Because we live on a (small) rural property our options for internet are quite limited. We have limited choice of supplier, and limited bandwidth.
We usually manage our 7 gig a month very carefully and are not ‘shaped’ for more than a day or so, if that, but not this month. This month we have been ‘shaped’ to 64kbs since Sunday! And we still have two more days to go!
64 kbs is barely enough to check my emails, let alone read blogs or check out web pages… and I confess… I am missing it.
Yes, I am horribly, hopelessly addicted to the internet.
I have found plenty of other things to do, and part of me actually enjoys not being able to lose hours online, but I am still missing the internet, quite a lot, especially pinterest.
What about you?
Are you addicted to the internet?
What do you miss most when you can’t access the internet?
Kathy says
In a word: No :-)
The Internet is what enables me to work from home. If I had no connectivity I could not work as a home-based writing contractor successfully, which would mean I could not work at this stage of our lives.
The Internet connects me to people and ideas that enrich my daily experience of my life, and encourage my ambitions and aspirations.
The Internet gives me an avenue to self-publish (blog!) and to fulfill a deep-seated need in my nature to write and be read.
So, no, I can’t imagine living without the Internet and I don’t want to.
(Also, funny cats! :-P
Jo @Countrylifeexperiment says
We also have very limited internet options here on the farm! No ADSL so I have an aerial on the roof which gets me “mobile” broadband, but it tends to drop in and out a bit. It is still better, faster, and cheaper than satellite. We get 15 gig each month, which is usually enough, unless the country boy starts watching too much European football over the internet.
Moving to such a remote area means I really rely on the internet to keep in touch with friends and family, and it also provides a creative outlet for me – my blog. Cannot imagine life without it now!
katef says
We have wireless broadband too…
Can I ask who you are with Jo? Despite being closer to Melbourne CBD than some of the eastern suburbs we are classed as ‘rural and remote’ and don’t have much choice of ISP in our area… sucks.. but is the price we pay for living in a lovely spot.
Jo @Countrylifeexperiment says
Sure Kate – we are with Telstra which is not the cheapest but having an aerial on the roof means we can get 4-5 bars mobile signal – we get no mobile phone access at all without an external aerial. I think though, that if you can get mobile access with an aerial, you could go with any mobile service provider. To get the aerial etc we had to go to a Telstra shop in a rural town – they seem to know more about what to do than ‘city’ shops. If you want more details, email me!
bek says
If working on the internet counts as being addicted then I guess so ;) Wish my lost time was spent doing fun stuff, for the last month it’s been having to switch to a better resourced server and then fighting with that server instead. At least I have god access, now all I need is to be able to connect to it reliably :)
7Gb/mth is kind of craptastic. We actually managed fine on 10Gb years ago, I don’t know how we ended up on 150Gb (Internode keeps getting better with its plan upgrades) but we never go over and it’s getting well used :)
Denyse Whelan Education Specialist says
You are JOKING!! How on earth do you do what you do.. Like design & blog ( let alone the P**terest.
In Australia, despite the so-called choice, there is only ONE real Internet providor. The one who was called telecom, then telstra… Them.
We are in suburban Sydney. Internet varies according to telstra’s copper wire ( yep copper wire) connections into our house & the exchanges load. How do I knw this? Because of the number of times I’ve whinged about the ADSL we have to Iinet. We cannot have ADSL2 as we have older-lines which cannot be split.., are you bored with this? Me too.
So, your question… NO I CANNOT LOVE WITHOUT IT.
I have a serious problem. Internet connectivity is more important in my life than reading the newspapers ( earlier addiction now by-passed) to cover all bases for me & connectivity I not only have $89.95 monthly Internet so-called fast as you can get via telstra’s crappy lines …… I also have a wireless 4G portable thingy that costs me $49.95c I am a happily addicted Internet junkie… And you know that I am! Denyse
Denyse Whelan Education Specialist says
And I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT.. Love it but not needing it for love.. That would be kinky
Karla says
It feels refreshing when I don’t go on the computer for a while… but I do feel disconnected when I don’t check my e-mail or keep up with my blog! During the school year I’m constantly looking for free curriculum ideas and printables for my kids, so I consider it indispensable. I also do some online grocery shopping and sometimes list things for sale on Amazon or Etsy, so I try to check regularly. Oh… and I LOVE Pinterest!
cate says
the internet is my connection to the world – I enjoy my day or two tech-free when camping, but anything more than that usually has me climbing the walls.
When my brother lived with us a couple of years ago, he regularly used our monthly quota of 7gb halfway through the month. I didn’t want to change plans because we got 7gb of uploads free, something that no one does any more. We eventually upgraded to 30gb, which bro wiped out the first month. when he moved out, we inadvertently got upgraded to 500gb a month, and have never.reached. 1%. I’m not looking forward to the big kids discovering the internet.
Stephanie says
I admitted recently that I was a little too addicted to my computer. Not just for the internet but I’m a gamer as well so that chews up a lot of my computer time. I’m trying to cut back for a few hours every day and try to do something more “productive” but it’s been a little difficult so far. Especially when I can get the internet on my phone! I read a blog post ages ago about people who start lists of things they can pick up and stop on the spot, and then doing the items on the list when they wanted to sit on the computer browsing or watching television. I may need to try that myself soon.