Addicted to the Internet
By theprofessionalhobo ~ May 2nd, 2009. Filed under: Australia.
Is there an organization out there to help people who are addicted to the Internet? If not, then I’m sure one will prevail before long. At least I hope so.
I always figured that people addicted to the internet were either losers or office workers with way too much time on their hands. (And yes, office workers can also be losers, which would make the last sentence redundant. But then again not all office workers are losers, and vice versa. And although not all office workers have way too much time on their hands, I would suggest that all losers do. And for the record, nobody reading this blog is a loser, whether or not they are an office worker.)
Or gambling addicts. Oh yeah – and porn addicts. But both of these are separate addictions, if you ask me – the internet is simply a means to an end.
So it came as a shock to me recently when I realized I am “that person”.
That person.
That person – who keeps their twitter and facebook pages open all day whilst “working” on the computer. That person, who refreshes said pages every five minutes or less.
That person – who cannot have the computer on without simultaneously being online. (It’s impossible. I tried.)
That person – who opens conversations at parties with updates as to how many followers I got today on Twitter, and what my friends said on FB (FB = “Facebook”, for the uninitiated, if there are still any such people out there).
That person – who feels the need to apologize when checking emails on a day off. “I’ll only be ten minutes. I promise,” are often uttered (and rarely adhered to) words.
That person – who cringes at the thought of not turning on the computer for an entire week. (It’s simply too long – I mean really.)
That person – who follows so many blogs, that by the time I’ve finished reading them all, I don’t remember who wrote what. Besides which, I was reading so fast that I’m not sure what I really read to begin with.
That person – who has no less than seven tabs open at all times.
That person – who, instead of waiting two seconds for a page to load, clicks over to another open tab and gets distracted by, well, six other open tabs.
That person – who at the end of the day, has spent hours upon hours in front of the computer, but has actually accomplished next to nothing.
I am that person – an internet addict. How did this happen? And what do I do about it? Surely I am not alone. I know you are out there, fellow internet addicts. Let’s band together to help each other through this time of crisis. Together, we can help one another realize that there is so much more to life than the internet.
Ooh! I know. Let’s start a Facebook group. And maybe a group blog. Together – online- we can beat this.
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May 2nd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Eight tabs: New York Times, Yahoo Finance, friends on LiveJournal, local weather from NOAA, Wise Bread, Wise Bread private bloggers forum, Google Reader, Facebook. (Actually, nine now that I’ve opened a tab for this post.)
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Scary but oh so true… Only 7 tabs open? Try a bit harder lol. Don’;t stress about your addiction, much less damaging than alcohol, cigarettes or drugs (although I DO have a sore mouse arm, hand, shoulder, back…..
Twitter: frank_in_oz – newby but already addicted…
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Uh, yeah. I know this person too. Now, thanks to your well-written post, I have yet another web-based distraction! I found my way here via Carrie’s blog. I’ll be by often!
Michael
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 pm
We are becoming like this day by day, my younger brother is exactly as you mentioned above but I’ve seriously more things to do outside the computer, in a real world, where you could see people smiling rather than smileys, where you could touch humans, a real world. This is what I say to my younger bro
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:31 am
I’m with you =D
Gets worse when you actually stop traveling. Ah, the agony!
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanks for the comments, all! Glad to know I’m not alone. I currently have only three tabs open, but then again: it’s Sunday. I’m not supposed to be on the computer at all! I figure I’m doing pretty good with just three tabs…
*rationalization*
*rationalization*
May 4th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Funny you mention a lower level of addiction on a Sunday – I just posted a mini-blog questioning who is even reading blogs on a Sunday. I guess a few people.
I have another “THAT PERSON” for you: someone who has their email and blog comments “pushed” instantly to their Blackberry cell phone, so they don’t even need to have a computer on near-by.
Is that me..ohhhhhh, no. I have just HEARD about people like that.
Need another one? Some one who buys one of those new tiny netbook computers, so as to never leave home without one.
Again, me? Ohhhhhhhh, no. Some other guy who recently posted a story about getting a new Samsung NC-10 (in blue).
Cheers.
May 4th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I’m now officially wondering if inventing tabs was such a good idea for people like us.
Of course it was. BRILLIANT!
May 7th, 2009 at 1:14 am
This is hilarious!
And so true.
I am guilty of all mentioned offences….
May 8th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
XD
Amen on every count.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Ahh!! Scary stuff – I am the same on almost every point. (Especially the one about being in front of a computer all day and the realizing you’ve gotten nothing done. This happens all the time and it frustrates me so much!)
Well, maybe I’m only an internet addict when the internet is readily accessible – I sometimes go out of my way to NOT have the internet. I’m a grad student right now, and I will seek out certain coffee shops SPECIFICALLY because they DON’T have wireless so I can actually get work done. And maybe one of the reasons I love to travel is that it takes me away from my computer for most of the time.
ah well. Time to go refresh my facebook!
May 20th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Oh. This is me. I should have known when my friends started calling me for twitter advice and I actually used Google Analytics to see how my website was doing. Just one more minute is my mantra. Sigh.
I must go outside and garden or something.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Ha Ha! “Just one more minute”…..I’ve said that (and really been lying, because it always ends up being more like 20 minutes) more times than I care to admit!
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:59 am
Me too, I am pretty much the same.
In order to do any work I have to literally go somewhere where there is no web access so I don’t become distracted by facebook, hotmail etc
May 28th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Sigh. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone on any of these points, Nora.
May 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
@Carrie: Whew! Misery loves company! And you’re on the road again no less….isn’t striking a balance between travel and internet addictions just loads of fun? Tee-Hee.