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What got you addicted to the internet?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
76
The ability to look up information when I needed it. Internet went down for a few days and I didn't realize how often I use it to look up things.
 

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
i used a sega saturn to get onto irc chat with some girl in canada. we talked for a couple years. never met/never tasted it though
 

schneiderguy

Lifer
Jun 26, 2006
10,801
91
91
A general desire for information. I first really started in 1st grade looking up pictures of license plates (my opa collects them and I wanted to as well) so I'd go through license plate collector portals and download all the images I could. When Diablo came out I then downloaded tons of animated gifs of moving enemies and blood drips and pentagrams and stuff, also portal-whoring. Loved Geocities/Lycos/Angelfire/etc sites and their image-heavy layouts.

I didn't get into discussion stuff until about 4th grade, and was pretty light about it then, mostly posting on guestbooks of Digimon fansites and stuff. Around the same time I took my first step into piracy with SNES ROMs. However, I still did things aside from the internet back then, like bike riding and exploration and building hideouts and stuff. It was expulsion from school in 6th grade that drove me into a full-time e-life, although tbh I had already gotten big into Rotten and Ogrish and shit even before expulsion. Since then, it's been the internet community that provided my only outlet for social interaction.

EDIT: Oh yeah, IRC was good fun too. Started that a tiny bit later, more around 7th grade though. I've tried getting back into chatrooms but my mental health has decayed since then and I've forgotten how to use them.

Why did you get expelled from school?
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
I didn't really know what to do with the internet at first. I played around in Prodigy's walled garden. I even had books with recommended sites to visit.

At some point, I ventured out into the open internet for video game walkthroughs. I was probably about 10 years old at this point.

Then it became aquarium message boards, then ATOT, and now Reddit.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,085
10,559
126
...and now Reddit.

I love reddit. I just discovered it within the last year. I knew about it for awhile, but never actually looked. I think I got there from a random search. Whenever I'm bored I can find something interesting to read.
 

mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
9,734
54
91
Ultima Online


nooooooooooo I take that back

original quake and mods associated with it
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
I love reddit. I just discovered it within the last year. I knew about it for awhile, but never actually looked. I think I got there from a random search. Whenever I'm bored I can find something interesting to read.

What I like about Reddit is that I can completely tailor it to my interests by setting my subscribed subreddits (and I love the fact that I can combine multiple subreddits into a single "subreddit" that I can view). I can go to Reddit to look at funny pictures of cats, read science news, learn about woodworking, etc.
 

LumbergTech

Diamond Member
Sep 15, 2005
3,622
1
0
Absolutely AOL chat rooms........I still live with the girl (now woman) I found in the weezer chat room when I was 12 years old. We didn't meet up in person until we were 17, but then we moved in together shortly after. We now have a 5 year old daughter.
 

coloumb

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,069
0
81
Not really addicted to the "Internet" - but it definitely beats being a zombie in front of the TV as I have more control over what I want do digest.

My fascination with "global" communication started with Q-link while in the Military and then Metro-BBS in Kansas City post military. I found it was an easier way to meet and hookup with girls both local and far away. :)

/reddit - I too recently found it as well as a lurker. WTF section can be brutal/disgusting at times [few times where I wish I hadn't clicked on a link] - but overall it's information overload and the IAMA section is awesome at times to read.
 

jhansman

Platinum Member
Feb 5, 2004
2,768
29
91
Who says I'm addicted? I'm not addicted. Really, I'm not. I just spent three days in the mountains with no cell or web service, so that proves it. It does, right?