Hi, my name is Xavier, and I am an Internet addict

It’s hard to believe how much life has changed since the Internet started to develop in the mid-1990s. When I first started writing I would send my stories to publications by fax. Then along came email and my job got a lot easier.

Once browsers became popular and easy to use I found I could look up so many things on the Internet. In the early days of this development I did a lot of research online and my use of the library fell off substantially. By the mid-2000s I found that I did not have to leave home to research a topic.

Websites became popular and just about every business, government agency, publication and writer had one. So, I learned to make them and put a few together for myself. It was quite a learning curve and complicated at first but over the years I have honed my skills.

It just amazes me at how fast and how much the Internet has developed in less than a couple decades. Everything you ever wanted to know exists on the net. You can find a new friend, fall in love, get a job, order just about anything, study the history of anything or anywhere, look up information on biographies of the famous and not-so-famous characters of history, watch television, take in a great movie, book hotels and flights, read newspapers from all over the world and check the weather for tomorrow or next week. There are so many other things you can use the net for but that’s all I could think of at the moment.

How on earth did we ever do anything without the Internet? Well, you have to admit we did a lot more moving around to seek information. We had to actually go to a theatre or at the very least watch the TV to be entertained. For research or to read a foreign newspaper we had to visit the local library. That meant a drive or walk and some interaction with other humans. If we wanted buy some item we had to head out to a department or hardware store. That meant a good amount of timing browsing around on our feet.

For company we actually had to sit down with family, loved ones or friends for a face-to-face conversation. That meant at least a short walk or drive to enjoy someone’s company. We could actually shake their hands or maybe even give them a big hug or kiss. If we wanted news we might have to walk or drive to the nearest place to pick up a newspaper and then find a good spot to read it while sipping on a nice hot coffee or tea. So, I have come to the conclusion that although the Internet has been such a great discovery it has turned many of us into out-of-shape slaves.

Think about it. Television was bad enough as most of us should admit we have always spent too much time watching the boob tube. However, since the development of the Internet many of us have turned into some type of computer, laptop, smartphone zombie. The first thing we do in the morning is check our email, or more currently check for any texts on our smartphone, maybe do Facetime or Skype to chat with a family member or friend and then for a good part of our day we are glued to these devices. That means we are generally not moving very much and that is really bad for the health. I am sure that there has been an increase in all kinds of health problems because people have been spending too much time sitting and glaring at all kinds of monitors and screens. Heart disease, diabetes, circulation problems and weight gain must be increasing because of our addiction to the Internet.

Sometimes I just can’t believe how far I have drifted from living on the land. I miss the sound of the trees moving in a soft breeze. I yearn for the smell of a pine forest and the sound of a northern lake lapping at the shore. When was the last time I looked into the eyes of a fox or lynx on a trail? Hmm, well you know I’ll bet there will soon be holographic apps for all that. Then I won’t even have to get out of bed.