We all spend a large amount of our days online, whether it's for work-related matters, on Facebook, playing games, or simply watching videos on YouTube.
How much is too much and how can we monitor our online behavior? The Week talked to a select few to know their take. Here's what they had to say.
Sangharsha Bhattarai
software professional
I spend a lot of my time online because of my line of work. But sometimes it gets too much. The online world poses a lot of distractions. It starts with one social media website, and then you just start browsing a lot clicking on different links and jumping from one place to another. It’s a vicious cycle. One thing I always do when I’m online is I give myself specific topics and when I see I have deviated, I get up and take a break. Another idea I generally follow is I go offline whenever I can. At home, I try to limit Internet use. It’s not easy, given the fact that we all have smart phones now and Internet is so accessible. But you have to try, otherwise you will just be wasting a lot of your time. You can also try to keep your device away from you when you are home.
Online addiction increasing among children
Sarmin Rauf
student
As majority of the people around, I too check my facebook on a regular basis. The internet has undoubtedly become intertwined with our lives. It’s a must. Personally, I am a very frequent user of viber as well. It’s the way I get in touch with the people in my life. So there are obviously advantages of technology and in this age it is impossible to get any work done without going online, so we can’t do without internet. However, having said that, I wish people would stop sacrificing interpersonal relationships for technology. There is nothing more annoying than when people keep checking their phones during get togethers. But the thing is there will always be a text to answer or a status to update, so I feel that until and unless there are designated spaces with no wifi, there is no way to get them offline. Having some places where it is impossible to get access of the internet might just be healthy.
Pragyawatee Rai
student
We inevitably spend a lot of our time online mostly because of social networking sites. Facebook can be quite addictive. We need to consciously make an effort to switch off the computer, and turn off our phones every once in a while. One thing I believe in is that you need to spend time outdoors and indulge in recreational activities that don’t involve a screen. It can be a short walk, or some time observing your surroundings. But these things are easier said than done and require hard work and consistency. I also recommend a digital detox every once in a while. Maybe we could switch off our phones during the weekend and not turn on our computers, too. Knowing where to draw the line is important if you don’t want the Internet to suck time. Create your own rules and make sure you follow them.
Anil Ghimire
marketing technologist
I think that most of us have limited our understanding of Internet to sites like Facebook and Twitter only. If we go beyond social networking sites like these, then you will find what internet really is and what it can really do. There are many sites that are educational and can really help if you know what you are looking for, as it is a vast storehouse. So if we focus on that, there will be no such thing as online addiction. As far as our attachment with social networking sites, it sparks our curiosity. When we post something, expect certain feedback, we wait for comments or likes, and in a way, it caters to our need for attention. We think it’s just for a little time, but we go back to it time and again. They won’t even know if they are addicted, or sparing just another glance at their statuses.
Nisha Gelal
student
There is a genuine threat of interpersonal relationships being replaced by all the online interaction. People these days don’t seem to have time to look at people’s faces. Their eyes are always glued on smart phones or tablets. They even have headphones hanging from their ears. With its overuse, we are on the verge of misuse of technology. I sometimes fear what’s going to happen to our younger generations. Are they going to lose the warmth of human interaction to the cold world of the internet? So people have to be conscious of their time online. Also perhaps engaging the youngsters in some creative activities might help. Usually they don’t have anything to do, so they take out their phones. If they had options of being engaged in other activities, it might help them recover from their online addiction.
Dil Kumar Ale Magar
restaurant manager
I’m not someone who spends a lot of time online, but the online addiction in people is apparent in them. People are online almost all the time, and instead of working, they engage in useless ‘chats’ with people whom they barely know outside or have business with. I think that it gets too much when you ignore your work and instead waste time on mindless time online. There is no way to control this behavior except by understanding what you could have been doing otherwise, and how beneficial it would have been. I think that the scope of creative hobbies has been undermined, and if we can bring it in fashion, it would be pretty cool. But of course, you need personal dedication for that. You should know what the limit is and only you know what you want and what you can do with what you have.
