When I was a middle school student, I had my first multifunctional cell phone. In that rebellious period, I would hide my cell phone in my desk when I was in some boring class that I was not interested in. I used it to chat sneakily. Not with my classmates, but with some online “friends” from different cities whom I met online. At that time, the internet was a very fascinating thing. It allows you to chat with people from all over the country without making move. Gradually, I started getting addicted to the Internet, playing games or writing adolescent blog posts rather than talking to friends or family in person. I preferred to write my thoughts on the internet freely without limitation. Many times those classmates from real life who were like strangers to me would comment on my blog. But even so, the internet was still more like a tool for me when my life was not fully occupied… Until 2011, when I came to the United States.
Being in another country by myself made me nervous especially since the country had a different language. I am a slow person. A little amount of time is not sufficient for me to become friends with others. So contacting my family and friends through the internet become an indispensable part in my life in the U.S. There are probably more than 10 hours everyday when my computer is opened because in that way I won’t feel like that I’m behind the world. My phone is fully charged all the time because without it I feel lonely or awkward. I don’t like socializing anymore. I am more interested in watching Chinese films online. Weibo (Chinese twitter) and wechat (Chinese chat app) has became a communication bridge between my family, my friends and me because I do not have a lot of local friends. I know that I am too reliant on the internet.
Recently an Australian girl named Essena O’neill has been in the news because she told everyone about her real life behind the internet. In order to be able to post a perfect photo on the Internet, she was at the expense of several hours of putting on makeup just so she can be able to take a seeming perfect photo. Some photos may seem relaxing, but no one knows it was on purpose. Until recently she decided to quit social media because she realized it is not reality. She said: “I did everything in my power to prove to the world that hey I’m important, I’m beautiful and I’m cool but is making you whole day proving to everyone else that you are amazing. Is that life proving yourself online? ” i resonate with her because that’s what i did before, only post nice and joyful pictures online to prove that i’m still exist and i have a grateful life. The only difference between her and me is that she was in despair after that. She realized the cost for being a famous people online and let other people watching your life. Then she explained “Taking pictures just hopes to get a lot of likes and compliments, getting excited how many like you got or how many people follow you. It’s not life and it’s not what making you happy. You want to be valued and loved but you also want to be free. ” I really appreciate her honesty. She was be able to do it as a job for the rest of her life, but she chose not to because that’s not what she wants and she wants everyone aware that online life is not what we need either. She lost a lot of followers after she declared that she quitted the social media. It’s hard for a person who already is successful to give up what she had and start over again, but she did it becuase just like what she said, she believed we should be valued, loved and free.
I am able to see my own shadow in her experience. Although I am not a famous Instagram user, I often take pictures and Photoshop them just to post on the Internet for a few likes. I am seemingly happy every day, but the fact is that real life is a lot of pressure. There is a saying in china that goes “my phone eats before me”. It describes those people who likes to take pictures of food before they eat it just to show other people how fun their lives are, but when we think about it, yes, O’neill is true that our lives are not for likes or compliments, our lives are for ourselves to enjoy and to appreciate. We need to be valued and loved by ourselves.
The internet has gradually gotten us used to the virtual world through playing games, socializing, watching movies or studying. Who worries about the consequences of problematic internet use? We may be addicted to the internet because of those followers we have, we may start an unhealthy diet because of those “perfect” models we followed, we may choose to stay online on the weekend instead of going out and enjoy the nature, we also stop ourselves from talking to other people around us. We may do a lot of things which relates to the internet and still think that there is nothing’s wrong. Although we can not deny the convenience brought by the internet, we must think about how to properly use the internet and avoid problematic internet use. We must realize that the internet is no more than a tool, and we can not use it as an alternate to reality. The relationships between friends, family, and colleagues can never be replaced by the internet.
Being in another country by myself made me nervous especially since the country had a different language. I am a slow person. A little amount of time is not sufficient for me to become friends with others. So contacting my family and friends through the internet become an indispensable part in my life in the U.S. There are probably more than 10 hours everyday when my computer is opened because in that way I won’t feel like that I’m behind the world. My phone is fully charged all the time because without it I feel lonely or awkward. I don’t like socializing anymore. I am more interested in watching Chinese films online. Weibo (Chinese twitter) and wechat (Chinese chat app) has became a communication bridge between my family, my friends and me because I do not have a lot of local friends. I know that I am too reliant on the internet.
Recently an Australian girl named Essena O’neill has been in the news because she told everyone about her real life behind the internet. In order to be able to post a perfect photo on the Internet, she was at the expense of several hours of putting on makeup just so she can be able to take a seeming perfect photo. Some photos may seem relaxing, but no one knows it was on purpose. Until recently she decided to quit social media because she realized it is not reality. She said: “I did everything in my power to prove to the world that hey I’m important, I’m beautiful and I’m cool but is making you whole day proving to everyone else that you are amazing. Is that life proving yourself online? ” i resonate with her because that’s what i did before, only post nice and joyful pictures online to prove that i’m still exist and i have a grateful life. The only difference between her and me is that she was in despair after that. She realized the cost for being a famous people online and let other people watching your life. Then she explained “Taking pictures just hopes to get a lot of likes and compliments, getting excited how many like you got or how many people follow you. It’s not life and it’s not what making you happy. You want to be valued and loved but you also want to be free. ” I really appreciate her honesty. She was be able to do it as a job for the rest of her life, but she chose not to because that’s not what she wants and she wants everyone aware that online life is not what we need either. She lost a lot of followers after she declared that she quitted the social media. It’s hard for a person who already is successful to give up what she had and start over again, but she did it becuase just like what she said, she believed we should be valued, loved and free.
I am able to see my own shadow in her experience. Although I am not a famous Instagram user, I often take pictures and Photoshop them just to post on the Internet for a few likes. I am seemingly happy every day, but the fact is that real life is a lot of pressure. There is a saying in china that goes “my phone eats before me”. It describes those people who likes to take pictures of food before they eat it just to show other people how fun their lives are, but when we think about it, yes, O’neill is true that our lives are not for likes or compliments, our lives are for ourselves to enjoy and to appreciate. We need to be valued and loved by ourselves.
The internet has gradually gotten us used to the virtual world through playing games, socializing, watching movies or studying. Who worries about the consequences of problematic internet use? We may be addicted to the internet because of those followers we have, we may start an unhealthy diet because of those “perfect” models we followed, we may choose to stay online on the weekend instead of going out and enjoy the nature, we also stop ourselves from talking to other people around us. We may do a lot of things which relates to the internet and still think that there is nothing’s wrong. Although we can not deny the convenience brought by the internet, we must think about how to properly use the internet and avoid problematic internet use. We must realize that the internet is no more than a tool, and we can not use it as an alternate to reality. The relationships between friends, family, and colleagues can never be replaced by the internet.