On Friday I was stuck in traffic for a period of time. During this time, I tweeted, checked my Facebook, and watched a few YouTube videos on my phone. The more I think about this, the more ridiculous I think it is! What did I do a few years ago, when my phone didn't have the Internet on it?? I was on my way to work, stuck in traffic and playing around on Social Networking Sites. Now I'm sure I am not the only one who does this. Not just in that situation....how many people play on their phones while on the bus, or train, or at the airport...in the store, in a waiting room, or in the middle of the night when you just can't sleep. I really feel that this has become the norm. People check their sites whenever they get the chance.
In my Master's thesis, I wrote on Internet Addiction. Though the main focus was on child pornography users and their level of addiction, I touched on non-CP users' level of addiction. As I reflect on Friday's trip to work, I wonder...am I addicted to the Internet and Social Networking?!?! or has this activity just become the norm? The scale that I used for my thesis, was developed a few years back, I wonder if scales that measure Internet activity, need to constantly be updated. Internet is literally at the palm of everyone's hands. I wonder how youth will be with technology in the future. They are growing up with iPhone's and iPad's, Droids, etc. They will be using the Internet and technology from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep. It will be very interesting to see how technology will continue to be more and more a part of our daily lives.
sigh... information addiction seems to be real. That may explain Internet addiction. Then again, you can always do that exercise I taught you to calm your mind and train your attention: focus on your breath.
ReplyDeleteYeah I find it both funny and sad about how today's youth (I feel old now making that reference..) will never know about how people of our time grew up and having the internet was a big deal! I mean I remember trying to look cool when I was a teen by using my blue see through pager as a way for people to staying in contact with me, because back then that was the only way you could be "plugged in" to anyone who wanted to speak.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a similar post about how it seems that a lot of the time you are using the internet and not even realizing it because it has become such 2nd nature for people, though there are those who take this way, way to far.