I awoke this morning to the news that apparently we are all spending more time online with the average person now spending 25 hours a week on the Internet. It came from a report by Ofcom which came from a survey of 2,500 people. My first thought was that I am clearly well above average which means quite a few people will be significantly below the average eight hours and 45 minutes a day online.
Statistics and surveys can always make the headlines whether they are valid or not. In this case it all sounds shocking with the media shouting that we spend more time online than we do sleeping in the average day. But I feel we are forgetting a few things in our rush to outrage about this.
When we go online or use social media we can be doing something productive. We may be online to buy products, we may be reading some news or an article, we may be chatting with friends and arrange a night out. There are many, many reasons that we go online and logging on is not always going to be a waste of time. A significant number of people spend time online every day as part of their work. When I am online I am always doing a number of things. So why do I go online?
I use the Internet as part of my work on a daily basis, keeping up-to-date with the news and checking out reports and updates. Obviously I check social media on a regular basis as part of this quest to be updated with breaking news. I also use social media to share messages with friends and to make plans for the day and week ahead. When I am not at work I go online to relax, chat with friends but also to write this blog on a daily basis. . Does this make me addicted? No. But it does make me interested.
The digital developments have brought significant improvements to modern life, as well as the drawbacks. There is no need for moral outrage about the time being spent online, as this time may be used productively.
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