How do you know when you spend too much time online?

When you forego sex for Google.

A survey polling 1,011 Americans showed that most of us can’t stay away from the internet for more than a few days without feeling anxious and “cut off” from the rest of world, while 20% of us are spending less time getting it on because we’re logged on.

“Cell phones won out over television in a question asking which device people couldn’t go without but the Internet trumped all, regarded as the most necessary” the survey claims, going on to say that most of feel like “something important” is missing if we’re not able to check email or surf the web.

I’d like to say that I’m not part of this trend, but if I did, I’d be lying.

Although I can’t see myself giving up sex for more time on Facebook, I fully acknowledge that if I go too long without having access to a computer, I start to get nervous. What if today’s the day I get something really important in my inbox? I think. What if someone sends me a message and I only have an hour to reply?

Ridiculous as those thoughts are, the longer I’m away from my email, the more I think them. It’s amazing how fast we can become dependant on something (after all, most of us were alive before the internet became a way of life), and it’s a little scary to think about what would happen if the whole thing just disappeared one day.

In fact, I don’t want to think about it at all!

I need to calm myself down! I need to watch someone annoying do something random on YouTube! I need to watch this guy.

…ah, much better. Now, what was I saying?