The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World - Paperback

by Christina Crook (Author)

The art of finding balance in a wired world.

There's no doubt that technology has overrun our lives. Over the past few decades, the world has embraced "progress" and we're living with the resultant clicking, beeping, anxiety-inducing frenzy. But a creative backlash is gathering steam, helping us cope with the avalanche of data that threatens to overwhelm us daily through our computers, tablets and smartphones.

The Joy of Missing Out considers the technologically focused life, with its impacts on our children, relationships, communities, health, work and more, and suggests opportunities for those of us longing to cultivate a richer on- and off-line existence. By examining the connected world through the lens of her own internet fast, author Christina Crook creates a convincing case for increasing intentionality in our day-to-day lives. Using historical data, typewritten letters, chapter challenges and personal accounts, she invites us to explore a new way of living, beyond our steady state of distracted "connectedness."

Most of us can't throw away our smartphone or cut ourselves off from the Internet. But we can all rethink our relationship with the digital world, discovering new ways of introducing balance and discipline to the role of technology in our lives. This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to rediscover quietness of mind, and seeking a sense of peace amidst the cacophony of the modern world.

Front Jacket

RETHINKING OUR LIVES ONLINE

"A skillful meditation on the dynamic of InfoTech and presence. A critique of digital assumptions. A welcome reminder of the real world and its tech shadows."
RAFFI CAVOUKIAN, C.M., singer, author of Lightweb Darkweb

MOST OF US can't throw away our smartphone or cut ourselves off from the Internet. But we can all rethink our relationship with the digital world, discovering new ways of introducing balance and discipline to the role of technology in our lives. The Joy of Missing Out considers the technologically focused life, with its impacts on our children, relationships, communities, health, work and more, and suggests opportunities for those of us longing to cultivate a richer on- and off-line existence.

By examining the connected world through the lens of her own internet fast, author Christina Crook creates a convincing case for increasing intentionality and being more preset in our day-to-day lives. Through historical data, typewritten letters, chapter challenges and personal accounts, this unique exploration is a must-read for anyone wishing to rediscover quietness of mind, and seeking a sense of peace amidst the cacophony of modern life.

"Engaging, thought-provoking and delightfully easy to read, The Joy of Missing Out provides practical insights and much-needed hope for an overwhelmed society."
Dr. SUSAN BIALI, M.D., Psychology Today Blogger and author, Live a Life You Love

Christina Crook has crafted a well-researched, utterly readable field guide to finding quiet, and ultimately, ourselves, within today's electronic cacophony. MIKE TENNANT, co-author, The Age of Persuasion

CHRISTINA CROOK is a wordsmith and communications professional and instigator of the project Letters from a Luddite , which chronicled her 31-day internet fast and fueled her passion for exploring the intersection of technology, relationships and joy.

Author Biography

Christina Crook is a wordsmith and communications professional whose poetry, essays and interviews on art, culture and technology have appeared in UPPERCASE , CBC.ca , Vancouver Magazine , Today's Parent , MUSE , Geez , Faith Today and the Literary Review of Canada . In 2012 she disabled the data on her smartphone, turned off her email and said goodbye to the Internet for 31 days. This experience, chronicled as the project, Letters from a Luddite, garnered international media attention and fueled Christina's passion for exploring the intersection of technology, relationships and joy.