How important is the internet to you?

[DioxazinePlum]

I just moved, and can only use the internet in the lobby where the free wi-fi is until I get mine hooked up. This has led me to discover just how much I need to be on it 24/7. From checking up on my business to saving my ps3 scores... yeah it blows major chunks. What about you? How many hours a day are you on the internet?

I also hardly ever call anyone as I can just chat with them online... Do you ever use the internet as a substitute for social interaction? I guess you do... you're on Gaia.  

[Fresnel]

The fact that I'm suffering through using this decade-old POS computer that chugs just running firefox should say something. Also the fact that I'm credited with 23 posts per day even though I didn't use my account at all for the first six months I had it...  

[Archaic Thought]

To me, the Internet isn't much, just a form of entertainment like reading or playing games. I could live without it, yes, doesn't mean I wouldn't miss it.  

[DioxazinePlum]

mistercombine

To me, the Internet isn't much, just a form of entertainment like reading or playing games. I could live without it, yes, doesn't mean I wouldn't miss it.

I seriously couldn't live without it. I need it to check my homework, research, conduct my bill paying, my personal business, everything. The only thing keeping me alive is my blackberry! Haha. I don't know where I'd be without googlemaps everywhere I go. Probably somewhere 10 miles south of where I meant to be.  

[black_wing_angel]

Yeah, it's pretty important to me. My town is ******** BORING a lot of times, because there's only so much to do, and most of it involves a bar, and TV only has so many decent shows, and there are a lot of "blind spots" between good shows. So my escape from the boredom is a mouse-click, and a ******** of button presses, away.

Without the internet, I would not be as smart as I am today, and I would have almost no social life. Between work, and stuff, and the fact that most of the people in this town aren't worth talking to, let alone being friends with, and I never really "made friends" easily, anyway, because I mostly keep to myself. So, yeah.  

[Misses Brinks]

Without, I have nothing to do. Or any real people with interesting minds to talk to.

Ya see, I'm living in the country so nothing really happens here. gonk Best is a thing called the dairy something. Yup, a celebration of cows. Not even in a cool Hindu way either.  

[Zambimaru]

The Internet is a major source of entertainment for me. I also get allot of information from it. If the worst happened I could live without it. But it couldn't be easy stressed  

[Kitsoenix]

without the internet it is probable that i would go insane. Gaia is my escape from the world, and i use it a such, considering that the world sucks  

[black_wing_angel]

ShadowChaser456

without the internet it is probable that i would go insane. Gaia is my escape from the world, and i use it a such, considering that the world sucks

Hear, hear!

Yes, without the internet, life would suck big floppy donkey d**k. I still wonder how people survived in the 70s.

Wait...that's right, they had disco...  

[Rimama]

Hours spent? Probably 4-7 hours per day, I'd mainly attribute that fact to that there is very little to actually do where I live, it is a very dull place when you're not out with people. The internet as said previously, is a lot more entertaining, there is a lot of interesting information, one can relate to things and a great source of acquiring info for purposes such as work or school.

Could I live without it? Depends on the circumstances, if I'm outside my town somewhere more interesting, probably for an extended period even provided I either have a big collection of books or interesting people! smile In my town I'd probably die of boredom as I see it as a much better social asset for socializing with people and discussing ideas... Also, most people I know have no interest at all to discuss intellectual or philosophical topics and the people I can do it with I only meet 1-2 times a week if not at all sometimes.

Where I live also has a tone of depressiveness with there being grey weather 7/12 months a year with little sunlight, people don't look at each other and avoid each other (strangers at least, most people seem to have an irrational fear of others despite all the emphasis people put on "society" in this land of Socialism I live) so the internet is also an escape from that blob of monotone and relative sadness: society (Silly I know since the internet is supposedly a reflection of society=P)

I don't really think we have evolved much past our tribal stages, we aren't designed to live in large communities. If one lives in a tribe, one is in a smaller world with smaller knowledge but has a role that even at a low level is significant in history and future of the tribe, everyone has a role. In contrast to the modern world where kids as early as 8 years old realise that they are just as insignificant as their neighbour and that they will make little difference is probably a pretty big mental yoke which perhaps is what we learn to deal with the longer we live in life. This of course creates a pretense for sadness since we know our existance is insignificant in the future even if we try to motivate ourselves that it isn't, we're in constant denial of that fact. But the media will give attention to those who commit morally despicable crimes like murder, so you have events like Columbine because people know life is going to entail having the yoke of insignificance, they'd rather lose it than live a life with that yoke and they end up getting the attention they yearn for after the murder is done.


Sorry if it's a bit long and dosen't stick to the point... These are just thoughts that I've been carrying for a while about the Internet and society.

Short summary: Life is dull -> Escapism through Internet and books, Better medium of communication, A LOT more interesting, humans not designed to live in large societies  

[GREEEEEEEEEEEN]

Not important.
Sure, it's a nice privilege.
But I would rather live in South America where people don't have indoor plumbing.
Or in rural central Europe.  

[MayIHelpYou22102]

"For me it's more important than for the average person my age simply because I am a commuter student registered in college. So grand libraries that have a decent amount of research books and/or entertaining and well written books are not accessible to me."

 

[black_wing_angel]

Fight Club Jesus

Not important.
Sure, it's a nice privilege.
But I would rather live in South America where people don't have indoor plumbing.
Or in rural central Europe.[/quote

You would...rather live in a place without plumbing?

Why the ******** class="clear">