coin in your pocket, more time to think and read, more conversation with your family, and more peace in your home.
[…Of course, I reserve the right to re-evaluate my stance when season three of “Stranger Things” drops…]
