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When I was a kid back in Ecuador， I used to be addicted[沉溺于……的] to the Internet. I’d spend thousands of hours sitting like a zombie[僵尸] in front of a computer， just watching videos of funny squirrels， or cats.
I used to observe my sister， who is six years older than me， spend time on Myspace and Hotmail. I felt really curious because she seemed happy when she was sitting at the computer.
But I also saw my friends and sister having problems online， with bullying[欺凌] and gossip. My friends used to fight about dumb[笨的] topics like which were the best football teams.
I have found that people who are always in front of computers are likely to be shy in person. I’ve had friends who are really expressive when they write online， but face-to-face they’re afraid to speak up. That used to happen to me sometimes， but I thought about it and decided to change. I think it’s important to face other people and speak up for yourself.
I’m a Flintstone注1
I was also frustrated[受挫折的] because of groups like hipsters[赶时髦的人] and headbangers[随着音乐猛烈摇头的人] that were on these social networks. In real life， some of them were really nice people. But I didn’t like the way some of these people would proclaim[宣布] all day on the social networks that they were different， but weren’t doing anything to actually achieve it.
When I was 15， I stopped going on social networks because I really felt tired of all the people in there. It could be because I’m a Flintstone and I do not get it， or maybe I’m just not a social person. But I didn’t want to be like everyone I saw on social media， promoting themselves as original[原创的] when they just copied what everyone else was doing online.
A Fuller Life
I stopped checking and chatting on forums. It was a gradual process[过程]. I checked e-mail accounts twice a week， the next month just once a week， and eventually[最后]， almost never.
After I deleted all my accounts， I began to approach my life in a different way.
Since childhood I had been interested in creative things， like painting， photography， origami[折纸手工]， and playing musical instruments. I also started doing more sports， like basketball and skateboarding. I discovered that the nicest parts of my life were those that didn’t include any electronic devices[设备].
I wanted to try living my life without too much materialism[物质主义]. I started meditating[冥想]， and trying to achieve things that were meaningful to me. Later that year， I discovered that I had a strong connection to music and started learning to play the guitar. I’ve always admired people who are creative or talented because they spent time practicing. I think that real artists and leaders don’t spend all day sitting in front of a computer holding their cell phone. If you want to change， you have to work for it. So many advertisements try to make us believe that accumulating[积聚，堆积] things makes us important or creative， but I look up to people like Nelson Mandela注2 and Martin Luther King Jr.注3， who turned their ideals into actions.
Stupid Images
I don’t reject the Internet completely； it can be really useful. YouTube and Skype are revolutionary instruments for communicating， whether with your friends or with thousands of people around the world.
But I feel that we waste our time being bombarded[轰击] with stupid images. Some people are really obsessed[头脑被……所占据] with how they look or how many friends they have on social networks. While it is okay to want to share photos， you don’t have to post pictures detailing every second of your life.
It’s not just the obsession with our physical image. I’m also concerned about the fact that people seldom take the time to present their thoughts carefully when they communicate online. There are intelligent and creative people using the Internet who have important things to say， but they are often drowned out by more superficial[肤浅的] stuff.
Depth and Beauty
Learning to live without over-using the Internet has been a process. Last year my family and I moved to New York， so I use Skype to contact my relatives in Ecuador. But because I’m not on social media and rarely check e-mail， I’m the last one to get news about my family and that makes me sad. I also lost touch with my friends from Ecuador. Sometimes I feel socially isolated， but then I realize that it is worth it. It gives me time to appreciate things that are really important to me.
The Internet and computers can be a source of good information， collaboration[协作]， and inspiration if we use them wisely. However， I believe that if you spend a lot of time online， you are depriving[剥夺] yourself of deep thoughts. And you might miss out on many of life’s most beautiful things.
当我在厄瓜多尔还是一个孩子的时候，我曾经沉迷网络。我会像僵尸一样坐在电脑前上千个钟头，只是在看好笑的松鼠或猫的视频。
我以前会观察比我大6岁的姐姐，看她把时间花在浏览聚友网和电子邮件上。我真的很好奇——因为只要坐在电脑前，她似乎就很开心。
然而，我也看到我的朋友们和姐姐在网络上遇到过欺凌和流言蜚语之类的麻烦事。我的朋友会为诸如哪一队是最佳足球队这样的无聊话题而争论得不可开交。
我发现经常坐在电脑前的人很可能比较害羞。我有些朋友在网上写东西的时候确实很会表达自己，但面对面交流的时候却不敢发言。我以前有时也会这样，但我思考过这个问题，决定做出改变。我认为面对其他人说出自己的想法很重要。 我是“原始人”
我还对在这些社交网络上的“潮人”和“重金属摇头族”团体颇感失望。在现实生活中，他们有些人是很不错的。可我不喜欢他们当中有些人整天在社交网络上宣称自己和别人不同，但事实上又没有做什么实事去实现它。
15岁的时候，我不再上社交网了，因为我真的厌倦了上面的人。也许是因为我是一个“原始人”，不懂他们（在想什么），又或者只是我不太懂社交吧。但我不想像我在社交网络上看到的那些人一样，只会宣称自己的原创性，但其实只是在模仿其他人在网上做的事情。
生活更充实
我不再查看论坛消息，也没有再在论坛聊天了，这是一个循序渐进的过程。我一周看两次邮箱，到了下个月就变成一周一次，到最后，我基本上不看了。
在删掉了所有账户以后，我开始以一种全新的方式对待生活。
我从小就对有创意的事情很感兴趣，如绘画、摄影、折纸和演奏乐器等。我也开始参加更多的体育运动，如篮球和滑板。我发现我生活当中最好的时光就是远离电子产品的时候。
我想试试以不太物质主义的方式过日子。我开始进行冥想，并尝试完成对自己有意义的事。那一年稍晚的时间，我发现我和音乐有很强的共鸣，于是开始学习吉他。
我一向很崇拜有创意或有才华的人，因为他们会花时间去练习。我觉得真正的艺术家和领导者是不会整天坐在电脑前，手上拿着手机的。如果你想改变，你就必须为之努力。我们有太多广告试图让我们相信事物的堆积会令我们变得重要或者有创意，但我敬重纳尔逊·曼德拉和马丁·路德·金这样的人物，他们把自己的理想变为行动。
无聊的图片
我并不完全拒绝互联网，它还是很有用的。“YouTube”和“讯佳普”是你与朋友以及世界各地成千上万的人交流的革命性沟通工具。
但我感觉到我们被无聊的图片轰炸，把时间都浪费了。有些人真的很在意他们的外表，以及在社交网有多少朋友。希望分享照片没问题，但你无需把生活中每一秒的细节照片都晒出来。
我关注的问题不仅是人们对外观形象的沉迷，我关心的还有这样一个事实：人们在网上沟通时很少会花时间谨慎地表达自己的想法。其实还是有聪明和有创意的人使用网络来表达重要的事情，但他们往往被更多肤浅的东西淹没了。
深度和美
学习在不过度使用互联网的情况下生活是一个过程。去年，我和家人搬到了纽约，所以我会用讯佳普联系我在厄瓜多尔的亲戚。但因为我没有使用社交媒体，也很少查看邮件，所以我永远是最后一个知道家人消息的人，这让我难过。我也和厄瓜多尔那边的朋友失去了联系。有时候，我会觉得在社交方面被孤立了，但很快意识到那是值得的——它给我时间去欣赏对我而言真正重要的事物。
如果使用得当，互联网和电脑可以是有益信息、合作和灵感的源泉。然而，我认为如果你花费大量时间上网，你就剥夺了自己深刻思考的机会，也许还会错过生命中许多美好的事物。
注1：《摩登原始人》，上世纪60年代美国风靡一时的动画片，后于90年代被翻拍成真人电影。故事以原始人为背景，用非常现代的手段表现原始人幽默有趣的生活方式，而且非常具有现实意义。
注2：纳尔逊·曼德拉（1918—2013），南非著名反种族隔离革命家、政治家、慈善家，也被视为南非的国父。1994年至1999年间任南非总统，是南非首位黑人总统。
注3：马丁·路德·金（1929—1968），著名的美国黑人民权运动领袖，也是1964年诺贝尔和平奖得主。
I used to observe my sister， who is six years older than me， spend time on Myspace and Hotmail. I felt really curious because she seemed happy when she was sitting at the computer.
But I also saw my friends and sister having problems online， with bullying[欺凌] and gossip. My friends used to fight about dumb[笨的] topics like which were the best football teams.
I have found that people who are always in front of computers are likely to be shy in person. I’ve had friends who are really expressive when they write online， but face-to-face they’re afraid to speak up. That used to happen to me sometimes， but I thought about it and decided to change. I think it’s important to face other people and speak up for yourself.
I’m a Flintstone注1
I was also frustrated[受挫折的] because of groups like hipsters[赶时髦的人] and headbangers[随着音乐猛烈摇头的人] that were on these social networks. In real life， some of them were really nice people. But I didn’t like the way some of these people would proclaim[宣布] all day on the social networks that they were different， but weren’t doing anything to actually achieve it.
When I was 15， I stopped going on social networks because I really felt tired of all the people in there. It could be because I’m a Flintstone and I do not get it， or maybe I’m just not a social person. But I didn’t want to be like everyone I saw on social media， promoting themselves as original[原创的] when they just copied what everyone else was doing online.
A Fuller Life
I stopped checking and chatting on forums. It was a gradual process[过程]. I checked e-mail accounts twice a week， the next month just once a week， and eventually[最后]， almost never.
After I deleted all my accounts， I began to approach my life in a different way.
Since childhood I had been interested in creative things， like painting， photography， origami[折纸手工]， and playing musical instruments. I also started doing more sports， like basketball and skateboarding. I discovered that the nicest parts of my life were those that didn’t include any electronic devices[设备].
I wanted to try living my life without too much materialism[物质主义]. I started meditating[冥想]， and trying to achieve things that were meaningful to me. Later that year， I discovered that I had a strong connection to music and started learning to play the guitar. I’ve always admired people who are creative or talented because they spent time practicing. I think that real artists and leaders don’t spend all day sitting in front of a computer holding their cell phone. If you want to change， you have to work for it. So many advertisements try to make us believe that accumulating[积聚，堆积] things makes us important or creative， but I look up to people like Nelson Mandela注2 and Martin Luther King Jr.注3， who turned their ideals into actions.
Stupid Images
I don’t reject the Internet completely； it can be really useful. YouTube and Skype are revolutionary instruments for communicating， whether with your friends or with thousands of people around the world.
But I feel that we waste our time being bombarded[轰击] with stupid images. Some people are really obsessed[头脑被……所占据] with how they look or how many friends they have on social networks. While it is okay to want to share photos， you don’t have to post pictures detailing every second of your life.
It’s not just the obsession with our physical image. I’m also concerned about the fact that people seldom take the time to present their thoughts carefully when they communicate online. There are intelligent and creative people using the Internet who have important things to say， but they are often drowned out by more superficial[肤浅的] stuff.
Depth and Beauty
Learning to live without over-using the Internet has been a process. Last year my family and I moved to New York， so I use Skype to contact my relatives in Ecuador. But because I’m not on social media and rarely check e-mail， I’m the last one to get news about my family and that makes me sad. I also lost touch with my friends from Ecuador. Sometimes I feel socially isolated， but then I realize that it is worth it. It gives me time to appreciate things that are really important to me.
The Internet and computers can be a source of good information， collaboration[协作]， and inspiration if we use them wisely. However， I believe that if you spend a lot of time online， you are depriving[剥夺] yourself of deep thoughts. And you might miss out on many of life’s most beautiful things.
当我在厄瓜多尔还是一个孩子的时候，我曾经沉迷网络。我会像僵尸一样坐在电脑前上千个钟头，只是在看好笑的松鼠或猫的视频。
我以前会观察比我大6岁的姐姐，看她把时间花在浏览聚友网和电子邮件上。我真的很好奇——因为只要坐在电脑前，她似乎就很开心。
然而，我也看到我的朋友们和姐姐在网络上遇到过欺凌和流言蜚语之类的麻烦事。我的朋友会为诸如哪一队是最佳足球队这样的无聊话题而争论得不可开交。
我发现经常坐在电脑前的人很可能比较害羞。我有些朋友在网上写东西的时候确实很会表达自己，但面对面交流的时候却不敢发言。我以前有时也会这样，但我思考过这个问题，决定做出改变。我认为面对其他人说出自己的想法很重要。 我是“原始人”
我还对在这些社交网络上的“潮人”和“重金属摇头族”团体颇感失望。在现实生活中，他们有些人是很不错的。可我不喜欢他们当中有些人整天在社交网络上宣称自己和别人不同，但事实上又没有做什么实事去实现它。
15岁的时候，我不再上社交网了，因为我真的厌倦了上面的人。也许是因为我是一个“原始人”，不懂他们（在想什么），又或者只是我不太懂社交吧。但我不想像我在社交网络上看到的那些人一样，只会宣称自己的原创性，但其实只是在模仿其他人在网上做的事情。
生活更充实
我不再查看论坛消息，也没有再在论坛聊天了，这是一个循序渐进的过程。我一周看两次邮箱，到了下个月就变成一周一次，到最后，我基本上不看了。
在删掉了所有账户以后，我开始以一种全新的方式对待生活。
我从小就对有创意的事情很感兴趣，如绘画、摄影、折纸和演奏乐器等。我也开始参加更多的体育运动，如篮球和滑板。我发现我生活当中最好的时光就是远离电子产品的时候。
我想试试以不太物质主义的方式过日子。我开始进行冥想，并尝试完成对自己有意义的事。那一年稍晚的时间，我发现我和音乐有很强的共鸣，于是开始学习吉他。
我一向很崇拜有创意或有才华的人，因为他们会花时间去练习。我觉得真正的艺术家和领导者是不会整天坐在电脑前，手上拿着手机的。如果你想改变，你就必须为之努力。我们有太多广告试图让我们相信事物的堆积会令我们变得重要或者有创意，但我敬重纳尔逊·曼德拉和马丁·路德·金这样的人物，他们把自己的理想变为行动。
无聊的图片
我并不完全拒绝互联网，它还是很有用的。“YouTube”和“讯佳普”是你与朋友以及世界各地成千上万的人交流的革命性沟通工具。
但我感觉到我们被无聊的图片轰炸，把时间都浪费了。有些人真的很在意他们的外表，以及在社交网有多少朋友。希望分享照片没问题，但你无需把生活中每一秒的细节照片都晒出来。
我关注的问题不仅是人们对外观形象的沉迷，我关心的还有这样一个事实：人们在网上沟通时很少会花时间谨慎地表达自己的想法。其实还是有聪明和有创意的人使用网络来表达重要的事情，但他们往往被更多肤浅的东西淹没了。
深度和美
学习在不过度使用互联网的情况下生活是一个过程。去年，我和家人搬到了纽约，所以我会用讯佳普联系我在厄瓜多尔的亲戚。但因为我没有使用社交媒体，也很少查看邮件，所以我永远是最后一个知道家人消息的人，这让我难过。我也和厄瓜多尔那边的朋友失去了联系。有时候，我会觉得在社交方面被孤立了，但很快意识到那是值得的——它给我时间去欣赏对我而言真正重要的事物。
如果使用得当，互联网和电脑可以是有益信息、合作和灵感的源泉。然而，我认为如果你花费大量时间上网，你就剥夺了自己深刻思考的机会，也许还会错过生命中许多美好的事物。
注1：《摩登原始人》，上世纪60年代美国风靡一时的动画片，后于90年代被翻拍成真人电影。故事以原始人为背景，用非常现代的手段表现原始人幽默有趣的生活方式，而且非常具有现实意义。
注2：纳尔逊·曼德拉（1918—2013），南非著名反种族隔离革命家、政治家、慈善家，也被视为南非的国父。1994年至1999年间任南非总统，是南非首位黑人总统。
注3：马丁·路德·金（1929—1968），著名的美国黑人民权运动领袖，也是1964年诺贝尔和平奖得主。