Why The Internet?

Imagine a world where you are the focal point, the leader. You are the hero who will deliver your civilization from evil. Everyone looks to you for inspiration and salvation. Where you fight epic battles against great and terrible enemies, rescuing your people from almost certain destruction. Now compare that to your real life. You wake up in the morning, rub your groggy eyes, down a quick cup of coffee, and you are out the door to work. You show up late and your boss reams you out about your constant tardiness. Your coffee spills on your favourite shirt as your secretary plops a stack of papers on your desj which require immediate attention. Your car runs out of gas on the way home and you are forced to park it and walk home. When you finally get home your wife starts nagging you about your unpaid bills, and grocery shopping and whatnot. Life can get overwhelming in the real world, and everyone needs an escape.

The internet, for many, provides an entire new society and community as an alternative to the real world. A better alternative. A better reality. Some people I have spoken to have given up on real life social interaction, and instead prefer to focus their social interactions on the internet. For many the internet literally is a second life, a place where everything is happy and pleasant and friendly at all times, with communities and societies for anyone and everyone no matter the interest or social circle. Someone who is, in real life, socially awkward and inept may, online, be the center of attention and popularity.

The purpose of this article is not to advocate the internet, nor is it a general statement concerning every user. Rather its purpose is to give people a deeper understanding of what the internet is and what its draw is. If you understand why it is so enticing then you can try and find an alternative. Perhaps all a child is looking for when they play video games is a feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment. Perhaps all the young adult in his or her twenties is looking for online is recognition of their talent or intellect. Perhaps all the person spending all their time in chatrooms and forums really needs is a friend or a shoulder to cry on. Only by understanding the internet and its allure can one ever hope to win a war against it. Suggesting that a child go play tennis or chess as an alternative is ridiculous because it completely misses the point. The child is not simply looking for a way to fill his time; he is looking for something to fill a very specific void in his life. The same holds true for many who spend hours on the internet. Simply suggesting an alternative is absolutely pointless unless that alternative addresses the reason why the person is spending so much time in the first place.