It is said that only in adversity does one show one’s true nature, and nowhere is that more relevant than during the catastrophe that is Hurricane Sandy. The largest Atlantic hurricane  on record swept past the east coast, leaving major cities like New York City crippled. Ironically, the worst part about this disaster, personally, is not the disaster itself but what comes after. True, this disaster brought out the best in people, with many donating and volunteering to help the survivors. What really caught my eyes, however, is the action of Verizon Wireless. At the wake of the storm, Verizon sent out vans with wifi-hotspots and charging stations. My first reaction: “Seriously? Is that really what the victims need right now?” This really is a sad reflection of our community today. Whether you like it or not, the Internet is so embroiled in our culture that many cannot live without it.

First, please note that I am not criticizing the actions of Verizon or any other entities helping out with the disaster. I do understand that there are people who need to have a working phone with Internet connection, whether for business or pleasure, and I praise Verizon for being there for their customers. That is not the point of this article, which is to analyze the strong influence of the Internet in our lives.

Decades ago, the world with the Internet is just baffling to many. This idea of even being connected to an entire community, let alone the entire world, is just overwhelming and leaves many people flummoxed. Fast forward to now, and almost everyone owns a device capable of connecting to the Internet (many even carry those devices all the time!). Driven by the popularity of sites like Facebook, the Internet soon became the norm, and not just for entertainment. I for one will not be able to do any of my university works without the Internet. However, is this really beneficial to the society? Has the Internet displaced any of the five basic needs in life? Evidently, at least for a certain group of people, it has.

So, what is the problem with the Internet? The Internet itself is not the problem; it is people’s addiction to it. The Internet has been so vital that it has become like a drug to many. Deprive them of it, and they start showing withdrawal symptoms. Admit it, we’ve all been there. Why else do people pay ridiculous amount of money to roam internationally when traveling?

Just like many good things in life, too much of the Internet can be detrimental. Case in point, I have been to too many family dinners where everyone ends up interacting with their gadgets, not each other. In fact, my classmate, Amanda, wrote a blog post two months ago about this very phenomenon. The Internet is so convenient at connecting people, we have forgotten how to interact without it. Even Facebook, very recently, admits that too much of Facebook is not healthy.

We have to relearn to live without the Internet. That sounds easy; it’s not. There are many actions and routines that we take for granted. For instance, I check Twitter every morning for news update, and I rely on Facebook to keep track of my friends’ birthdays. I know too many people who must check their Facebook feed every hour. Going cold-turkey is not necessary, but some moderation must be put in place. Perhaps Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google, said it best, “Take your eyes off that screen and look into the eyes of the person you love…Have a conversation, a real conversation.”