I think I might be addicted to the internet, computer games, shows; all of which are components of media consumption today. Why? Maybe because the creators made it disgustingly, yet satisfyingly so. The moment I wake up, I reach for my phone to check Facebook or maybe Instagram if I had posted a picture the night before and I want to see how many "likes" I received. I stay in bed, staring at my phone, scrolling and scrolling until half an hour passes and I realize I'm late for class. The majority of my day comprised of my eyes glued onto the computer screen clicking around to see where the next webpage teaches me or to control where my game character is moving. If I'm not at home on the computer, I'm at school; most likely checking my phone every couple minutes to see if I get a notification and if not, then aimlessly scrolling down and down my Facebook news-feed until it tells me there are 3 new posts and I get to the top of the feed and rinse and repeat the process. At least in school, I'm not staring at a screen the whole time...just half the time. I remember during long breaks when I'd get a week off in high school, I'd stay home the whole time doing the myriad of things that are possible on the computer. Once the break was nearly over, I realized how tired and messy I was from staying up either watching shows or playing games all night.
Yes, maybe it is my fault for being so attached to my phone and computer, but the creators of this can't walk away without any blame. They intentionally make this stuff addicting so that their apps, shows, games, etc makes them more money.
With the ease of technology and social media, trends spread like wildfire. Slang terms become part of the English language in an instant, used by everyone who has seen the latest vine video. No one needs to question whether or not the other person they're speaking to would know what the term means, because it is already assumed. Our culture and society is quickly molded and influenced so much faster because of mass media. You're expected to understand the new slang term right away. You're expected to know what "Damn Daniel" is and what it's in reference to. we absorb these videos hungrily, feeding it likes and shares and most importantly, our attention.
I don't think it's just me that is addicted. I think a lot of people are. Check out the
17 Signs You Live on the Internet and see how much of this you can relate to.
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