Is the Internet ruining your life?

[Designer]

[Tim]

No, of course not. That like saying the printing press, or telephone, or cars are ruining you're life. They cannot, the internet is just a communication tool.

[787]

No, quite the opposite actually.

[The Wizard]

Hm. Good question.
I'm going to have to say yes (conditionally).

With the advent of the internet becoming more prevalent in our daily lives from our computers to our pockets, there's no longer truly a moment of peace of privacy. Although it is good to talk to friends and family from afar (which I do since I live out in the middle of nowhere for software engineering work), that helps.

However, constantly being confined in front of a computer for hours on end, always being connected, always networked, always spreading information about yourself and to others, you become less of a person and more of a 'mass'.

I did a social experiment once as a computer scientist and kept a log of my findings. I completely disconnected myself from the computer as well as the internet for two entire weeks, and that means all forms of computers, be it cellphone, laptop, desktop, point of sale machine, even vehicular and I did find two things:

A. Computers exist in just about EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of our daily lives, from the food we buy, to the transport we get; always working and always tracking
B. For the period of two weeks, time literally began to slow down for me, the first two nights were chaotic, always wanting to have that outside social connection, but after the third day, I found this serenity and peace with myself and my surrounding, I was actually very happy. I could sit, focus and work on my personal projects without interruption. I still remember one night, my workshop was completely shut down, not a single machine was on, and I opened my windows to hear the rain. I enjoyed it so much I popped in a record with classical music and had a glass of wine, it was just that darn good.

So, yes, the internet is bad, much like that of a drug. Has it ruined my life? We'll see, but as of now, no. Being a computer scientist and software engineer, I know what goes into applications that drive powerful sites like Facebook and Youtube, so I tend to distance myself if necessary.

Remember a life without computers? Well that social experiment was exactly that and it was good, I suggest you give it a shot too and keep a journal, you'll find it very interesting.

[Irv S]

Well, ... I'm wasting my time here am I not?