In last week’s WT, my fellow columnist Alison Philips accurately gauged a feeling we all share – the hours we waste on technological innovations that aren’t fit for purpose. Alison was concerned I would call her a ‘techno-peasant’, an insult that wouldn’t be fair, as she has mastered text messaging and Skype – the free calling service. She can also use all 18 programmes on her washing machine – 19 more than me.

Shortly after reading her piece, I was away from my computer and attempted to book cinema tickets through a voice automated phone line. So poor was the recognition system, that I hung up after almost ordering tickets for a low budget Swedish film, rather than the F1 movie, Rush. Angered, I shared my experience on Facebook.

This instant reaction, telling the world through social media, got me thinking about the time we waste with technology we love.

The answer was so terrifying that I’m considering a change of career, and a new column – Gardening Guy. An online bank has worked out that Brits now spend 62m hours a day tending to social media accounts.

Yes – more than one hour for every man, woman and child in this country. How on earth did everything fit into our day before computers and smartphones made it tempting to be always on?

Such is the growing love of social media that 33 million of us are now on Facebook. Among the best reasons for an account is the ability to keep in touch with family and friends in far flung places, as they share photos updates and news on their profile. The worst include the bad jokes somebody you hated at school sends you, or people who post “hilarious” pictures of their dog in a hat. There are also 11m Twitter accounts in the UK – we love to converse in 140 characters, while many of us follow the thoughts of celebrities and friends – silently watching, never joining the discussion.

The UK population has gone from zero hours on social media every day to many millions, and I fear for future generations, as people spend evenings on the computer. I’ve always been for the Internet making the world a smaller place – but we should get out to see friends in the real world as much as we can.

You can’t beat a pint and a chat at the local.