it's rather shocking to me...
@intheclouds773 (4)
July 4, 2008 9:41am CST
I was just responding to another discussion, and I realized how dependent we have all become on the Internet. The discussion I responded to asked the question: What would you do if the Internet had to be shut down for a month?
After thinking about this, I immediately responded that I don't think I would be able to go an entire month without the use of the Internet, that maybe I would be able to go a week or so.
Then another thought occurred to me: Isn't it depressing to see how far we've come with the Internet that we can't even imagine what it would be like to live without the Internet for one whole month?
Ten years ago I would have been able to answer this question and respond confidently that I could most definitely live without using the Internet for an entire month, if not longer. Now, however, for me to say that after a week I would run out of other things to keep my mind occupied...it made me laugh at myself.
It's just so shocking to me to realize how much of an addiction the Internet has become for everyone, myself included.
2 people like this
9 responses
@greysfreak (1384)
• United States
4 Jul 08
I actually responded to that question as well. It really doesn't seem that odd to me, but then again, I've been on the internet since I was 12 or 13, so basically I grew up on the internet. I have always had a much better social life online than in real life, so actually the internet saved me a bit, socially. So I think that's why I am so dependent on the internet, because that is where I have met most of my friends in the past 12 years. I'd say I was really truly addicted by the time I was 15, maybe earlier, but definitely not later. 
But I definitely understand what you are saying. I definitely do believe it is an addiction, but not as bad as most of the addictions you hear about. I bet that the more time that goes by the more and more dependent we will be on it. I mean, as it is there are online schools, and even options to work online, and some people online date, and make friends online. I can't even imagine what is next!LOL
But I definitely understand what you are saying. I definitely do believe it is an addiction, but not as bad as most of the addictions you hear about. I bet that the more time that goes by the more and more dependent we will be on it. I mean, as it is there are online schools, and even options to work online, and some people online date, and make friends online. I can't even imagine what is next!LOL @CoffeeAnyone (3210)
• Canada
5 Jul 08
On one had maybe the internet saved you but another way to look at it is that the internet as inabled you to not have a normal social life. I have seen many people get addicted to using the net having their social needs met. But it isn't really normail to have more of your social life on a machine then it is living your life out with the family and friends you have around you. I think you could be missing alot of important things in your life by being glued to the internet which really gives you nothing tangable. I mean I love the net. I love all this stuff. The social, the games, the money makeing sites and the ability to learn as never before; but if I spent all my time on here I really couldn't say that I was living my life honestly and openly. Do you know what I mean? You might be missing it, your real life?
1 person likes this
@munhozmib (3836)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
5 Jul 08
Hello, intheclouds773!
I know it can be hard to imagine yourself without Internet. After all, you spend most of your time here, typing in myLot or doing researches, or working. I don't know what you do exactly in the Internet, but I know that there are tons of things that can be done. However, read what you have written: "After thinking about this, I immediately responded that I don't think I would be able to go an entire month without the use of the Internet, that maybe I would be able to go a week or so.".
Yes, you could go a YEAR without Internet. Let's imagine that all the Internet is gone. Yes, somebody just found a way to end the Internet. Now, you won't die of sickness because you don't have Internet. This won't happen, for sure. You won't get hurt, nor get a disease, nor anything. You'll keep living without Internet, want you or not. You'll go the rest of your life without Internet. You see? You would survive without Internet, and when you got used to it, you'd feel normal again.
Respectfully,
Munhozmib.
@intheclouds773 (4)
•
5 Jul 08
Well, it's not like I would die without the Internet, but I think I would get too bored without it. I take almost all of my college courses online, and some of my friends that I've known for years from high school have moved away, and the only way I can communicate with them anymore is over email because of our schedules. I use the Internet to find research for papers I write for school, and I use it-like I said-to communicate with far-away friends.
If the Internet had never been invented, I would live my life as though I were still 13 (because that's when I started using the Internet). I live in a SMALL town where nothing happens, where there's nothing to do...one of those towns where the most exciting thing is when my younger siblings go back to school...we're a sad town.
I'm not saying that I would die without the use of the Internet, I'm simply saying I would get bored very quickly without it.
@munhozmib (3836)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
8 Jul 08
Yes, and, as a matter of fact, most of the users would get bored without Internet. But that would just be temporary. Someday you'd start living with fun and energy again. There is always something to do, just things that we don't like to do at a certain moment. And when we are bored, we don't like to do anything!!!
But relax, let's enjoy the Internet... After all, it's here!
@blackmantra_x (2732)
• Philippines
5 Jul 08
good day... Internet is going to stay there's no doubt or question about it. The question is what would be it's impact. I learned and use the internet about 8 years ago primarily for online business dealings. i haven't had the chance to use it during my college years, imagine how comfortable it is to research and study. It's like having a 24 hours library at home with pictures and videos. I mean it really would help a lot. So in this younger generation where the power of internet is fully utilize they will definitely depend on it for almost everything. I wonder if today's grade schoolers and high schoolers still go to the school library? Do they know how to use the book catalogs? I just hope that we will use the internet to better ourselves and not to worsen it.
@saverio (402)
• India
5 Jul 08
k...people will write a million things.But i think that nothing is irreplaceable....be it a person or a object.Human beings adapt.Its in their blood.If the net crashes they'll move on.I am not saying that it wont impact us all...hell it will...but people will eventually move on,adapt etc etc etc.
@janardhan04 (117)
• India
5 Jul 08
yeah you are right we are very much adicted to internet we do online shopping banking and other things.we sit infront of our computer for hours and hours if this is present situation think about the future
@calajane (1003)
• Poland
5 Jul 08
LOL, I think I responded to that discussion as well... And everytime I think about what would I do, I"m amazed how many other things I would manage to do if the internet wasn't available. But then again, I need to take into consideration the time I would spend n rehab going through withdrawl. There'sno point in denying that I am slightly addicted. But what scares me even more is that there are many other people sharing my addiction and some doctors still refuse to acknowledge this as a medical condition... Oh well. I will try to reduce my net time? Maybe? Yeah. Not much of a chace here..
@celestial052506 (2914)
• Philippines
4 Jul 08
Well, it is because most of our transactions now are via internet. Before the internet when internet is not yet common in our country, we are use to do manual things. It doesn't bother us to do things in a simple way and waited for many days for the result. Now that we have this gadgets which could help our work faster and acurate, we feel that we could not live without it because we are soley dependent upon it. Like our accounting system, data, everything is put into the system. Now when internet is not working it will hamper all our work. We will go back to the basic which is very time consuming and tiresome.
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
5 Jul 08
Hello intheclouds773,
Well I didn't realise how many people are addicted to the net. I started usesing my computer for the first two ago and still quite not understand it but I'm learning, I do housework not that I slacking, I daytime t.v or talking to my friends so I didn't need the net at all but now I am on it all the time trying not to get addictive to it,now I pace myself. If the net gos I really think it'll bother me but I will miass all my internet friends.
Tamarafireheart.
@Mainframeguy (200)
•
5 Jul 08
You do not mean you would die without it. You mean you would want it or crave it. The distinction matters and over time you may even find you like life without it - we never know these things until we try. The things it adds are small conveniences and major illusions (EG; being able to readily check timetables for the first, and imagining we have a lot of friends for the second). I do not think they are NEEDED for a modern life, just wanted. It is about like having a phone - no more no less.
