Internet?? An Addiction? A Hobby? An Information Tool? A Store? All Of Them?

[Stuart G]

Yep, Is anyone willing to talk about this again? Time spent on the internet is time???????????
..well spent, wasted., fun, ok, just plain ??? WHAT???
I am not sure where to start?...,

I HAVE BEEN SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME AT THE DU DISCUSSION FORUM...IT IS GETTING TO ME.........

I think I am going to discuss this one for a while. please bear with me..please read the next post
......................thank you...Stuart G.

[Stuart G]

1. I have noticed that...

I get a little buzz from seeing a thread evolve here and in other places..Now this buzz is what I refer to as an ..addiction..
I go back to the thread to see if someone has responded or not. And that is not just here, but in other places as well. I think we all do....


What is important is this: I recall clearly, that this buzz...was very similar to the kind of buzz that I got in playing the slot machines at a river boat casino.

..It was most noticeable at DU..but I suspect it was similar at other Web Sites I go to.. and in discussing addictions, I do know that the pleasure centers of the brain just respond..in an addictive way to certain cues.. that excite us. think about it.. more later..

[elleng]

2. All.

Please do discuss.

[Stuart G]

3. MissiMille wrote on 1/3/08

. ..........I am constantly amazed at how many people still deny food
>addiction.............

.........when something makes your brain receptors happy, then that's
it... it doesn't matter what it is: video games, gambling,
drugs, cigarettes, food, sex.... .......MissMillie wrote on 1/3/08..

This comment then, on another subject,(morbid obesity).. awoke me to the idea, that brain receptors could be excited by the constant switching of views of the computer on the internet.
.. The excitement created watching.. anything on the computer that made me happy,. like seeing my name on a thread, and people responding to it,..yes, this was real.

At some point, I did recall that the internet feeling was similar to watching the slot machine spin around waiting for it to stop..I just couldn't stop putting in quarters no matter what. And often I can't stop looking at the internet, and switching screens, or web sites no matter what..

Thus, the feelings I get here could be described as somewhat addictive. I must say if MissMillie had not mentioned this, I doubt that I would have drawn the connection. It is one that I believe is true, but few here have commented. I hope more do.
Thank you..........Stuart G.

[Stuart G]

4. I need to add one more thing...

And people can comment on this one too.......

I notice that time disappears when I am posting or reading stuff on the internet. (or here for that matter)

Time just moves so quickly that I am hypnotized by the action of writing and reading. I look up and an hour is gone. That too is like when I went to the casino.
(I do not go anymore, ever.) It was the exact same feeling about time that had when I was playing video games after an extensive surgery.
..I played for hours and lost complete track of time. And when a particular game went bad, I had to go back and play again and again till I beat the game or was so wore out that I went to sleep, or to the washroom..