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I've noticed this thing both in the real world and in online spaces where people will refer to someone as 'chronically online' for a number of possible reasons. It's usually because of referencing internet trends, being known as someone who's already seen every meme you try to show them, or for having some mad Twitter brain opinions. I'm sure you think of the term and think of a type of person in your head, and I'm sure it's not a flattering image. You probably consider the term to be an insult as well.
The funny thing is that in most of my friend groups I'm considered to be the least online person. But that can't be right with how much time I spend writing and researching, where I almost always have some kind of content playing in the background as well. Not to mention all the scrolling I do on random websites. I think that people have this misconception of me particularly because I don't consume 'brainrot' content, and look I'm glad I don't but the reality is I am seriously chronically online.
I know a lot of people will also describe people who don't reply to messages really quick as not being very online but, from people I know at least, they're the worst for it. I know a lot of people who spend so much time scrolling through Instagram in particular, who somehow take a day to respond to a message. I'm certainly not one of those people who thinks you should have to respond to every message instantly. I find that pushy, but you have to admit that there is something anti-social about being on your phone and seeing messages from people you're close to and not wanting to respond anytime soon. It really feeds into the point people make about social media not being very social.
Even my grandmother is chronically online. She'd rant for days about youths and their technology but she's always on Facebook and Whatsapp. Whether it's talking to family and friends, reading posts, using way too many emojis in poor context, or reading tabloid journalism it's all online activity. Even my grandfather who is probably the least online person I can think of loves to go to obituary websites and read through them. Which I get, don't get me wrong, but when he's finished he'll often just read them again! And yeah obviously all my younger siblings are constantly scrolling through TikTok and the like.
There's something really funny to me about how we use the term 'chronically online' pretty much exclusively as an insult or occasionally as a self own. Because it really does apply to so many people. Wouldn't you know, we kind of have to be chronically online, or at least always connected.
If you've ever tried a challenge where you go an extended period without a smartphone then you already know the amount of surprising hurdles you'll come into contact with everyday. Plenty of bars and restaurants need you to scan a barcode or download an app to order. Where I live at least, buses get cancelled a lot but the only notice given is on their site or app. We also use a lot of essential apps like Google Maps. Maybe you can manage to restrict your smartphone use just to these essential apps but smartphones and even the world around us is really designed to get us to keep scrolling, to track our data, to generate money from ads.
But here's the thing, I'm obviously strongly against big corporations and the practices when it comes to the web and how they've made it worse for years now, and I know I've just written everything above me BUT, I don't actually think us being online as often as we are is inherently a bad thing. I think sites like this are great for one. And if social media was really a tool to connect people with the real world rather than push away from it that'd be ideal. But really, we seriously need companies to stop diluting every aspect of the web just so they can make as much money as possible, I'm sure everyone has heard about the recent shitfest with Honey...
So that's basically my thoughts on the whole idea of certain people being chronically online. As always, I'm far from infallible and I'd love to hear different perspectives that anyone might have. Thanks for reading ~Ian
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izzyyyy
it ok riley im joy
mAëVa
I Absolutely agree with you, i feel as though people back then were much happier and aware of thei rsurroundings because they werent constantly on a device, they actually went tou twith friends and family and had interactions, now a days most conversations are about things we have seeen on social media. Back then people most likely talked about things they hear on the news, or tha they saw or experienced or read in a paper, while yes propoganda has always been part of life and history, with social media its so much harder to tell the difference between the truth and propganda about a certain topic. I always want to do a sort of phone cleanse but like you said we need our phones for everything now. I think the closest i can go is probably taking a break from all social apps on my mobile and use spacehey on laptop, because im not one to randomly go on my laptop in public i can actually socialse and talk to ppl on here without endlessly scrolling
Mikelo16
Sadly, we live on a society (no pun intended) where a phone its like a vital organ. At least in my country i cant go to a bar, party or other places whitout seeing people doomscrolling on a phone, telling me they need to stay online or just see some post. The internet was a place to escape reality but nowadays its ''the reality''. Not to mention the amount of hate just because people feel like it. I would love to go back to times where there was a lot of toxic people on the internet but they were'nt on everything. Giving people a chance to talk to a lot of cool persons (thats why i got this account and MSN). But dont feel bad or sum if youre not on your phone or online 24/7 like some people. Just be you and be happy, take care:D
gecgecgec
Phone addictions are so real and so scary. These evil companies are profiting off your addiction. Its up to the user to notice that and break the cycle. But it's hard to break the cycle when everyone else around you is also chronically online.
Yesterrday I saw someone on the bus scrolling on instagram and when they looked up from their screen they kept scrolling with their thumb. Made me sad.
But also if you are someone who understands the risks of being on these social apps/ can have a healthy relationship with it then keep doing it. Like if it makes you happy go crazy.
by gecgecgec; ; Report
Bree
Yeah it's way too much nowadays. Interestingly enough I just wrote a blog post reminiscing about how things were before we were forced into a fully digital world. It's hard to even remember how life was beforehand. I as 14 when I got my first smartphone, so I kinda got to live with both experiences. It seemed like time moved so much slower back then, and there was more to be excited for. Nowadays it's like there's no suspense anymore. Why be excited for a new phone or a new video game if you already know what's on it based on reviews? Why wonder what the menu of a restaurant or a tourist destination is like when influencer A, B and C already posted about it? It's just too much.
I just read your blog, it was a really interesting read! It is funny how in all of this development of the web, we've managed to lose so much of the fun of it.
by Ian Hampster; ; Report
Thx for the read! Ikr, it's crazy! At least we have this place now though! It's helping revive some of the best of the early web beginnings!
by Bree; ; Report
xxRebellious_Emmaxx
I ditched my smartphone for good in June 2023 and yet I've been able to make it work. Maybe it's just because of where I live (I should add that my area is near a major city), but the only hassles I've run into so far are related to signing up for and into a few things at school as both a high school and college student now, but even still, I've always been able to overcome these obstacles wither via emailed web link that I can open later on my personal computer or a paper sign in sheet.
Of course, I might run into another problem later this year relating to my Knott's Berry Farm season pass when it comes time to renew it later this year as a park employee told me on my November 2024 trip that apparently the physical cards will unfortunately be discontinued with the 2026 season, but as long as they still email me my reciept with the barcodes and numbers for the tickets and I can find a place to print them out and then carry the papers with me in my bag when I take my trips down to Knott's (like I did for my late 2024 trip), I should be fine.
Still, it scares me how people have come to be so overly reliant on a stupid little glowing rectangle that can't even fit into their pockets nowadays. Things didn't have to be this way, but the billionaires in Silicon Valley have worked hard to ensure that people would become hooked and then forced into this bullshit just so they can continue fattening their pockets in every single unethical way they can. I also fear the idea of ever having to go back to owning one of those homogenous slabs of glass at any point in the future after I've previously already made an active effort to wean myself off of it cold turkey and then ditch it for good.
Hell, I'd argue that in some ways, smartphones are even worse than cigarettes, because at least Big Tobacco never forced people to buy their harmful products, plus the harmful effects of smoking have been well known for decades at this point, unlike with smartphones.
PurgeWicks
i agree with all you said. we have become so dependent on our cellphones for its convenience. i have tried to keep social media & scrolling to a minimum on my cellphone but man, it can get so lonely hanging with people my age in large gatherings or public spaces. hell, even gen x'ers are guilty of doomscrolling too now.
convenience is making us lazy & too dependent /
𖦹 CHARACAKES
take my 2 kudos this post deserves it
the only reason i'd disagree with us being so online as a collective is good is because of the effects it has on people who physically can't have access to the internet. homeless people and people in severe poverty are often at a disadvantage because so many legal matters are handled primarily online now. you can't walk into a store and ask for a job application anymore, and if you do, at some point you'll end up redirected to a site. and that's only a small example of how deeply that rabbit hole goes
though i think that's also a product of our governments push, and big company's push, on internet usage and data collection and essentially every point you outlined in your post ... it's a question of human greed and finding ways to counter & combat that corruption
for me when i say chronically online, i tend to think of someone very deeply detached from reality. online it's very easy to fall into echo chambers, especially with the way that algorithms are set up on other platforms. hatred gets more engagement (usually), so places like twitter and tiktok will promote stuff to you that it knows will get you angry. twitter especially is guilty of this xD and im sure it's only gotten worse w elon musk in charge .. but idk i havent been on it in years. but im rambling. i think my point is that like, with this over dependance on the internet we risk our own mental & physical health. i think this is evident in the education crisis following the covid quarantine, but there's also a shit ton of other factors that 1000% exacerbated that
as humans we're social creatures, and there's importance in seeing a person face to face rather than only on a screen. but that isnt to devalue the worth of online connections; the internet has shown time and time again to be a safe haven for many people, but it shouldnt be the only safe place cultivated ... in a perfect world we'd all have opportunities to find places like that, in all aspects of life
all of this is to say that i deeply agree. i think our overreliance on the internet is dangerous in many ways, but good in many others. bc we're so deeply connected, we also have so much more access to information -- *important* information -- but that comes w the curse of misinformation spreading so quickly, or doomscrolling being a thing, & then emotional fatigue from how much we're exposed to. + the animosity of the internet fueling bad ppl to be bad ppl ... yk, shit like that
it's hard to find a balance in a world that's pressuring you to be always online, but i think that's what makes finding that balance all the more important. nowadays it feels like self-care is a form of resistence :/ but that might just be the demon within me being evil HAHA
i rambled for so freakin long omg. i just rly like talking abt this stuff, im so sorry op xD
You've really nailed something that I missed there. It's one thing not wanting to use all these things on the internet, but for people who CAN'T it really makes their situations even worse and harder to get out of.
Thanks for replying, I really enjoyed reading your ramble :)
by Ian Hampster; ; Report
toothdecay
its very interesting how convenient technology has become, but also how frustrating it has become. i appreciate the options that have opened up, but i hate how dependent we've also allowed ourselves to be. id love to downgrade my phone to a flip phone, and i may still do it, but then i think about all of the things that either i NEED my smartphone for, or all of the things that my smartphone makes more convenient because the non-app option no longer exists.
overall i think that balance is key! having non-online activities and hobbies to pair with the online ones is important for us as a whole :-)
Balance is huge for sure! I think one of the irksome things with smartphones in all this is how they try to be one device for everything. I love keeping my things separate and having an individual camera and notebook. I've seen some people with 'everyday carries' that seem like a great idea but I'm way too disorganised for it haha
by Ian Hampster; ; Report
yesss i love seeing posts about edc's! they inspire me so much cause i love having my things separate as well. i feel like im a very chaotic organized person, i love organizing my things but not in the neat, minimalism way if that makes sense!
by toothdecay; ; Report
I like the sound of that. I think minimalism has it's place but it's cool for the things you have on you to have a bit of flair
by Ian Hampster; ; Report
Ligreem
I completely agree with this!!!