An admirable effort to get people to “set aside the small screen to once again see the big picture.”
The promotional TV ad invited audiences to tune in to each other.
Enticing nature shots, montages of laughing families fishing on lakes, and the raspy chorus of Louis Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful World” played softly in the background.
If you could drag your eyes away from your tablet, cell, or laptop to look at your TV, you really might be tempted.
Or not.
Because, if some of us are really honest with ourselves, disconnecting, unplugging, or powering down isn’t something we want to do at all.
And for others, maybe you, you’re actually beginning to feel like the Internet is something you just can’t do without.
Internet Interference
The Internet is easily a constant in most of our lives.
Our technological times have made the Internet seemingly indispensible.
Between work programs, social networks, and all the emails and apps that make life happen, it can be hard to draw the right boundaries.
You may be beginning to wonder if the way you use your time on the net is “normal” or may be becoming a real problem.
It’s vital that you take time to look at your personal Internet usage and ask yourself whether it supports your offline life or damages it.
Start with a few honest questions:
- What happens when you get away from your screens?
- Do you get tense or defensive when your friends or family members beg you to put down your tablet or phone?
- Are you unable to be fully present because your mind always wanders back to your favorite online activity?
- Do you resent people or obligations that pull you away from the net?
If so, “normal” no longer describes your internet usage.
When time surfing, posting, chatting, or buying on the web actually gets in the way of your real life, you may be dealing with Internet addiction.
Attempts to Escape, Meet Needs, and Seek Fulfillment on the Net Lead to Addiction
Internet addiction is tough to manage because it’s so easy to get a fix.
How many times have you jumped on the internet for work, banking, or shopping only to spend hours fulfilling some of your other needs. Needs the Internet has no business filling.
Porn, chat rooms, and video games you just can’t seem to give up, no longer seem like entertainment but daily necessities for feeling better, more capable, more respected, or more loved.
And everyday you need more Internet interaction for longer periods.
Normal Net Time vs. Addictive Behavior
Normal internet behavior is simply usage that serves practical functions in healthy ways.
Consider reaching out to a counselor if you recognize the following abnormal behaviors:
- A desire to constantly escape into your digital devices rather than seek periodic entertainment.
- Time flies when you’re on the net. You may look up and realize hours have passed or you’ve sacrificed a night’s sleep to stay online a little longer.
- Time disconnected is time you feel anxious and distracted or totally preoccupied with getting back to a screen.
- You look for ways to put off family and friends who are begging for more of your attention.
- Sexually charged sites are coming between you and your partner.
The Internet is not your friend.
It’s not your lover or a vacation spot.
But it is seductive and full of landmines.
Reach out to a counselor who will help you gain perspective and reintroduce you to the offline life that matters most.
