In a world where we no longer have to burn CDs to share our mixtapes or use Microsoft Paint to make digital art, the idea of an “addiction” to the technological advances of our age and the World Wide Web has been in heated discussion by the older generation.

The fact of the matter is, the way older generations see our generation’s addiction is just the modern world adapting as it always has. I’m not saying that addiction to the Internet isn’t a very real thing. It is. However, it’s less of a problem than everyone seems to think.

I DO spend most of my time on the Internet or on my phone, but that’s the age we live in. I get to speak to my friends who have graduated and moved away through social media regularly. I read news and fiction on the screen of my phone instead of what was once a tree. The music that I’m constantly listening to comes from the use of my WiFi and data plan. Even all of my school assignments that aren’t math-related are done on the face of a computer screen.

The person I am today would simply not exist if not for the Internet. My interests, ideas and knowledge are all influenced by the connectivity of the world we live in. If that seems like a discouraging statement, I must disagree.

The fact that I do spend junctures on the Internet seems to be such a waste of my time to others that they overlook the amount of homework I do, the runs and workouts I force on myself and the care I put into the puppy and my cat. So what if I watch random videos on Youtube or scroll through my Instagram feed? I don’t allow these things to control me, but I do enjoy them.

Does the Internet ever get in the way of my doing other things that I should do? Obviously. I just don’t see the problem in it because even though I tend to get distracted and procrastinate until the very last minute, I still do get my work done. I see myself as advanced. I find time during chaos to just chill and let go of my worries while still accomplishing what I need to. If not for the relief and sanctity I find in the distractions available to me, I would go insane.

The people around me expect a lot from me. I’ve raised the bar for myself just by being a responsible person, and because of that, I have more to do. I’m a clean freak, so I’m expected to clean the entire house and tidy up after everyone. I write well, so apparantly that means I should have to write four stories in a four-day period of time while getting other assignments done. I care about the puppy that isn’t technically mine, so I have to bathe it, feed it, amuse it and clean up after it. The Internet is a breath of fresh air–no expectations, no responsibilities, no deadlines. So what if I find solace from an overbooked life in worldwide information and media-sharing platforms?

The world is constantly evolving. The printing press was once the most amazing thing in the modern age, but now we share information at record speeds with the entire world. Jobs that were important 100 years ago are not the same as today. Our viewpoints and interests have drastically changed in just 20 years. So instead of calling these advances an addiction, look instead at the increase of intellect and broader viewpoints that we younger generations have.