Comments on: Are You an Addict?

By: Carrie

Carrie — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:00:15 +0000

Thank you so much for this post. It was so simple but hit me in a way I couldn’t ignore.

I’ve been an addict to the internet for years. It took over my whole life so, for the last 2 weeks, I went on a computer fast. Didn’t even touch the thing which is huge for me. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to walk away either.

These last 2 weeks have been amazing. God has shown me so much about myself, my husband, and other people/situations/etc in my life just b/c I didn’t have that smoke screen in my life called the internet.

I can’t thank you enough for posting this. You rock Anne! Love ya!

By: John

John — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:41:26 +0000

Ya – I wonder about the whole “online” vs. real life relationship thing, as many people do. However as a 43 year old who didn’t grow up with this stuff in HS or college at ALL (I graduated HS in ‘82 and college in ‘86 – really weird to think back to those days! No cell phones, no internet!! Wow – I feel stinkin’ old!) Anyway – I’ve reconnected through FB to many many old friends I haven’t heard from in years – some I’ve forgotten about totally, sad to say. It’s been great. Even though we don’t see each other or live far away, the memories, feelings, and especially going back in time in some cases to one’s youth and remembering who you were back then as a person, your dreams, your friends, how you felt about life, etc. – all of this can tend to get distorted over time you’ll find out as life, marriage, kids, career, etc. play into it. You can “forget who you are” real easily. That has been a surprising nice thing of FB in reconnecting with old friends you haven’t heard from in 25 years in some cases. They remember you how you “were” and you remember them the same way. It gives you a mirror into your past so to speak. Very interesting. On the flip side of that, as we all know, there are also the stories of men and women who have connected with an old friend or flame from the opposite sex from their past and left their family, divorced and all, which is the downside of all that I guess too!

All in all, like any technology – it’s neither good nor evil on it’s own – it’s all in how you use it. And like anything that can become addictive, nothing is bad (usually that is) in moderation. It’s all in balance and how you use it. Society is learning on it’s own these days just how to do that with these new technologies such as FB and social media. Isn’t it amazing and exciting that someday in our 90s, we’ll look back and tell our kids “I remember when Facebook started up and boy, we thought that was REALLY something!” *grin*

By: Samantha Krieger

Samantha Krieger — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:48:54 +0000

I’ve been struggling with this topic as a twenty-something of late especially as everyone including their mother is on the book of faces. I guess the question I’d rather ask is if technology is becoming an idol?

I read a really good blog post that dealt with some definitions of idolatry. One of the points was that an idol is anything you find total meaning and significance in and if you lost it, life wouldn’t be meaningful anymore. So as it relates to all our online fancies, the question I’m asking myself is if I’m putting my time online above God or making it out to be an idol? An idol in a sense that if I don’t check my facebook, blog, or email I won’t have joy. Or if I don’t get feedback or some comment, will my joy be lost? It would be a true shame if it was (and it has been before at times).

Another issue is that we’re losing real-life relationships and resorting to relationships online. I think in the long run it might come back and bite us. I think it’s difficult for others to see the “real” us online. I think it takes real-life community for that.

So any thoughts out there on the differences between addiction and idolatry? Thanks!

By: addicted to life

addicted to life — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:05:39 +0000

@Angel: because our modern society is not health, it's full of challenges & temptations. there is a huge amount of offering... addicted to life’s last blog post..Addicted to...

By: Angel

Angel — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:16:09 +0000

I was majorly addicted to the internet for a long time. It got so bad that I shut off my internet for one year just so I could get some perspective on it. Now, I think I am starting to get the same way about Facebook ... or at least the games on Facebook. I want a Bible Reading Addiction. Why can't we ever be addicted to things that are good for us? :P Angel’s last blog post..WOTM Give-A-Way