Minnesota, USA –December 5, 2011 – Pew Research and American Life Project conducted a survey, which showed that 58% of U.S. adults spend time online merely to ‘pass the time’; when bored or faced with unpleasant tasks such as cleaning, many individuals will turn to the internet as a distraction. Undoubtedly all countries are facing similar circumstances because meaningless internet usage is quite common when internet accessibility is easy. But is this changing society on every level
Some may think of internet as a ‘younger generation’ distraction when in reality it extends across all generations; Pew Research discovered that exactly half of adults ages 50-64 admit to internet surfing ‘just for fun’ or to pass the time. As expected, the younger generation – 18 to 29 years – consumes more of the leisurely surfing with 80% of individuals as claiming they surf without a purpose.
When surveyed over a decade ago, the statistics of ‘surfing’ was dramatically lower – 18% among the older generation and approximately 40% among the younger generation. If over the majority of us are spending our time online, is it changing the way we do things and the way that our societies act as a whole If we are ignoring the ‘messy’ responsibilities of our lives by using the internet, obviously we are also letting other parts of our lives slide.
For instance, students cannot work on homework anymore without the occasional breaks –every other minute for some – to surf sites like Facebook, YouTube, eBay, and more; back before the internet, students could focus on only one activity and complete it without any problem. However, now we need more ‘excitement’ and stimulation. If each of us would be evaluated 20 years ago with these habits, would a doctor consider all of us to have ADD (attention deficit disorder)
The world is depending more on the internet than ever before –we turn to it to get answers, connect with friends, buy products, and more. The internet started with a creative thought, but now it is deteriorating its users’ creativity; although there are some who question what they learn from the ‘net, some users are using it to complete tasks and consider what information they have to be ‘correct’. In the long run, what will this do to our societies
You may be surfing the internet because you are bored, but what is the ‘real’ reason for it Are you avoiding responsibilities or satisfying your unending need for ‘stimulation’
