Technology is not always your friend

Ever since people realized the Internet’s potential to become a way to relieve stress (a.k.a. looking at cleverly captioned videos of cats), it has morphed into the hypothetical birthday cake for the midnight snacker.“It’s there and it’s mine, so why not take a nibble or two?”  thinks the insomniac-turned-forager, who then proceeds to scoop up the dessert bit-by-delectable-bit until all that remains is an empty platter and a stomachful of guilt and frosting. Now, imagine if the platter replenished itself indefinitely, creating an endless supply of empty calories.That’s what the Internet is to the mind.From scrolling through Tumblr for hours to pondering new tidbits of information discovered on Wikipedia until dawn, the Internet offers both a plethora of knowledge and a convenient method to reach it. Unfortunately, with so much information, it also becomes harder to resist the lure of the Internet. Natural curiosity urges us to click on the numerous hyperlinks littered throughout web pages, and once we do, we find ourselves distracted by one after another. This trail of hyperlinks essentially acts as the virtual version of Hansel and Gretel’s trail of breadcrumbs.But while there is no literal witch with a perfect sugary house and a waiting oven at the end of the road, there is something akin to it — procrastination. Just as the cruel witch plots to eat Hansel, procrastination will devour one’s potential. By wasting time completing mundane tasks with no real value or effect on the future, we waste life.Furthermore, studies have shown that when used in excess, the Internet can be a primary cause of mental disorders. In a 2012 survey organized by researchers at the University of Gothenburg that included a subject pool of more than 4,100 Swedish men and women, it was discovered that “stress, sleeping disorders and depression” often developed as a result of unrestrained Internet use.“High quantitative use was a central link between computer use and stress, sleep disturbances and depression described by the young adults,” Sara Thomee, lead author of ‘Study: People Who Are Constantly Online Can Develop Mental Disorders,’ which explored the correlation between mental disorders and Internet use, said. “It was easy to spend more time than planned at the computer (e.g., working, gaming, or chatting), and this tended to lead to time pressure, neglect of other activities and personal needs (such as social interaction, sleep, physical activity), as well as bad ergonomics, and mental overload.”In addition, the study found that “daily computer gaming for 1–2 hours meant an increased risk for symptoms of depression in women. Often using the computer late at night (and consequently losing sleep) was a prospective risk factor for stress and sleep disturbances, including reduced performance, in both sexes.”Though the Internet, like cake, is excellent in moderation, when it is carelessly used without tangible, reasonable limits, it becomes a significant and powerful burden — an infamous breeding ground for procrastination excuses and long, sleepless nights.And if you’re not yet persuaded to renounce lurking around Tumblr and stalking  your Facebook friends for hours on end — “You don’t understand!” you might protest indignantly. “I have less willpower than a goldfish. Heck, I don’t even have a life!” Ask yourself this: “Have I, in the past decade and a half or so, done anything that I didn’t want to do at first?” Chances are you have. Remember those vegetables that you made run around your plate in laps? Or how about that initial visit to the doctor’s office for shots that “wouldn’t hurt, I promise!” after waiting outside the room for 20 minutes, listening to the pained squeals of previous occupants?It is all a matter of necessity — in the end, everything boils down to how much you want it. Do you want to live in the 3D world, where your decisions immediately impact your well-being, your family and your friends, or do you instead prefer the pseudo-delectable 2D world, with its infinite HTML universe that can only delay but never solve all your problems in reality?There are certainly more than enough resources to help you, from extensions that can block a website for a set amount of time, to friends who would be more than happy to reset your password for you to choosing to give away your monitor to a charity for children in poverty.Make a schedule, call your friends for an unforgettable day of karaoke that can provide blackmail for years to come, pick up a good book and make obscure references to it in your next formal essay — whatever it is, choose something that will provide more substance to your life than the empty calories from surfing the Web will.twang@thesamohi.com