The internet dominates our lives about this there is no doubt. We are attached to our e-mail accounts and rely extensively on the internet for all kinds of online research and services, whether it is on health and diet, political news, fashion or food recipes.

In a study published recently in the Journal of Affective Disorders, examined the habits of 20 people who had spent more than 30 nonworking hours a week online for the past three years. The participants described skipping sleep, ignoring family responsibilities, and showing up late for work to fulfill their desire to visit chat rooms and surf the Web. The consequences were severe: Many suffered from marital problems, failed in school or lost a job, and accumulated debt.

The Internet is an amazing tool which can instantly connect you to people and information all over the world, but do you ever find yourself spending lots of time on the net, surfing for information, checking your e-mails, playing video games or watching videos on YouTube?

People have been asked what they thought was the most important item in their daily life: the computer, mobile phone or television. The majority of the readers chose their computers, followed closely by mobile phones.

A huge majority of people log on to the internet several times a day or are constantly online (either at home or in office). In terms of exact hours, the majority stay connected between 1 to 2 hours, either checking e-mails or just browsing the Net. It is evident that income may not anything to do with how much time one spends online.

E-mail usage is ubiquitous for all internet users with all but one per cent choosing it as a priority. Research and information gathering proved to be the second largest driver of internet usage. This was followed closely by news searches.

Also thoughts and ideas through messaging and chat, with some considering it a good way to make new friends. There are, however, concerns over online chat rooms being misused by unscrupulous individuals. Overall, people feel the benefits of chat far outweighed the disadvantages. When it comes to blogging, more than fifty per cent were supportive of blogs once it was explained to them. This proves online users want freedom to access information and communicate without censorship.

A lot of people shop online. Lifestyle was another major area where online purchases included clothes, health and personal goods, jewellery and watches, sports and outdoor shoes, and clothing accessories. Needless to say, women’s purchases outnumbered men’s in this category. Net is also found convenient for planning travels and hotel reservations. The higher their income, the more likely the users are to plan out their holiday on the Net.

On the question of providing personal information online, there was a polarization of opinion. Asked if people were comfortable giving out their credit card information, many said they would not give such information. The level of trust seemed to go up as income levels increased.

Now its your turn to talk, are you hooked to the internet…

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