With the abrupt decision of dropping Railgun (because the manga is picking up the pace after the Level Upper arc, thanks to the scanlators that left it in limbo months ago), we continue on with just Kuchu Buranko for this season. I’m not exactly optimistic on watching this episode, since it tackles something that young people have to deal with (yes! I’m not young, and I’m not giving any emphasis on my age either, since most of you wouldn’t want to know it anyway!), but after watching it a bit, I suddenly thought: “This also applies to bloggers like us, right?”
“The Devil finds work for idle hands.”
People, we are now at the so-called “Information Age”, where information is considered as intangible wealth. Technology and Science helped make this happen, and we benefit from it so much that living without it would label such a person obsolete. But think: Isn’t it alarming to find out that this so-called “hunger for knowledge” is eventually leading us to dependence and eventual addiction?
Let’s take this week’s cellphone-addicted patient, Tsuda, as an example: He can’t socialize with friends normally, he’s contented with just his text buddies, and he doesn’t have a care in the world as long as he has his phone to text, mail, chat, and God knows what else can you do with a Japanese phone. On the other hand, let’s take a look at a good example of a blogger: He/She socializes normally using computers, he/she is in good terms with people who read his/her blogs or reply on his/her comments and updates on his/her social life, and some won’t even have a care in the world as long as they can observe it using the Internet. Analyze and compare. Is there any much of a difference?
So we now state our level of interest as something that is either a passion, or an addiction. Passion is the optimistic way to put it, while addiction is the negative way. Passion is something that is created out of motivation to get a point across, while addiction is something out of sheer helplessness and possible attention whoring in the disguise of getting a point across. Big difference, but you see the similar dependency that a person puts in order for the endeavor to be defined as such. Tsuda’s case was defined as an addiction, and bloggers have the tendency to be defined like this as well.
In the end, just like how Irabu dismissed the case as something that can cure itself, only the person can say whether if it’s a passion or an addiction. Doing something to change it or remove it is something either beneficial or detrimental, even if the action is something by fate. And only the person can judge if there is even any meaning on having it.
Just… y’know… don’t let it physically manifest… unless you find your withdrawal symptoms a fetish that you want to keep…
BTW, cute Mayumi-chan on the end of episode is CUET.
Further Reading
Isolation and Being Solitary: Another Mental Comparison Post
Blogging can definitely be addictive. I’ll go over and get my vitamins from Mayu now!!
I’d love to myself, but until we find out what the shot’s made of, I don’t think it’s good for the health, mentally or physically.
There is functionally no difference, because from what I can tell a Japanese cell phone is essentially a miniature computer.
… Huh. Only now have I noticed that you’re purposely very quiet about both you age and gender. Interesting.
The essence of how the goal is carried out may be the difference I was seeking there. I got the point of the cellphone becoming like the computer, but do note that cellphones were initially just something that lets people talk to other people anytime, anywhere. Now the essence of the cellphone becoming a phone is greatly lost, and people still say it’s still a “phone”. It’s a cellphone if it has SMS/MMS, it’s a cellphone if it has an MP3/Music player, etc. Can you even call it a phone if it has all the features you can find on other gadgets and machines?! We should like call it a “handheld personal device” for reason of labeling it appropriately!
Oh lol did I just rage… Sorry bout that…
About the personal information, it’s something I keep very dearly, or I could just let people have at it and let it be like it’s nobody’s business. But really, if you want to know, I’ll let you know. Eventually.
Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.