I disagree. Porn sites are the most boring porn sites on the web. This one at least has a lot of interesting writing discussion on it.
My dad loved the articles in Playboy, so much so he still has them! Not sure I'm addicted to anything online but I will join you @jazzabel in getting a little anxiety if I don't check in here, facebook, email, bbc sport and Irish news at least 4-6 times a day. Thankfully I bought a new Nokia Windows 8 phone so 'it' tells me when something happens - no need to keep checking in
@erebh: I still have beeper trauma, from being on call all hours of day and night for years, any notification sound that tells me I should go and do something gives me heebie-jeebies
Depending on your phone you can change your beep to a do-diddly-do-dah! Mine plays If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly because you're right, even those of us who weren't on call and/or who's beep doesn't mean disaster - it's still means 'Shit - what's wrong?' and as for double beeps.....? You know that sounds weird right? I never thought I was that weird - thanks jazz
Not weird at all. I actually had my beep play Angie Stone's 'This Is My Life Story'. Took me a couple of months to spot the irony...
Oh such a joyful irony My friend had a specific ring tone for his ex-gf - Oh No Not You Again by Imogen Heap!
I don't have much time to surf the net, I'm not a gamer either, but it doesn't mean I didn't have a dependency of sorts. Emails and FB have to be checked every day (e.g. I stay in contact with my Mom over FB), though, sometimes during weekends, I can't be arsed, and come Monday, the inbox is flooded and I curse myself for not checking it in days. When I'm at work, I visit this forum every now and then, but if I'm at school, I don't really do anything else except write some stupid paper or sit in class. I can't take a laptop to class, it's a conscious choice, otherwise I'll be surfing the net and not paying attention. Which is really annoying, btw, when kids are so dependent on their smartphones. Cos I'm writing my Master's Thesis, I only get to substitute every now and then, which means I haven't my own class, which means the pupils think they can use phones when they should be paying attention. Grumble grumble. I had one kid who wouldn't relinquish his phone during the class, but weirdly enough, he got every piece of homework done and did a good job with the end-of-term exam as well. I don't really have a problem with procrastination, though. On an occasion, I should've been writing an essay but I've found myself browsing pictures of cats.
@mammamaia: Well, in your case the answer would be 'Emails', no? not at all... because it's not an 'addiction' for me, simply a 'tool' or 'method' i use as needed... unlike addicts, i almost never email anyone... i just reply to whoever emails me... which doesn't rise to the level of 'addictive' behavior... so, i still say the poll needed to have 'nothing' added...
This response is neither helping you nor helping new writers. It's not necessary for me to know what are you achieving from this response, but it's certainly something else.
I like the logic going on. I don't consider myself an alcoholic because I don't go to meetings, I have a steady job, and I don't drink the cheap stuff
What I find fascinating, though, is the 0 votes for 'Creating meaningful relationships with others'. They say it is the most common reason for internet addiction, online friends etc. I wonder if we as writers are just a bit more misanthropic than your average internet user, or are we more jaded/ sceptical/realistic about the nature of relating to each other online?
I like going out with friends and doing stuff like playing basketball, going to a movie, going to a bar, etc. I can't do that with an online buddy, so I don't really look to make online friends. That's basically the only reason.
I took that question as meaning 'do you try to find your life partner online.' WLTM, and all that stuff... Erm...no...
while none of us here may actually never meet irl I'd like to think I've met some amazing people who I'd enjoy the company of.
Well, these days nearly half of everything is online... It's become so bad that the only way to maintain a social existence (or a professional one, or a scholarly/research based one) is to spend a good portion of time on the internet. Just by being plugged in we are all somehow connected to this constent presence. Not having it forces us to actually pay attention to whats immediately around us and actually do things to amuse ourselves or get work done. The internet is a tool, a crutch, and a part of life all at once. I'm one to answer nearly all of my emails or texts or FB messages nearly immediately. I don't get many anymore, but most people would find me online simply by having it open--not even necessarily on. I have formed a bit of a bad habit of surfing the web longer than I should--not doing mindless things, but looking up information on things like politics (rarely), religion/spirituality (and different belief systems), cultures, travel, animals/wildlife, science, writing and a lot of recipes and how-to things... Things that make me more knowledgeable or skilled... Still, it's amazing to see how much time you actually spend connected or thinking about being online when you don't have a computer to access 24/7.
@thirdwind: That was my logic too. @jannert: No, it refers to internet friendships as well @erebh: I feel so too. @Andrae Smith: I know exactly what you mean Although, I read somewhere recently, and it's so true, information isn't knowledge. Anyone can search the internet and even answer questions using phrases and sentences they found, but goodness knows, there are so many examples, they don't actually know it. I had many patients come to appointments, having searched Google for their condition, or the symptoms, and you can see the logic they used to reach their conclusions, but the conclusions were completely wrong.
Well, now I would say I'm an addict, but when November rolls around, I'll be Amish. Guess why that is.
Yeah, see, the internet is a great quick reference, but things get so much more interesting when you dig deeper. In my opinion, the only true source of knowledge is experience, followed by studying/research. I admit, I have used the internet to diagnose my symptoms (not like getting sick, but say I notice my skin breaking out or something like that). I don't put too much stock in it, but I check various sources and articles and forums and so on, not for some definitive diagnosis, but a general idea of what I might be experiencing. Some searches can be very helpful, but most don't do anything more than leave you with a list of possibilities and if you're smart you'll keep track of your development so You actually get to a professional when you should.
