10 Signs The Internet Has Taken Over Your Life

I think I'm your average 20-something with a computer: you can find me constantly IMing, g-mailing, blogging, and of course, Hubbing, Digging, and Deliciously Stumbling. I dare not get addicted to MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster, but I do depend on ToodleDo, Google Calendar, and Spark to organize my life and keep myself motivated with my goals.

My father, who is 64 and still working, once said to me that he and his officemates would lose 3 hours every morning laughing at forwarded e-mails and surfing the web. Wow! That is unbelievable, knowing that a lot of people his age and generation don't even know how to use the computer. I got to thinking how I really do depend on the computer and internet for virtually EVERYTHING. I am guilty of all the following things, are you?

10 Signs That the Internet Has Taken Over Your Life

1) Your handwriting has gotten progressively worse, while you can now type at least 65 WPM.

2) You've forgotten how to look at the phone book and navigate through paper maps.

3) You sometimes say "LOL" out loud.

4) The first thing you do everyday is check your e-mail, RSS feeds, and all other websites or forums where you keep in touch with your online friends. Speaking of which...

5) ...you have hundreds of virtual friends and no longer see your real friends.

6) You know about all kinds of information, from the regular headline news to the funniest viral videos, bizarre events, and useless knowledge.

7) You don't remember the last time you wrote a check and paid a bill via snail mail.

8) You stopped throwing things away in the hopes of selling them on eBay or Craigslist.

9) You are no longer comfortable speaking to people face-to-face; you'd rather send them an e-mail.

10) You have gained weight and you have wrist, neck and back pains from spending too much time hunched over the computer.

Happy surfing =).