I don't want to be extremely online

Did you know extremely online is a thing? I kind of did, but mostly forgot. Then I remembered thanks to this interview.

I don’t want to be extremely online. I have struggled with electronic devices since I got my first gen iPod Touch with a MacBook for school. Tower defense games, Twitter, email, Instagram. The distractions go on and on. And the Internet just makes them worse.

It’s not my fault. It’s just how my brain works. It craves dopamine and novelty, pretty much constantly. The Internet is really great at providing both.

Buuuuuuut… it makes me unhappy to be online all the time. It ratchets up the tension in my brain, activating my amygdala, putting me in a constant state of fear and anxiety. (See: NBC’s Chuck, but I can’t find a meme of it online.)

I kind of have to be online. My job is for a big tech company. The Internet is inescapable, and useful. But I don’t want to be extremely online.

I think I want to be extremely present, and minimally online. That would be great. I’ll take one to go, please.