Are we all on the way to becoming Internet addicts?

I agree with Victoria in the sense that after reading Bucy’s book, I did not realize how prevalent the Internet is in our lives today. Bucy describes this phenomenon as “Internet fever,” and states that “it seemed that all we needed to do was get a person online and he or she would be changed forever. And people were” (Bucy 26). This is true. People in our society have come to use the Internet for many things such as a form of communication, source of information, a way to browse and make purchases, a sense of control over money through online banking, and as a form of entertainment. If you think about it, this a lot of dependency on one thing, and this dependency is scary! It is scary because like Victoria mentioned too much Internet could lead to the possibility of an Internet addiction!

Bucy states that “the Web is an unnatural world, one we have built for ourselves” (Bucy 43). This statement is true because if you think about it, everyone uses the Internet how he or she wants, but is the way we are using the Internet unhealthy? Is it addictive? I believe so. Through sites such as “Second Life,” people can create new worlds and new identities. This sounds fun, but this can be addictive. “New worlds create new people” (Bucy 45). This means people could be living double lives: a physical and a virtual one that could be difficult to separate. Is living a double life unhealthy? If you can’t decide check out this article.

Bucy also states, “computers networks isolate us from one another, rather than bring us together” (Bucy 192). I believe this concept is true especially when it comes to family life. Victoria briefly touches this subject in her blog when she mentions that her sisters spend lots of time on aim talking to friends instead of communicating with the family. “Kids that interact with computers rather than their parents miss out on the most important part of growing: being close to their families” (Bucy 192). This is so true! The Internet brings less face to face social interaction, and it is sad that it is occurring within families! Are parents saying it is ok to be this way by allowing their children to become isolated and addicted to the Internet? I hope not!

Unfortunately, at the rate our society is accepting the Internet, it is a wonder we are not all on the way to becoming addicts. What I mean by this is so many things in society are now being available online. For example one does not have to have much face to face interaction anymore, let alone leave the comfortable atmosphere of his or her home any more than he or she chooses because there is the option of online classes, online banking with direct deposit, and browsing and purchasing items online such as food, clothes, etc. I am sure these things were developed out of convenience for our fast-paced society, but is this convenience tearing apart from face to face social interaction? Are we all on the way to becoming addicted?