I'd like to paint a picture for you all, it's a weekend, you have no work or school to worry about, what do you do? Do you go out and partake in your hobby perhaps, or maybe hang out with friends? No, you obviously sit at your desk and use your computer until you get tired again. This is just theoretical, of course, but if it sounds anything like you, odds are you're a computer addict. Welcome to the club, I guess.

Computer addiction in and of itself is something that would've seemed incomprehensible just 25 years ago. However, over time computers have gained the ability to do significantly more than they were onced intended to do. This is a process I could probably spend an hour talking bout, but I'll sum it up in a few sentences. Computers used to be expensive, and as such, consumers didn't buy them, so consumer based programs didn't exist. Prices went down as more computers were made, and as such, the number of programs made for consumers increased. A bunch of wacky stuff happens, then bam, the internet, and bam, you have no social interaction outside of your AO3 proofreading Discord Server solely comprised of people living in different timezones.

The reason so many people can be seen using their computers for absurd amounts of time is because of how much you can do on a computer now. Want to watch a movie or a show? Bet. Want to play some games? I gotchu man. Want to talk with some friends? Bet. Want to get an obscure question about the air vent trim on your E36 325i? Some old guy who's been a BMW technician for 50 years has got you covered. You don't need to go to a library to learn things anymore, you don't need to go out with frinds to hang out anymore. Everything is convenient now, arguably, too convenient.

Rarely does a day go by where I'm not using my computer for at least a few hours, because I can gain so much knowledge and dopamine from it, so easily. It's just not rewarding to live life as people once did, sitting at your computer all day is objectively a more efficient way to do things. This thought process, however, is pretty terrible.

The more one grows used to the ease of life a computer brings them, the less one is able to deal with the hardships of everyday life. Why bother having real conversations when you can just DM someone and add "/j" to every message to prevent any consequences to your words? Computers are just another form of escapism, same as any other.

Escapism, however, isn't always a bad thing, if one were to solely engage in the hardships of daily life, they'd grow insane, the ease of use of the internet provides the perfect compliment to the hardships of daily life. However, when computer usage becomes your everyday life, your life itself begins to lose value. It's very difficult to feel satisfaction when nothing you do had work behind it. I simply feel as though I, along with many others, have grown far too dependent on how easy a life distanced from reality by an LCD screen is.

This isn't to say computers aren't a brilliant thing, by providing easy access to the internet, we have nearly infinite knowledge at out finger tips, computers are arguably the most useful tool humanity has created in centuries. Yet, computers are merely just that, a tool, something to provide assistance in your everyday life, but not to supplant it. Use computers as an aid for acquiring knowledge and social interaction, but not as your sole method for either.

As with many things in life, computer usage is excellent in moderation, but terrible in excess. When used in excess you end up writing articles on computer addiction for your personal site, which is a terrible fate. That's all for today, take this one with a grain of salt, it's all based on my opinions, TM out.