Reality

Jon Mitchell’s article, “Confessions of a Professional Internet Addict,” may be a satirized version of himself as an Internet addict, but his message and circumstances present a real-world problem.  Sometimes, we get so involved in the different chatting websites, friend finders, and gaming websites that we’d rather spend our time doing that instead of spending our time interacting with real people.  The Internet is an extremely useful tool, and you can literally spend hours doing nothing, but why do we want to spend our lives doing nothing?

While I was engaged, I was obsessed with bridal blogs, DIY crafty websites, and anything that offered advice for throwing a classy and affordable wedding.  Now that the wedding is over, I spend my time looking at home decorating blogs, DIY crafty websites, and anything that offers advice for decorating a home on a budget.  It’s so tempting to look at because the Internet offers a solution to anything.  My husband and I would go out to dinner and both just look at our iPhones the entire time – not because we didn’t want to talk to each other, but because we were so engrossed in what was happening online.  Eventually, we made a rule to put our phones away during dinner and once we get in bed.  It is simple, but it makes us live in the present and enjoy life – together.

Mitchell says, “So much of my life takes place online that I’ve lost touch with the boundaries. I no longer know where my obligations lie, with my “real” life or my “virtual” life. What’s real and what’s virtual?”  I feel like many people have lost touch with the present and developed a new sense of “reality.”  I still believe that friends are people you go to lunch with, not someone you meet at 6pm in a chat room; I still believe that best moments in life are moments you share with the people around you, not being curled up with a computer.  I don’t know about you, but I most remember the times from college where I was laughing with my friends – not typing on a computer.