Discussion Does anyone else feel like they’ve spent many years of their life online?

[soulkitty]

I feel like I've probably spent more than half of my life online, and if I could somehow see how much time I've spent on devices in my lifetime it would probably add up to years and years. The internet has always been my escape, I feel like I've been hooked on it for a long time. It's much easier to deal with than reality.

There's things I love and enjoy on the internet, I can listen to any music at any time. Watch pretty much anything I want, spend all day inside my head ruminating on all kinds of different things. Fulfilling every bit of curiosity I have for any subject I can imagine. Wasting away for days and days, weeks and weeks without accomplishing anything. Not to mention it's a thousand times easier to express myself online.

Some of the only times I'm able to distract myself from the crushing weight of severe depression is through the internet. It's like a safe haven for my mind. But I know it's probably not healthy for me, and I should work on it. It's just so addicting. I can get lost in thought for so many hours going on my own little adventures inside my head. It almost feels like it creates a whole different reality than real life, one that I've grown to prefer over the horrors I've gone through outside of the internet

 

[bipolar22]

I spent the last 12 years around 80 percent of my waking hours on the internet playing online games and on Youtube. At first it was a good escape from life but later that wasn't enough anymore and I added heavy drinking while gaming. I never learned a profession. Kept getting kicked from schools because I cant stand being told what to do all day. There are just very few things that I have passion for in this world so i dont really mourn over spending my time that way.

 

[FERAL_FRENZY]

Escapism is one hell of a drug, but I prefer it over the mundane shithole we call the "real world."

 

[vadim]

I sometimes wonder if the biggest wrong turn I took in life was getting addicted to the internet, and if maybe thing's wouldn't have gotten so bad if I hadn't. Losing years of my life to being a terminally online shut in definitely hindered my social development and I basically lost all my IRL hobbies to mindless internet browsing. I'm now trying to get back into things like reading, drawing, and spending time outdoors because they used to make me happy, but it's hard because they can't compete with the endless dopamine hits I get from wasting time on the internet, so I stay a useless shell of a person.

 

[untothedepths]

I know I have. I wish I didn't. Maybe facing my shitty life head on would have helped me CTB faster.

 

[pilotviolin]

definitely. i have had pretty much unrestricted internet access almost all my life and basically grown up online from 3 and onwards. most my major life events have happened online or have some parallel with it. friendships on there last way longer than irl and nowadays everythings intertwined with the real world. ive lived many more live online than irl lol. im usually bitter about the whole internet thing but recently ive just been playing restaurant games to have dinner with a friend, and its kind of heartwarming and i like listening to music and videos with others cause its connecting without having to type much cause were always typing.

It almost feels like it creates a whole different reality than real life, one that I've grown to prefer over the horrors I've gone through outside of the internet

yeah the undercurrent of many people online all the time is their reality isnt that preferable.

 

[sserafim]

Yeah, I think I've spent more time online than in the real world. I hate reality, so I escape it via going online. I prefer the virtual world to the real world. It's a form of escapism. Reality is so boring and mundane. I hate the daily tasks I have to do to exist. I also just don't want to face reality. It's so depressing and soul-sucking. The Internet is my solace

Escapism is one hell of a drug, but I prefer it over the mundane shithole we call the "real world."

Same. The real world sucks

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I first had internet access 20 years ago and I've been terminally online ever since.