Hi all! Sorry to be AWOL for so long, but in the time since my last post I have:

Gotten through the JAM and all its attendant craziness.

Applied to (and been accepted to!) Northwestern College. (Paperworkpalooza!)

Started two new, large-ish writing projects.

It’s one of the writing projects that I need help with. It deals with technology addiction, and I need quotes about how people use technology and why. For instance, do you spend a lot of time texting your friends, checking out Craigslist, surfing message boards, or chatting on Facebook? Is your iPod surgically attached to your hip? Do you spend untold hours building imaginary farms or pretending to be Al Capone? Can you even imagine leaving the house without your cell phone?

What I need to know is why you do these things, and what you get out of them. (And believe me, I am not going to cast any stones–I am a Facebook addict who is absolutely fanatical about checking her email, but I can’t base the entire project on my own experience and opinions.) For example, do you spend hours on Facebook because you feel lonely, bored, or isolated? Does your job require you to keep your phone with you 24/7? Do you get anxious about other areas of your life, such as finances, relationships, or school, if you don’t keep yourself constantly stimulated with some sort of media? Do you text your friends because you have a hard time settling down and doing one thing at a time?

All the answers will be completely anonymous, so go ahead and dish! You can chat in the comments if you don’t mind a little online exhibitionism, or shoot me an email at jennyraearmstrong@gmail.com.  If you’d like to include your age, gender, and the approximate amount of time you spend engaging in your favorite techie activities, that would be fantastic, but not necessary.

Thanks in advance for your help! I look forward to reading your thoughts!