After reading a recent tongue-in-cheek column on Internet addiction by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, I started to wonder about my own level of dependence on this electronic drug. So of course I went online. When I Googled “Am I addicted to the Internet?” several sites popped up. (The fact that I now use Google as a verb is already a troubling sign.) Although there seems to be some debate as to whether there really is such a thing as a true addiction to the Internet, several sites offer self-assessments. I found one test on the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery site. To my relief, I’m considered an average online user. So what’s an average Internet user’s day like?
If I’m working at home, the first thing I do after breakfast is turn the computer on and check my e-mail -- usually around 7:30 a.m.. Then I go to www.freekibblekat.com and answer the daily trivia question; check the TV news at Ain’t It Cool News; and usually peek in at the TV Guide site and/or the Entertainment Weekly site. At about 10 a.m. I take a break for The Daily Kitten and have probably checked my e-mail again by now. Recently, a trip to Facebook has joined the morning routine. Depending on the day, I also check some weekly columns and updates at various sites.
There’s more e-mail checking throughout the day, along with occasional Facebook visits. I will admit to feeling a sense of abandonment if my friends haven’t sent any e-mails during a day. (But I feel that way when my real mailbox is empty too.) Few weeks go by that I’m not at Amazon or Netflix for one thing or another, and Google is the answer to almost any question, whether it’s wondering about that pain in my lower back or the answer to a tough crossword clue. Speaking of puzzles, I also try to get to the Jumble site each day, where there are three word puzzles I work through.
In the evening, it’s back to Facebook. (Hey, I have a farm in FarmVille and those veggies won’t harvest themselves! I also just adopted a virtual kitten who needs food and attention.) The last check of e-mail, usually around 10:30 p.m., is followed by a nightly visit to I Can Has Cheezburger -- home of the infamous LOLcats. This site almost always gives me a laugh, and some days it’s about the only thing that does.
I can truthfully say that I’ve never missed a deadline or skipped work because I was busy online. But I don’t have a husband or kids around, so who knows whether I would let the laundry pile up and miss school events because I was busy stocking up at drugstore.com. As for relationships, I think e-mailing and now Facebook have helped me to start and keep several friendships that otherwise may never have happened or would have drifted into that nebulous “Gee, we had fun, wonder whatever happened to him/her?” territory.
Sometimes on a Sunday, if I don’t have work that requires me to be at the computer, I make a conscious choice NOT to turn the machine on for a day. I’m okay for a few hours but then the thoughts pop up: “I should check my e-mail…. Hmm, I don’t know that, I need to Google…. Oh, I’d forgotten I wanted to add that movie to my Netflix list….” A sort of itchy, restless feeling comes over me as the day goes on and my electronic buddy remains dark and silent. It’s a little disturbing, how much of a relief it is the next day to turn on the computer and be connected again -- literally and figuratively.
If I’m working at home, the first thing I do after breakfast is turn the computer on and check my e-mail -- usually around 7:30 a.m.. Then I go to www.freekibblekat.com and answer the daily trivia question; check the TV news at Ain’t It Cool News; and usually peek in at the TV Guide site and/or the Entertainment Weekly site. At about 10 a.m. I take a break for The Daily Kitten and have probably checked my e-mail again by now. Recently, a trip to Facebook has joined the morning routine. Depending on the day, I also check some weekly columns and updates at various sites.
There’s more e-mail checking throughout the day, along with occasional Facebook visits. I will admit to feeling a sense of abandonment if my friends haven’t sent any e-mails during a day. (But I feel that way when my real mailbox is empty too.) Few weeks go by that I’m not at Amazon or Netflix for one thing or another, and Google is the answer to almost any question, whether it’s wondering about that pain in my lower back or the answer to a tough crossword clue. Speaking of puzzles, I also try to get to the Jumble site each day, where there are three word puzzles I work through.
In the evening, it’s back to Facebook. (Hey, I have a farm in FarmVille and those veggies won’t harvest themselves! I also just adopted a virtual kitten who needs food and attention.) The last check of e-mail, usually around 10:30 p.m., is followed by a nightly visit to I Can Has Cheezburger -- home of the infamous LOLcats. This site almost always gives me a laugh, and some days it’s about the only thing that does.
I can truthfully say that I’ve never missed a deadline or skipped work because I was busy online. But I don’t have a husband or kids around, so who knows whether I would let the laundry pile up and miss school events because I was busy stocking up at drugstore.com. As for relationships, I think e-mailing and now Facebook have helped me to start and keep several friendships that otherwise may never have happened or would have drifted into that nebulous “Gee, we had fun, wonder whatever happened to him/her?” territory.
Sometimes on a Sunday, if I don’t have work that requires me to be at the computer, I make a conscious choice NOT to turn the machine on for a day. I’m okay for a few hours but then the thoughts pop up: “I should check my e-mail…. Hmm, I don’t know that, I need to Google…. Oh, I’d forgotten I wanted to add that movie to my Netflix list….” A sort of itchy, restless feeling comes over me as the day goes on and my electronic buddy remains dark and silent. It’s a little disturbing, how much of a relief it is the next day to turn on the computer and be connected again -- literally and figuratively.
So there’s a typical day for me online. Is it average? I guess that’s for the experts to decide. Think about your own “average” day on the Internet. Are you in need of an intervention or just a babe in the Worldwide Web woods? And is an Internet addiction really such a bad thing, considering some of the other addictions out there?
I took the quiz and got "average" as well. My problem with the quiz, though, is that a lot of the questions asked about avoiding work or chores to be on the Internet. In my opinion, you don't have a problem just because you procrastinate doing something unpleasant by doing something more fun. I mean, if it weren't for the Internet, you would probably find another way to procrastinate, like watching TV or socializing. I don't think you can say somebody has a problem because she finds ways to put off cleaning the toilet.
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