WHY AM I ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET?
April 10, 2011 1:31 AM
This could be the question that undoes the entire universe: Why am I addicted to the Internet?
From as far back as I can remember, I would excitedly look forward to see if I had any new email (inc), I would also read local msgs and newsgroups (rn, UseNet). Then came WWW and websites like Suck and Salon that would change their content every day! Livejournal, and of course Facebook. Why am I addicted to the Internet? There are people who are not --- I've met them, they don't even have an email address.
From as far back as I can remember, I would excitedly look forward to see if I had any new email (inc), I would also read local msgs and newsgroups (rn, UseNet). Then came WWW and websites like Suck and Salon that would change their content every day! Livejournal, and of course Facebook. Why am I addicted to the Internet? There are people who are not --- I've met them, they don't even have an email address.
Well I've read that it's an intermittent reward, which is addictive. You get interesting content occasionally, or you get new email occasionally which is a hit of 'excitement' dopamine as zachawry says, but not all the time.
If it was all the time, you'd just get sated and do something else.
I think this is the principle of a slot machine for gambling.
posted by Not Supplied at 1:58 AM on April 10, 2011
If it was all the time, you'd just get sated and do something else.
I think this is the principle of a slot machine for gambling.
posted by Not Supplied at 1:58 AM on April 10, 2011
As to why you're addicted not other people, can't really answer...but a lot of people are addicted to the net.
posted by Not Supplied at 1:59 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by Not Supplied at 1:59 AM on April 10, 2011
If any tiny part of your brain is looking for the tiniest reason to procrastinate, the internet provides you with an easily-justifiable way to put things off. After all you're learning something new, no matter how trivial, and that's a great reason to avoid what you should be doing.
posted by bendy at 2:13 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by bendy at 2:13 AM on April 10, 2011
With the vast size of the internet, you not only have the intermittent rewards of email and updates, you have a virtually unlimited source of information and entertainment with minimal effort and nearly instant gratification.
I can, due to the Internet, talk to people in Australia and the UK in what is nearly indistinguishable from real time, query highly skilled experts on all manner of topics, listen to music, read a book, and engage in highly responsive simulations of virtual worlds, all with minimal delay and at less cost per month than a few days worth of legal drugs or even less in illegal drugs.
It takes a certain level of familiarity with technology and a certain craving for certain types of pursuits, yet I would definitely say the Internet is inherently psychologically addictive. What I take for granted as being an integral part of day to day life would be considered too weird for sci-fi two generations ago. In a world where we have achieved unbelievably amazing things, the Internet as a whole is even more amazing.
The Internet offers most of the benefits of most other addictive behaviors and substances, yet it has the potential for nearly infinite novelty with so many facets. Some people are less prone to addiction, some do not overcome the barrier of technological familiarity, and some are not interested in what it has to offer, but I'd dare say in terms of time invested, effort invested, and number of people involved, nothing comes close to the sheer addictive potential of the Internet.
posted by Saydur at 2:38 AM on April 10, 2011
I can, due to the Internet, talk to people in Australia and the UK in what is nearly indistinguishable from real time, query highly skilled experts on all manner of topics, listen to music, read a book, and engage in highly responsive simulations of virtual worlds, all with minimal delay and at less cost per month than a few days worth of legal drugs or even less in illegal drugs.
It takes a certain level of familiarity with technology and a certain craving for certain types of pursuits, yet I would definitely say the Internet is inherently psychologically addictive. What I take for granted as being an integral part of day to day life would be considered too weird for sci-fi two generations ago. In a world where we have achieved unbelievably amazing things, the Internet as a whole is even more amazing.
The Internet offers most of the benefits of most other addictive behaviors and substances, yet it has the potential for nearly infinite novelty with so many facets. Some people are less prone to addiction, some do not overcome the barrier of technological familiarity, and some are not interested in what it has to offer, but I'd dare say in terms of time invested, effort invested, and number of people involved, nothing comes close to the sheer addictive potential of the Internet.
posted by Saydur at 2:38 AM on April 10, 2011
You're addicted to the Internet because it's fun.
posted by Senza Volto at 2:52 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by Senza Volto at 2:52 AM on April 10, 2011
I suspect that somewhere about the age of 8, when abstract thinking was starting to become more pervasive in your developing mind, the following or a very similar scenario played out in your young life.
While engaged in some sort of 8 year old activity two things happened at once. You came to the realization that the small meaning your life held in the grand scheme of things reduced the meaning of your existence to nearly net zero. You didn't matter, and now you knew it, and, your soul, your essence said "no, I want to be remembered, I want to be admired..."
That insignificant ability to engage in abstract reasoning, that ability to think about the future and things that really didn't exist took a stroll down the following road: I don't count. I want to count. I need to be important. I want to be SOMEONE. And that little brain began to search for a way for your short lived physical presence to make a difference in the world.
As a small and tiny being, you couldn't push the earth, physical impact was not the manner in which you were going to make a difference. Your little brain worked and worked, and eventually whispered... "knowledge, learn...know more, read, soon you will THINK of something important, soon you will make a difference, people will know who you are... " And, you started to read, reading made you powerful.. and, at some point, you discovered that the 'net was the FASTEST way to gain knowledge in nearly every field, and you read more, and more, basking in the sense that you were gaining power, you would not be just another case of dust to dust, and your body rejoiced as the net became the force of your being.
Or, it could be the porn.
posted by tomswift at 3:05 AM on April 10, 2011
While engaged in some sort of 8 year old activity two things happened at once. You came to the realization that the small meaning your life held in the grand scheme of things reduced the meaning of your existence to nearly net zero. You didn't matter, and now you knew it, and, your soul, your essence said "no, I want to be remembered, I want to be admired..."
That insignificant ability to engage in abstract reasoning, that ability to think about the future and things that really didn't exist took a stroll down the following road: I don't count. I want to count. I need to be important. I want to be SOMEONE. And that little brain began to search for a way for your short lived physical presence to make a difference in the world.
As a small and tiny being, you couldn't push the earth, physical impact was not the manner in which you were going to make a difference. Your little brain worked and worked, and eventually whispered... "knowledge, learn...know more, read, soon you will THINK of something important, soon you will make a difference, people will know who you are... " And, you started to read, reading made you powerful.. and, at some point, you discovered that the 'net was the FASTEST way to gain knowledge in nearly every field, and you read more, and more, basking in the sense that you were gaining power, you would not be just another case of dust to dust, and your body rejoiced as the net became the force of your being.
Or, it could be the porn.
posted by tomswift at 3:05 AM on April 10, 2011
Must be a basic function of human curiosity. Before the www, I noticed the same effect in action when I hiked in the mountains. You set yourself a task, like "I'm going until that point, that's it for the day" and when you're there, you just have that enormous urge to look around the next corner, over the next hilltop.
I dimly remember that there's research out there that links human curiosity to survival specifics of our species, but have no time to go there now. Whatever; changing-content sites, in my understanding, cater to this particular human "what next" addiction very closely.
If the site is recreational, one's response tends to spin loose, simply because there's no requirement of restricting the incoming info; I don't need to get any work done with what I read here, for example. I just see people being active, and am curious about "what next".
The difference between this and having to cope with a constant stream of incoming work e-mails, or websites we must monitor for our work, is clear. All of a sudden, the constantly changing character of the information is being re-interpreted by our stressed brains as an info pileup, to be addressed within a defined time period, and the joy is gone.
posted by Namlit at 3:25 AM on April 10, 2011
I dimly remember that there's research out there that links human curiosity to survival specifics of our species, but have no time to go there now. Whatever; changing-content sites, in my understanding, cater to this particular human "what next" addiction very closely.
If the site is recreational, one's response tends to spin loose, simply because there's no requirement of restricting the incoming info; I don't need to get any work done with what I read here, for example. I just see people being active, and am curious about "what next".
The difference between this and having to cope with a constant stream of incoming work e-mails, or websites we must monitor for our work, is clear. All of a sudden, the constantly changing character of the information is being re-interpreted by our stressed brains as an info pileup, to be addressed within a defined time period, and the joy is gone.
posted by Namlit at 3:25 AM on April 10, 2011
It's easy
posted by fire&wings at 4:20 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by fire&wings at 4:20 AM on April 10, 2011
You're not addicted, that word is thrown around far too lightly now every facet of normal human variation or interaction can be medicalised into some form of insidious malady. Fifteen years ago people habitually spent four or five hours a night watching TV or listening to records or talking on the phone or whatever, they weren't addicted to those things. Now a lot of people spend that time with their high speed (or, if living in Australia, utterly crap unreliable low speed rubbish) internet connection because it's much more fun.
If you think you're spending too much time online then show a bit of self discipline and turn your computer off, you're in control of what you do, not some mythical addiction. The internet has taken off so quickly, and is enjoyed by so many, because it's an amazing, incredible system which nobody ever dreamed of before it actually happened. You're no different to anyone else in enjoying it but people who spend a lot of time online tend to forget that a lot of other people don't. They're not weird, and they're not wrong either, humanity got along just fine without e mail addresses and virtual reality still isn't a patch on the real thing.
posted by joannemullen at 4:27 AM on April 10, 2011
If you think you're spending too much time online then show a bit of self discipline and turn your computer off, you're in control of what you do, not some mythical addiction. The internet has taken off so quickly, and is enjoyed by so many, because it's an amazing, incredible system which nobody ever dreamed of before it actually happened. You're no different to anyone else in enjoying it but people who spend a lot of time online tend to forget that a lot of other people don't. They're not weird, and they're not wrong either, humanity got along just fine without e mail addresses and virtual reality still isn't a patch on the real thing.
posted by joannemullen at 4:27 AM on April 10, 2011
If you think you're spending too much time online then show a bit of self discipline and turn your computer off, you're in control of what you do, not some mythical addiction.
"If you think you're smoking too much crack, why don't you just put down the pipe? DUH!"
Addiction is real. Internet addiction is real. If you can just turn it off and walk away, more power to you. Not everyone can.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:54 AM on April 10, 2011
"If you think you're smoking too much crack, why don't you just put down the pipe? DUH!"
Addiction is real. Internet addiction is real. If you can just turn it off and walk away, more power to you. Not everyone can.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:54 AM on April 10, 2011
The anonymity aspect plays a part in it, as well. Sort of an augmented, accelerated form of voyeurism.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:32 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by Thorzdad at 5:32 AM on April 10, 2011
Human interaction with lessened risk.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:26 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:26 AM on April 10, 2011
Addicted? Why do you consider it an addiction? If so, then take it a step further and consider yourself addicted to all media; books, movies, television, etc. Before Livejournal or Facebook were people addicted to journals? Was Darwin addicted to keeping a daily journal in his HMS Beagle posts?
Anyone who tries to pretend there is such a thing as "internet addiction" is full of it.
posted by JJ86 at 6:42 AM on April 10, 2011
Anyone who tries to pretend there is such a thing as "internet addiction" is full of it.
posted by JJ86 at 6:42 AM on April 10, 2011
You know I've read a lot of email.
Oh Lord! I've logged a lot of sites.
But I've never touched nothin'
That my spirit couldn't smite.
You know I've seen a lot of people walking 'round
With tombstones in their eyes.
But the pusher don't care
If you live -- or if you die.
God Damn! The pusher.
God Damn! The pusher.
I said God Damn! God damn the pusher man.
You know the ISP, the ISP's got a man
With a stream of bits in his hand.
But the pusher is a monster
Not a natural man.
The ISP for a nickel
Goin to sell you lots of sweet dreams.
Ah...but the pusher will ruin your body;
Lord he'll leave your mind to scream.
God Damn! The pusher.
God Damn! God damn the pusher.
I said God Damn! God damn the pusher man.
Well now if I were the president of this land
You know I'd declare total war on the pusher man.
I'd filter content if it stands, and I'd throttle bandwidth if it runs,
And I'd kill it with my bible, and my TV and my gun....
GOD DAMN! The pusher
God damn the pusher.
I said God damn! God damn the pusher man!
posted by mazola at 6:44 AM on April 10, 2011
Oh Lord! I've logged a lot of sites.
But I've never touched nothin'
That my spirit couldn't smite.
You know I've seen a lot of people walking 'round
With tombstones in their eyes.
But the pusher don't care
If you live -- or if you die.
God Damn! The pusher.
God Damn! The pusher.
I said God Damn! God damn the pusher man.
You know the ISP, the ISP's got a man
With a stream of bits in his hand.
But the pusher is a monster
Not a natural man.
The ISP for a nickel
Goin to sell you lots of sweet dreams.
Ah...but the pusher will ruin your body;
Lord he'll leave your mind to scream.
God Damn! The pusher.
God Damn! God damn the pusher.
I said God Damn! God damn the pusher man.
Well now if I were the president of this land
You know I'd declare total war on the pusher man.
I'd filter content if it stands, and I'd throttle bandwidth if it runs,
And I'd kill it with my bible, and my TV and my gun....
GOD DAMN! The pusher
God damn the pusher.
I said God damn! God damn the pusher man!
posted by mazola at 6:44 AM on April 10, 2011
Walt Whitman may have the answer to your question:
A NOISELESS, patient spider,
I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
posted by surfgator at 7:05 AM on April 10, 2011
A NOISELESS, patient spider,
I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd--till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.
posted by surfgator at 7:05 AM on April 10, 2011
I asked a question trying to figure out where I'd read something like this. Temple Grandin has a quote about how the "seeking behavior" is a more powerful brain feelgood motivator than nearly anything else, more than food, sex, whatever. That combined with the intermittent reinforcement and I think you've got a pretty good argument for it. It's not reading stuff necessarily, it's turning in to a place where things are happening and wondering "What happens next?" and looking to find out. It's pretty powerful.
posted by jessamyn at 7:34 AM on April 10, 2011
posted by jessamyn at 7:34 AM on April 10, 2011
Read "The Shallows" by Carr. He has a pretty thorough discussion of it.
You might find the first part of Al Gore's "The Assault on Reason" relevant as well: he sums up a lot of stuff about the brain and how media is used to capitalize on how we function.
As the posters above have stated, you get a tiny reward when you interact, which gives you the same effect as a drug. Computer games are designed to give you just enough positive reinforcement to keep you going, just as one-armed bandits do. In both cases, addiction is recognized as a possibility.
As to the actual reason for all this, Gore and Carr would argue that we are hardwired to look for the sudden movement at the corner of the eye: our tree dwelling ancestors were alert to snakes and predators. So we are hardwired for it for survival. Ever wonder why your news program on TV has all the scrolling graphics and the screen never stays still? It grabs the eye and maintains interest even without our conscious awareness. And we like novelty. In my opinion, Gore's book is better at showing how those traits have been exploited. Carr is more internet-oriented and talks about his own "going cold turkey". A good read.
posted by PickeringPete at 7:38 AM on April 10, 2011
You might find the first part of Al Gore's "The Assault on Reason" relevant as well: he sums up a lot of stuff about the brain and how media is used to capitalize on how we function.
As the posters above have stated, you get a tiny reward when you interact, which gives you the same effect as a drug. Computer games are designed to give you just enough positive reinforcement to keep you going, just as one-armed bandits do. In both cases, addiction is recognized as a possibility.
As to the actual reason for all this, Gore and Carr would argue that we are hardwired to look for the sudden movement at the corner of the eye: our tree dwelling ancestors were alert to snakes and predators. So we are hardwired for it for survival. Ever wonder why your news program on TV has all the scrolling graphics and the screen never stays still? It grabs the eye and maintains interest even without our conscious awareness. And we like novelty. In my opinion, Gore's book is better at showing how those traits have been exploited. Carr is more internet-oriented and talks about his own "going cold turkey". A good read.
posted by PickeringPete at 7:38 AM on April 10, 2011
Four dollar a gallon gas and five dollar drinks preclude conventional human contact; and besides, literacy is FUNZ!
Or, most octogenarians that I know spend a lot of time reading; and you have simply embraced a healthy habit that feeds neural activity. Via facebook you have a healthy 21st century social life, one that used to involve stamps and envelopes; but is still communicative and healthy.
posted by buzzman at 7:48 AM on April 10, 2011
Or, most octogenarians that I know spend a lot of time reading; and you have simply embraced a healthy habit that feeds neural activity. Via facebook you have a healthy 21st century social life, one that used to involve stamps and envelopes; but is still communicative and healthy.
posted by buzzman at 7:48 AM on April 10, 2011
The people who don't have an email address usually have just never gotten into it. Although I get the same way you do, I don't think of it as an addiction. It's just there, it's easy, it's quick, and I can answer just about any question about things in general that pops into my mind. Why I don't think of it as an addiction is that if I'm in a situation where I have no internet and I know I won't have any internet, I'm fine. If it's not there, I'm not tempted to use it. I just do something else.
It's sort of like a magnet. Take it away, and it loses its magnetic powers on you.
posted by wondermouse at 8:24 AM on April 10, 2011
It's sort of like a magnet. Take it away, and it loses its magnetic powers on you.
posted by wondermouse at 8:24 AM on April 10, 2011
If it's books or something, it's a "passion," but if it's the internet, it's an "addiction."
Here's a nytimes blog post on the subject.
posted by Obscure Reference at 8:29 AM on April 10, 2011
Here's a nytimes blog post on the subject.
posted by Obscure Reference at 8:29 AM on April 10, 2011
Seconding that it's easy. It's Intellectual Light(tm) - sitting down and working through a hard non-fiction book (not just reading it but checking your understanding as you go) is more focused and useful but much more productive. Few popular things on the internet get below a shallowest of surface levels and these are the things that people gravitate to.
OTOH, for some, the internet is all about the deep dive (certain hobbyists of fan topics).
posted by rr at 8:53 AM on April 10, 2011
OTOH, for some, the internet is all about the deep dive (certain hobbyists of fan topics).
posted by rr at 8:53 AM on April 10, 2011
Addiction is real. Internet addiction is real. If you can just turn it off and walk away, more power to you. Not everyone can.
But here's the thing: there's nothing in the OP's post to indicate that he/she is addicted. There's nothing mentioned about compulsive use, nothing about not going to work, losing friends or family, never leaving the house for fear of missing something new online, etc. In short, OP, based on what you've said here, I don't think you are addicted. You just really enjoy what the Internet has to offer, just as some people enjoy reading, or hiking, etc. Getting a thrill when you get a new email is in fact perfectly normal, because email comes from people, and we are, I'm fact, hard-wired for social interaction. Communication and curiosity are two of the defining characteristics of being human.
If your Internet use is really serious hand severely affecting your ability to function in day-to-day life, then you might have a problem worthy of seeking professional help. But I really do wish we would reserve the use of the word "addiction" for cases when people really, truly have the inability to just stop.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 8:55 AM on April 10, 2011
But here's the thing: there's nothing in the OP's post to indicate that he/she is addicted. There's nothing mentioned about compulsive use, nothing about not going to work, losing friends or family, never leaving the house for fear of missing something new online, etc. In short, OP, based on what you've said here, I don't think you are addicted. You just really enjoy what the Internet has to offer, just as some people enjoy reading, or hiking, etc. Getting a thrill when you get a new email is in fact perfectly normal, because email comes from people, and we are, I'm fact, hard-wired for social interaction. Communication and curiosity are two of the defining characteristics of being human.
If your Internet use is really serious hand severely affecting your ability to function in day-to-day life, then you might have a problem worthy of seeking professional help. But I really do wish we would reserve the use of the word "addiction" for cases when people really, truly have the inability to just stop.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 8:55 AM on April 10, 2011
For me, the Internet is the equivalent of being locked overnight in the library (you laugh, but my library let us do that once*). Except there is new information all the time, and chat possibilities, and you can access it from your home or work or almost anywhere! ALL NIGHT ALL DAY READING SPREE YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
* note: at the age where I got locked in the library all night, I spent it reading Sweet Valley High books. The Internet is uh, hopefully of a higher quality than that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:32 AM on April 10, 2011
* note: at the age where I got locked in the library all night, I spent it reading Sweet Valley High books. The Internet is uh, hopefully of a higher quality than that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:32 AM on April 10, 2011
Why I don't think of it as an addiction is that if I'm in a situation where I have no internet and I know I won't have any internet, I'm fine. If it's not there, I'm not tempted to use it.
Oh, and this isn't to say that if I'm near the internet, I must use it. Just that if it's there, I'm more likely to think, "Hey, let's see if anyone sent me an email or if such-and-such has been updated or what the news is with this," or whatever else. As DiscourseMarker brought up, my internet use doesn't ruin relationships or put my job in jeopardy. If this describes your internet using habits as well, you probably don't need to worry about internet addiction. If you have no other hobbies and therefore all you do in your free time is sit on the internet, and you're not happy about that, that would be a separate issue.
If you sense yourself getting sucked into the endless tunnel of discovery that is doing internet searches about whatever random question comes to mind, remind yourself that people just 20 years ago would've had to go to the library to learn about that, and maybe turn the computer off and be content with remaining ignorant on that particular topic while you accomplish whatever it is that you think you should probably be doing instead.
posted by wondermouse at 9:35 AM on April 10, 2011
Oh, and this isn't to say that if I'm near the internet, I must use it. Just that if it's there, I'm more likely to think, "Hey, let's see if anyone sent me an email or if such-and-such has been updated or what the news is with this," or whatever else. As DiscourseMarker brought up, my internet use doesn't ruin relationships or put my job in jeopardy. If this describes your internet using habits as well, you probably don't need to worry about internet addiction. If you have no other hobbies and therefore all you do in your free time is sit on the internet, and you're not happy about that, that would be a separate issue.
If you sense yourself getting sucked into the endless tunnel of discovery that is doing internet searches about whatever random question comes to mind, remind yourself that people just 20 years ago would've had to go to the library to learn about that, and maybe turn the computer off and be content with remaining ignorant on that particular topic while you accomplish whatever it is that you think you should probably be doing instead.
posted by wondermouse at 9:35 AM on April 10, 2011
Perhaps there should be a word other than addiction for the Internet. A word that means, "people really like to do this and in any particular moment there is nothing wrong, but over the long term a lot of time is wasted with nothing to show for it and people regret it, but people who realize this end result is probably coming still find it hard to stop using it." That word could be used to describe the habits of people like the ones in this thread, and addiction could de reserved for compulsive users who are ruining their lives with too much porn, WoW, etc.
Anyway, I believe it is the infinite amount of content on the Internet plus the aforementioned slot machine effect plus the ease of access. Especially in the work environment, it is an escape which secrecy and minimum time requirement is unprecedented in human history -- it is thousands of times easier to look at Slate for a few seconds without being caught than to peek at a magazine in a drawer, step away from a machine, etc. (If one ignores the possibility of monitoring software as employees often do.)
posted by michaelh at 12:19 PM on April 10, 2011
Anyway, I believe it is the infinite amount of content on the Internet plus the aforementioned slot machine effect plus the ease of access. Especially in the work environment, it is an escape which secrecy and minimum time requirement is unprecedented in human history -- it is thousands of times easier to look at Slate for a few seconds without being caught than to peek at a magazine in a drawer, step away from a machine, etc. (If one ignores the possibility of monitoring software as employees often do.)
posted by michaelh at 12:19 PM on April 10, 2011
You're not addicted, that word is thrown around far too lightly now every facet of normal human variation or interaction can be medicalised into some form of insidious malady. Fifteen years ago people habitually spent four or five hours a night watching TV or listening to records or talking on the phone or whatever, they weren't addicted to those things. Now a lot of people spend that time with their high speed (or, if living in Australia, utterly crap unreliable low speed rubbish) internet connection because it's much more fun.
Maybe. But I think I flunked out of university because I spent too much time surfing the Internet. I should be working now but i'm on Metafilter. Last night instead of sleeping i browsed TV Tropes and here. I've been like this my whole life, and it's been pretty harmful.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:51 PM on April 10, 2011
Maybe. But I think I flunked out of university because I spent too much time surfing the Internet. I should be working now but i'm on Metafilter. Last night instead of sleeping i browsed TV Tropes and here. I've been like this my whole life, and it's been pretty harmful.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:51 PM on April 10, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zachawry at 1:56 AM on April 10, 2011