Which Side Is The Correct Side?

Okay, I'm going to be honest. 

I enjoy the Internet.

If you look at my battery usage for the last week, I've used Snapchat for approximately 6.7 hours, Facebook Messenger for 6.6, Instagram for 6.3, and Youtube for 6.9.

Am I proud of that?

No.

Will it stop me from using these apps?

No.

I would consider myself to be a pretty social person.

I enjoy talking to my friends even though I saw them a couple hours ago.

I like to be in the loop of things.

I want to know what's going on with my man Harry Styles.

In this article, it is shown that from a new study, "half of US students could be internet addicts."

That is a crazy thing for anyone to admit.

We like to think that we have all this willpower. No one wants to say "I'm addicted to my phone." A piece of plastic and glass that we put so much dependence on. As humans, we would like to think that we own an inanimate object. Hearing the words "I'm addicted to my phone," is almost shameful. 

But with the amount of importance that we have put onto social media and the Internet, in general, the question is almost, "Who isn't?"

Especially teenagers.

As one, I would say that it's usually weird if you meet someone and they don't have an Instagram account or Snapchat handle to add to your list of friends.

But overall, I enjoy using these apps and the Internet. I find a weird pleasure in seeing how many streaks I have on Snapchat with people. I like talking in groupchats or in one on one conversations. Many of my friendships have tightened and became what they are now because of the internet and the communication from it.

Recently, I've started reconnecting with my cousin, who only lives a half of an hour away. We've always said we were best friends and we always will be, but we never got to see each other as much as we wanted. Especially once we got older and got busy.

Now, with Snapchat, Facebook, texting and Instagram, I talk to her everyday and I don't even have to leave my own home. 

The Internet is a whole other world, at times. There are so many resources and so much information. The convenience of it almost makes it an incomparable source for entertainment or research.

And yes, I use it a lot but that doesn't mean that there's no regret to it. Sometimes I sit there after a long session on a lazy Sunday and just think...

I mean, there's so many other things I could have done with my time!

In the article, it also mentions that people with PIU suffer from many different things, like depression or trouble sleeping. 

I would never say that I get depressed from the Internet, but there are some times where I'm just refreshing my feed or staring at my homepage for some new app to click on that I haven't already seen in the last 10 minutes, and you do get this empty feeling inside.

It's a weird feeling, one of "what am I doing?"

This question also makes me wonder if I have even the slightest bit of PIU. I have so much more I could say about the subject, but for now, those are my thoughts.

I guess I don't have an exact side of where I am. I love the Internet and the benefits, but at times, it can become a fake, unrealistic place of constant refereshing and searching. 

This is all man made, after all. And as it continues to evolve over time, so will we.

Do I have PIU? 

Maybe.

Is that a weird thing to say?

Yes.

But am I really that shocked?

No. 

26.5 hours.