Technology and Time Wasters

I'm going to ask it again: who has the time??? Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, but I see a lot of it as a set of distractions. Do we really need to create virtual versions of ourselves on the internet and read thousands of blogs and news feeds just because they are available? Whatever happened to one on one interaction with human beings? Reading a book? Taking a walk?

I'm glad that the internet is available and interactive. There's a lot of useful information that average citizens would have much more difficulty obtaining were it not for the ability to freely post and find information on just about any topic imaginable. It also makes communication between physically distant people as easy as a few keystrokes and mouse clicks.

However, I have work to do during the day and a life outside of work. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I need and want to do and also read hundreds of blogs and feeds, check everyone's myspace and facebook and flickr pages and maintain my own. I don't know how anyone else does it, except that something else gets sacrificed. And it seems that what is most likely sacrificed, such as quality time alone or with loved ones, is pretty significant.