How reliant are you on the internet? Could you go without it for a week? How about for a couple of weeks?
This article from AAP is an interesting read.
NEW YORK – Nearly half of US Internet users say they could not go without the Web for more than two weeks, with many suffering “withdrawal” symptoms while offline, according to a recent survey.
The “Internet Deprivation Study” by Yahoo and media group OMD found many experienced life offline more difficult than they expected, because tools and services the Internet offers were firmly ingrained in their daily lives.
The survey found many Web users felt impaired in daily activities such as booking travel, checking sports scores, communicating with friends and family, and paying bills when they could not access the Internet.
“This study is entirely indicative of the myriad ways that the Internet, in just 10 short years of mainstream consumer consumption, has irrevocably changed the daily lives of consumers,” said Wenda Harris Millard, chief sales officer for Yahoo.
“This is true to the extent that it was incredibly difficult to recruit participants for this study, as people weren’t willing to be without the Internet for two weeks.”
Researchers at Ipsos-Reid and Conifer Research said participants in the study “experienced withdrawal and feelings of loss, frustration and disconnectedness when cut off from the online world”, according to a summary of the report.
“Users described their time offline as ‘feeling left out of the loop’, having to ‘resist temptation’ and missing their ‘private escape time’ during the day.”
Survey participants “often forgot or lost the desire to use ‘old fashioned tools’ like the phone book, newspapers and telephone-based customer service,” the report said.
Simply recruiting participants turned out being more difficult than imagined, even though households were paid $US950 ($A1,350) to take part in the study.
Eventually, the study included 16 men and 12 women, including nine students. Other portions of the study were based on a survey of 1,000 US online households.
I don’t think the results would be much different if a survey was carried out in Australia.
I like the internet. I think it has given us so much, but I also think we need to be careful.
Over the past couple of nights I’ve really enjoyed taking time away from the internet and away from TV to catch up on some reading.
The moral of the story is, of course, we must be master of the internet, not let it master us.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading We've Created a Monster? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.
I know I’d get withdrawal symptoms for sure. But I think I’d cope with it for a couple of weeks if they were going to pay me that much money – almost enough to buy a nice new computer with…
The internet is not my master, I have a husband.
Firstly, thank you for visiting my website. I appreciate your kind comments and praise. I’m just glad to know you found my post entertaining! Thank you.
My family and I are fairly new to the internet, having only got connected last year, but I can understand how people can get addicted to it – especially children.
My husband and I wouldn’t have time to get addicted, but we closely monitor our children on the net.
Although it can be very addicting, I think the thing that truly makes it indispensible is that it is such an incredible tool.
Need to know how to spell a word? Need a synonym? Want to see a live score on a game which is not in your area? Curious about the latest political polls in your state (or another)? Need to research a product?
At the dinner table, we always have discussion about why this or how that or someone will say a word and no one knows what it means. It is neat to be able to go grab and answer to these issues. (However, it is not cool to interrupt family dinner by goofing on the computer.)
Killer tool? Yes. Absolutely necessary? No. I’m taking a break later on today (county fair). Wonder if they have wi-fi there…
i usually try and take a break from email and internet during my holidays and other breaks, but it is *very* hard! partly because i actually enjoy being able to surf and read all kinds of stuff… so it’s actually a bit of an outlet for me.
I don’t think it is a problem. I am going now………….Ok I’ll stay on just a few more minutes…….It’s been another hour? No way!? Well maybe it was an hour but I was talking on the phone too. Seeya……………….really, I’ll be off in five minutes. 2am?! sigh. Might as well stay on til it’s time for work š