What Is Disconnect Anxiety?
The Internet is a tricky thing. It's like a smoothie of your favorite flavor, which you would love to have time and time again, but it comes with a catch: it starts as a harmless pastime, but before you know it, you're hooked. You're constantly on your phone and checking your email every 5 minutes, waiting for great news. You can't sleep at night because you're worried about missing out on some great deal or hot news story that will go viral tomorrow morning. Then, one day...the unthinkable happens: you're in an area with no wireless coverage, or you may leave the house without your laptop for an entire weekend (gasp!). Suddenly, you're cut off from your precious social media for hours, maybe even days! It's called "disconnect anxiety." Heavy Internet users feel uncomfortable and panicky when they can't access the online world. The level of disconnect anxiety can range from mild discomfort to all-out panic attacks, depending on how much time they spend online and how important the Internet is to their lives. When you can't get online, it feels like you're missing out on life. It's true: when you're disconnected from your phone or computer, the world feels like passing you by. What if your phone is dead and you miss a call from your boss? What if your email hasn't been checked for days? What if your friends are getting together without you because they thought you were busy with work? That's why disconnect anxiety is so common. We depend on the Internet for everything from communication to entertainment to news and information. For many people, disconnecting from their devices means losing touch with their loved ones and the outside world. The more connected to the Internet a person is, the more strongly they will feel disconnect anxiety.
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