Why You Should Think Twice Before Downloading [Organize IT]

The internet is great. Many people use it everyday and it has become an integral part of people’s lives. One element of the internet that has massive repercussions for how we entertain ourselves is downloading, whether it be films, music or even computer games. Downloading has made access to all that media incredibly easy and it is often, for better or for worse, free. That might be great for our music and film collections but is it great for our personal growth?

I’m not secretly working for the record companies and I’m certainly not going to be writing any pro-RIAA propaganda here. What I propose however, is that the next time you want to download something (legally or otherwise) you think really carefully about it. Not because I sympathize that some multi-million dollar company might lose a sale, but because it becomes a slippy road to apathy (BBC has a very good article looking at research into this issue).

Let’s use music as an example. How can you not appreciate getting that latest album from your favorite band as soon as it appears on iTunes (or BitTorrent)? Because it’s too easy. Think what it’s like having all the music you could ever want right at your fingertips. You hear a great song on the radio, or read about an exciting new band in NME or Kerrang. Within a few hours you can pretty much have absorbed their entire history. On the surface that sounds incredible, but it is in fact a guaranteed way to become jaded and apathetic to it all. I’m only talking in terms of entertainment media here but the principle can apply to everything in your life. You will naturally end up taking it all for granted. Too much of a good thing…

Alternatively, consider struggling for a few hours searching through various record shops to find the album on CD. Sounds like a chore right? But just wait till you get home and listen to it. Having done your research into a band and its discography, waited for the weekend so you could go into town, explored countless shops and finally spent your hard earned money to get hold of it… the music sounds so much sweeter when you finally press the play button.

In summary:

  • Think twice before downloading something.
  • Fully absorb what you have before moving onto something else.
  • Control your intake. Too much of a good thing makes it bad.
  • Have a media diet to gain control of your intake.

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Original post here: James

9 June 2008 | GTD, Lifestyle, Personal Development, Self-Help | Comments

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