Media Freeze?

I often wonder how our lives would be different without television, internet, Facebook games, social media. I am guessing that most of us with chronic health issues use electronic media as entertainment to get our minds off of physical pain or other physical symptoms. What did our grandparents and great grandparents do?  Did that give them more life satisfaction without electronic entertainment?

I am guessing the answer is yes.  However, it is not easy to find substitutes. Holding a book in your hands can cause intense neck and shoulder pain if you already have chronic pain. Getting out of the house to go to a sports event is not always an option if you are too sick. What do think would be different in your over-all happiness if you went on a media freeze?

I know this is extreme, but I have also thought about, "What if we did not have internet at home?" In theory we could go to the library to use a computer.  Our library is less than two miles from us. Most of us have unlimited data on our phones. We truly could comfortably due without internet.  At $50 a month, that's $6,000 in ten years. I can think of a lot of things I would rather do with that money.

Would I get more done?  Ouch, I do not know. I do not feel guilty for relaxing.  Taking care of our bodies by resting when we need rest, instead of chasing the extrinsic value of productivity, is a healthy balanced perspective and role models self respect to the younger generation. However, there probably are times when media moves from distracting me from pain into "I don't need the distraction; I'm just wasting time" category.

What do you find are the benefits in your life of media entertainment?  What are the cons?  Would you go an entire week without media to experiment?  I find I cannot answer that question myself or am not yet willing to answer it; although, it might be nice to test the hypothesis and learn.  Would our physical and mental health be better? Would our finances be less strained? Would we socialize more? Would we be less numbed out and more in touch with our emotional needs?

What are your thoughts?