Internet Dependence of College Students

Our use of the Internet has made us forget how to mentally entertain ourselves. The internet has changed the lives of so many people that have access to it. It is necessary to note that almost the whole world even third world countries have access to the internet. Through the web, people from different parts of the world can easy interact and learn about other cultures, countries and individuals. The internet is a platform for various forms of entertainment. The internet offers different outlets such as online television and movie links, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snap Chat act as communication outlets. When individuals feel dull and are looking for a quick solution to their boredom the internet offers a solution. In her article, Konnikova learns about an ongoing research carried out by psychologist Timothy Wilson on college students and the use of social media. In the study, the psychologists conclude that the college students start going "crazy" when they stay in a room for long without their mobile phones or a computer. It means that the students are bored and can only be entertained by the use of the internet which allows them to access their social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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The social media networks give the users a feeling of entertainment because the users can interact with each other through posting on walls, commenting, and liking updates and inboxing. Twitter allows retweeting, liking and commenting on tweets and Instagram allows for liking and following of other users. Through social media users can access, information through reading, watching a video and listening to audios which are the form of entertainment many people want. I agree with the statement that the use of the Internet has made us forget how to mentally entertain ourselves. The reason for having agreed with the statement is that as much as most of the social media users enjoy and feel welcomed while they are online, a repetition of the process makes them bored quickly. When a user logs in they look for the latest updates and tweets and once they have read all of the tweets and updates and liked or commented they have nothing else to do. So they are just online for no good reason.

The addiction to the internet has made users over-dependent on the web as they aim to entertain themselves that is why the college students cannot be in a room for long without their mobile phones and the internet. While before the internet some would find a book to read, play a game of cards or even Scrabble it is now difficult to appreciate any other form of mindless entertainment because they crave for the internet. People cannot talk to each other without using their phones, and it has become almost impossible to do anything without a mobile phone which has an internet connection. Individuals have forgotten about what real fulfillment is all about. The internet through social media offers a quick fix to their determination to kill boredom. However, it is important to note that the internet is not the problem because through it individuals can learn about ways of fulfilling themselves in terms of development and other activities. It is, therefore, true that the use of the internet has made users forget how to entertain themselves mentally.