subject: Online And Connected [print this page] But when it"s suddenly not possible, that"s different! There are studies that take place fairly regularly on the subject of internet addiction. According to up-to-date statistics about the internet, the number of internet users in different countries all over the world is growing. Everywhere in the world the network is seeping in to households and connecting people with each other. It"s a development and a feature that we can no longer imagine ourselves without. It"s something that simply belongs to the 21rst century.
We get up in the morning and we want to check the news. We go online. We are commuting to work and want to read emails, check up some updates, check information for the upcoming meeting at work, and we"re scrolling around on our iphones or ipads. We send a ton of emails every day, Skype has become a daily fixture in our lives, and social network sites have become an important part of the social experience. So all of us have a large virtual part in our lives, and we get used to it. But more importantly it seems to be about the feeling and the fact of being connected and in touch with what is going on around you through a medium which offers fast connection and the opportunity for exchange at lightning speed. Factors of time and space have become less and less important in this respect.
Being able to go on the internet is also largely about having ready and free access to information of any kind. Search engines are a daily part of the online experience. There is a scene in the fantastic comedy show "The IT Crowd", where one of the characters asks the other something. Then he screams at him, "Don"t google the question!" This is very true and exhibits another trend, a trend that may actually be a little dangerous. It as happened to me when talking to friends who were online. The ready availability and confidence in Google leads to the consequence that we don"t think much anymore about actually learning something or being able to answer a question on our own. We rely on that all-powerful search engine.
But with a little control and common sense it"s perfectly possible to have a good online experience and function normally, even if you"re an online junkie and rely heavily on the internet to feel like you"re living. Of course, there are many issues connected with the internet, such as online safety, especially concerning children; data security and identity theft, credibility and using the internet for criminal actions. Something that develops so explosively and dynamically is bound to attract all sorts of attention. But one thing is for sure: it"s unstoppable!
