Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Internet Addiction

I think Jeffey made some interesting comments in his farewell, and I'd like to discuss some things further without clogging down his thread.

Now me, I probably AM addicted to the internet. I *do* spend hours at a time on it and sometimes let some household things slide because of it.

But... I figure, it's MY house, I'll do 'em when I'm ready, I'm not hurting anybody by not washing the dishes today or making the bed, that sort of thing.

I don't think the internet has kept me from interacting in the 'real' world. I have a job that I go to 5-6 days a week and still manage to go out 1-3 nights a week (more when I'm on vacation).

Has the internet kept me from meeting a boyfriend/new friends? It's possible but I doubt it, as Lisa Lisa sang in the 80s. I meet plenty of guys/people and... well, it's just safe to say I prefer the company of the people here. We all do have something in common and in some cases SEVERAL things in common.

So I guess the point is: Yes, I realize I probably AM addicted to the internet, but no I don't think it is causing me or anyone else a problem or harm. (Spoken like a true addict, I know)

Honestly, Jeffey's abrupt exit from here very much bothers me. He is one of the few here I have "broken the 'net" with, meaning we have spoken by phone previously. If Teeds, Pov or Stuey just decided to say 'Goodbye', turn off the 'net and never interact with me again, it would also bother me.

I found solace in Grey's comments on that goodbye thread; thanks, Grey.

Anyhoo, I'm curious what you all think about Internet Addiction in particular, or this situation in general.

It's difficult to comment on somebody else's situation - time spent on-line was, by KP's own admission, causing him some problems. Perhaps it's just a matter of taking a break, re-ordering priorities and returning to the net in a reduced way - controlled usage.

The first step of AA says "Admitted we had a problem with alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable". I guess each person has to decide at what point their life is unmanageable due to the addiction. As Lash mentions, the addict isn't too likely to identify the addiction - on the other hand, if someone else tells you you have a problem and have to stop, but you don't believe this yourself, I doubt you'll stop the addictive behaviour. A common response to drinkers who say they can stop any time is "Okay, stop." The same would apply here. Think you can live without Legion World? Stop for a few days.

According to the usual tests floating around the internet, I qualify for mild internet addiction - if there really is such a thing. I do miss it on days I don't get on-line. I certainly don't think my life is any more unmanageable than it was pre-net. I would just be doing something equivalent with the time, like reading detective novels or some escapist pastime. It's not like I'd be working on a cure for cancer if I wasn't on-line.

There was a book put out years ago called "Positive Addiction" - discussed things like being addicted to running. It can interefere with your family life and take time away from other pursuits, but the exercise is good for you physically and (usually) mentally. You may meet other runners and form new friendships. Drinking, gambling, drug addictions, on the other hand, damage your health, your finances, your family, your job, etc etc. The negatives far outweigh any positives.

I think there are a couple of issues with forums like this. One of them seems to be a need to feel popular. I know that when someone does one of those "I love you guys" threads, and they list off a bunch of names of people who they really like, who entertained them, who they feel connected to.... I always kinda hope I'll be on that list. When I'm not, I think to myself that I should respond to more topics, create more of my own, try harder to connect with people. This, of course, means that I'd need to spend a LOT more time posting, time which I don't have to spend on the computer.

Another issue has to do with us creative types- artists and writers. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I'm sure that most of us post our work here, looking for encouragement and support, for compliments. Sometimes we even want critiques. Maybe we hope some editor out there is skimming through the forum, looking for a new inspiration. Maybe they'd see our work and want to hire us!!!! I'm sure that rarely happens. The compliments are addictive, though. It's great to do a little drawing or write a little scene, and have someone tell you how much they like it. To keep doing more! You want to do more, then!

I don't have a regular schedule in life, so I don't have a regular time that I set aside for the computer. Sometimes I feel like a lot of stuff happens everytime I'm NOT on. Then I have to try to catch up, and rarely ever do. Currently, I feel like I have a safe relationship with the internet, but in the past, I definitely spent too much time sketching, scanning, posting and responding. It did get in the way. It *is* like Lash says, though. We all have the Legion in common, and I don't know anyone else in regular life who has that kind of enthusiasm for the Legion. That's why it's been great to hang out at other Legion forums, and I can say for sure that LegionWorld is my current favorite! So, I may not be around as much as I'd like to be, but I love it when I am!

it is sad that KP has decided to leave us !!! but if he feel's the NET has taken hold of his life, i guess he just needs some time to take control again !!??

i DO hope he returns !! i think the worst part, was how SUDDEN it was !! it was almost like a "death" .... it seemed to come from nowhere, and i hadn't noticed any earlier posts that would have signalled this departure ??

i suppose i can say i'm not ADDICTED to the internet in general !!! [ as i'm not visting hundreds of different sites and MBs daily !!! ]

but i do feel that i CAN'T let a day pass by without visiting LEGION WORLD at least a number of times throughout the day !!!

and i suppose one of the biggest factors in that is, i don't want to miss out on anything that's going on .....

i always find it hard, if i've been away for a few days !!! as the fist day back is spent catching up on all the previous posts !!! before i feel i can respond to any !!!

but, they are just my thoughts and feelings on the matter .....

Matthew.

Any addiction is by definition harmful. Addicts cannot help themselves: They must post or smoke or drink or what have you. Their addiction skewers their judgement and makes them oblivious to other problems in their lives that fester because of their addiction.

For me, the question is, when does one become an addict and how does one avoid becoming one? I think there are some tell-tale warning signs: When housework or other tasks are neglected, or when other forms of entertainment or socializing are routinely foresaken due to posting, then perhaps therein lies reason for concern. The catch-22 is that we have to know ourselves pretty well to know when we are crossing that line.

I was facing these concerns earlier this year. I had been posting on the DCMB for two years straight and was wondering just how long was too long. The end of the old DCMB was sort of a blessing to me, as it enabled me to take a short break from posting. Those of us who were posting there said goodbye to each other. I was willing to let it go at that. That's how I knew I wasn't addicted.

Then came Rob's Damn Board; its meltdown a few weeks later provided me with another excuse for a break.

Now, here we are again. I still check into Legion World multiple times a day, but I'm happy to say that I am doing other things besides posting. I write. I socialize with other local comics creators. I even go to a movie or on vacation once in awhile. Still, when I do take an extended break from the board, I often find myself wanting to check in, to see what people are up to, what the latest rock trivia question is, where my ranking among the Top 40 posters is, etc. (Yes, there is definitely a narcissistic quality to all this! ) I have resisted buying a portable, notebook computer partly because I don't want constant access to the Internet. When I go on vacation, I want to see other things. Yet the pull to go online is still there.

I think this is normal and nothing to be too terribly concerned about. But I also think we need to occasionally "force" ourselves not to get online once in awhile. Just as some organizations sponsor smoke-free and TV-free days, it would be a good idea to have an Internet-free day.

Is "internet addition" real? Yeah, I guess it can be. But it depends on the degree, as many have already said.

I've only been around here for a short while, but losing KP is sad for me. He's such a positive part of this board. But if not being here is good for him, I won't be sad.

I hope that KP will find the right balance for himself and come back.

And I hope we all can find that right balance for ourselves.

Peace and Love,
QL

This is all very interesting to me, since this is the first message board I've ever participated in. Since 1995, I've had my favorite sites to visit and checked them daily, but nothing more. I never chatted with anyone on the internet or met anyone from the internet. It never seemed to be very real or very important, as the rest of my life was quite full. However, I recently discovered this board and the common interest of the LSH. My interest in the LSH had always been something I had kept to myself since I was a kid. (I was maybe a little embarassed about it, being an adult and all). How exciting it was to find a group of intelligent and delightful people (most of whom are also adults) that share the same interest. I find as a result of that epiphany, that I've spent a lot of time recently on this board, and enjoying every minute of it. I think that with time, I will put it into perspective, but for now, I'm enjoying going a bit overboard with my time. I think I will be honest with myself if it becomes an addiction.

One thing, though. If we really do pull off that get-together in San Diego next summer, then this board takes on a whole different dimension. Not only will it be rooted in our shared interest in the LSH, but in real life friendships.

I spend a lot of time here, as you all know. I also consider myself a bit of an internet addict, however, right now, it's a good place to be in.

I think that you have to learn moderation. Chris and I both have computers here, so it is easier for us, I suppose and he has been working weekends lately, so I have more free time then.

On the evening, I will post when I get home from work. Chris will come home an hour or so later and then, many times, we will go watch tv or go out and do something.

So although I do believe internet addiction is real, and possibly dangerous, right now it's keeping me from being board while the other half works his long shifts. Down the road, I'm sure that will change as his schedule lightens up a bit.

But much like Semi, I have never really participated in a message board before. I did go to the DC boards but didn't really post as I was a bit overwhelmed by it all...

Legion World has given me an outlet for my creativity and allowed for outside interaction with other people of whom I share things in common!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love it here and each and every one of you have made this Legion World a better place!

I think it is important to note that I washed the dishes and made the bed yesterday. :-D Yay, me!

Whose bed?

Giggle

Cramey!!!!

I make no one's bed but my own!

And that was yesterday. Today it is still a heaping mass of soft sheets and blankets from last night's drunken slumber.

It sits there unmade as I post, post post....

I believe that addiction only becomes a problem when it begins to interfere with your "normal" life. For example, you begin to call in sick to work because you'd rather be online or you turn down invitations to go out with friends because you just have to know what's going to happen tonight at SHAKES. (BTW, I don't include skipping your chores in this list. I can ALWAYS find something to do to keep me from washing the dishes, doing the laundry or cleaning! Don't need Legion World for THAT! )

Legion World is the only message board on which I participate (or even visit regularly for that matter) I belong to various Yahoo groups (including LMBP) but have them set to "read on the web only". I never respond because I rarely get around to checking in.

I lead a very busy life away from here. Work six days per week, activiely participate in a volunteer capacity in various organizations and go out with friends.

Am I addicted to the internet? Probably not, but I am addicted to Legion World. I find it to be a fun, rowdy community that I enjoy being a part of. As FC said, if I weren't participating here, I would be doing something else just as "productive" to fill the time.

I believe there is nothing wrong with setting aside time to participate in activities that you enjoy, help you forget your problems, and let you unwind and have fun. Here, I have the added benefit of meeting some terrific people that share a common interest in something I've enjoyed for many, many years.

Watch those Crackberries! Is this an employer's dream - something that makes you addicted to work?

Blackberry addiction

The maker of BlackBerry, Research In Motion, argues that the machines enable people to be more efficient and to save "dead" time while in transit or waiting for meetings. However, experts are increasingly warning that they are as addictive as drugs and alcohol. They have even been dubbed "crackberries" because some users say they make them feel compelled to check messages constantly.

This comes as a new study reveals that nine out of every 10 users have a compulsive need to check for messages and that nearly half experience long-term negative consequences associated with carrying a BlackBerry. A survey of business workers by researchers at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US found that employees were constantly tired because they were waking up in the middle of the night to check or send messages. One interviewee likened the sense of potential gain from staying in touch with work to "pulling the lever of a slot machine".

I was talking to an old classmate who's back at grad school. One guy in his class racked up 1,500 dollar Blackberry bill by ordering constant by-the-minute updates on his stock portfolio.

I hadn't heard that KP was gone. I know that he was a lil' miffed with me a while back, but that wasn't important, it was just politics.

I am sorry to hear that he has left. Where is the thread at, i would like to take the time to say bye to him. We may have disagreed at times over things, but such is life, i still liked and respected the guy.

KP isn't gone, rick - this thread started back in 2003 when he took a break. I just bumped it to add the Blackberry addiction article, rather than create a new thread.

Aaahhhh, gotcha. Glad to hear that he is still here. I need to check the dates more.

It fooled me too.

Fat Cramer - Master Deceptor

But look what it did, got us to say genuinely nice things, lol.

I like that we can say nice things here and others respect that. It's kinda cool.

<Mark Twain voice>
The reports of my demise have been highly exaggerated...
</Mark Twain voice>

Yeah, I just love rehashing memories of my more flaky moments here at Legion World. Yee-haw.

Oh well. Sharing these things together is what makes us friends. I guess I'm glad that folks around here know me (warts and all, as Adama says on the new Battlestar Galactica) and accept me for who I am, rather than who I would like to be.

As far as why I haven't been spending much time here of late... I've just been busy lately. This is my last full-time semester, and it's squeezing me in similar fashion to when Grimbor's chains squeezed the earth.

Seriously, if anyone out there knows anything about UNIX client/server sockets and would like to help me debug my code, please... help a brother out.

Bugger - the date thing caught me too. Probably because it was originally written at the tale end of September, and I just assumed it was this year.

Sorry KP, can't help you with your UNIX problem. I thought that was those blokes with their nads chopped off!

After a week on the road, I do tend to veg for a day. And one of the ways I do is on the internet. But honestly, I don't really even care if I am. I've met some really great people on line here alone. Lash and Vee, I still miss to this day. Others don't post as much, and we've gotten a bit smaller I think with no regular book. And that's sad, but of all the places I can go, the internet for here...I'll take over just about everything but fam.