Kristi Willson
Professor Robert Mason
ENG 122-105
September 29, 2014
Destruction by Internet Every day people waste hours upon hours on the internet doing basically nothing. Although [the internet can be a very helpful source to find information] if used appropriately, it can be dangerous in multiple ways a few include: depression and loneliness, stunt in growth of education, and failure in relationships. In this paper I’m going to discuss these different things that can be caused by the internet. The problem with social media is that it puts its own thoughts in the thoughts of the users who then lose the ability to make up their own mind about situations. Therefore we become a socially stunted society. I personally have a problem with this as well. I can’t blame everyone else while I’m at fault as well, but I do believe that social media needs to take a step back. Depression and loneliness can come from abuse of the internet. Most think that spending time with your phone or on your laptop connect you to people, but it’s actually just the opposite. Social media “connects” us through the internet without actually being connected with a real human being. I am completely at fault in this exact situation, currently I’m texting my friends about basically nothing. It’s ridiculous that we feel the need to be with someone, or have the illusion of being with someone, at all times. We never have time to just be alone and contemplate life. Friends are a great thing that are necessary to our specific personal lives, but some time completely alone, without any other person is important as well for self-reflection. Derscerwiez wrote an article about Solitude in which he gave an example of a girl who sent approximately 3,000 text messages a month. Over all this meant she was basically never alone for that whole month. That girl never had a moment alone. Personally I think it’s kind of scary that you always have people in your life who can know every detail, every single thing you’re doing every second of every day. I appreciate Derscerwiez’s article because he addresses this growing issue that needs to slow down or even come to a stop, which just might bring some of the depression and loneliness in the world down to a different level. A person’s education can be stunted by internet because of the time wasted on it. “ oh just one more episode of Psych and then I’ll get my homework done” or “I’ll just scroll through my news feed one more time to see if there’s anything new” these are some phrases that I’ve said to try and avoid homework. And it usually accomplishes its task, and my homework pushes to the side. When due date comes for that assignment I put off I get so stressed that I don’t finish it. Therefore stunting my education, I’m sure that I am not the only person that has done this and will continue to. This particular issue is a personal problem, you have to take the initiative and take time for your homework. Procrastination is my middle name, I procrastinate almost everything I do, but I do spend a great portion of my procrastination time on the internet. Procrastination combined with the internet equals serious education stunt. An article by Sarah Harris states that “Scientists discovered signs of atrophy of grey matter in the brains of heavy internet users that grew worse over time.” Not only does avoiding homework damage your education, but it damages your brain as well. These scientists compared two different types of students, those who spent a substantial amount of time on the internet and those who spent close to none. The second group was much more successful and had better motor control. Time spent on the internet is getting out of hand and needs to be controlled. (Harris, Mail Online). The accusation that time consumption on the internet can cause relationships to fail may sound absurd, but I have had personal experiences where this