Throughout time, I’ve talked a lot about the harm caused by internet. And indeed, spending too much time in phones is bad for your health, mood and well-being, especially when you do the “mindless scrolling”. I didn’t know that there’s actually a term called “scrolling addiction”, something that has always existed, but became popular after the creation of short videos, which are now available in every single platform. Don’t want to get too deep into the damage of that, which is huge, if you do some research about it.

This time, I want to talk about the good side of internet. Something that I thought I already new, but realized once more due to recent events in Russia. If you didn’t know, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and other platforms stopped working in there, causing thousands of people to be left without their hobbies, connections, online friends and even jobs. I know that this isn’t the most horrible thing going on in this world right now, but it just made me wonder a little. I’ve always used to say, that life without internet would be so amazing. And just now I realized, that actually it would kinda suck. Because apart from the addiction, the huge amount of time we spend doing pretty much nothing or the fact that it’s replacing the normal human interactions, internet gives us so much, endless possibilities. We just don’t know how to use it in our favor. We, simple humans, are like children, who overeat candy, when being unsupervised, and then feel sick, and blame the candy, instead of our lack of responsibility.

So I decided to list all the good things that you can gain from internet and maybe change the negative attitude. After all, it’s now an integral part of our lives, why not use it well?

1. Learning and studying. I sometimes wonder, why, with all the amount of available sources and information, people don’t get smarter and more educated? I mean truly, google anything you want – from studying quantum physics to learning how to hammer a nail or do an even eyeliner. There are so many online schools, universities or short courses, some of which are even free. And you can dedicate each month to learning something in a new domain. Imagine how educated you would be after even a few months? Not talking about all the books, audiobooks, podcasts or just simple articles and youtube videos that can teach you every single thing in this life. So instead of burdening our mind with negative news or unnecessary rumors, we can fill our brains with something good and valuable, learn sth new, worthwhile and useful.

2. Entertainment. If you really want to chill and relax, internet has a solution to that too. There are lots of good games (not the stupid ones where you just kill people), that train your logic and reactions and are fun as well. You can even play games with your friends, being in different cities or countries. There are also lots of quizzes, puzzles that will test your knowledge and motivate you to learn more.

Or even movies and tv-shows. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through your feeds, dedicate that time to watching something new. You’ll still spend that time online, but will do it correctly. The right movie/show/cartoon will brighten up your mood, fill you with positivity, will inspire and motivate you. And again, you can learn a lot even from movies, because first, there are always some hidden wise messages in them, and second, you can watch documentaries, biographies or historical films, which are crawling with facts and information.

3. Friends. Online friends and interactions should never replace real-life communications, that’s for sure. But let’s admit, that the amount of people we meet in real life is quite limited, so finding like-minded people is not always that easy. While internet gives the perfect opportunity to find kindred spirits even on the other side of the Earth. People, who can support you, share your interests, and why not become really close. And even if you don’t acquire a bff, you still can have lots of enjoyable and interesting conversations, learn a lot about people in different countries or even their cultures and traditions. This will particularly help loners or introverts, who don’t have many social interactions, so they won’t feel lonely. Just remember not to exchange your real life with the internet one. There should always be a golden balance.

4. Expressing yourself. Especially when you’re creative or have hidden talents, internet is the place, where you can embrace yourself and show your creativity. Share your singing or guitar covers, dance videos, delicious recipes, photography, art, writings… You will somehow feel yourself self-realized, especially if you prefer not to show any of your talents in real life (which, btw, you definitely should!). Every person needs a place to express themselves, even it it’s nothing special, and is just an opinion about something. And, going back to the last paragraph, it will help you find so many amazing and creative people, who share the same interests with you. Plus it will give you lots of self-confidence, because you’ll see your skills and creations being valued and appreciated.

5. Earning money. Last but not least, you can actually make a good fortune online. It’s not always that easy, as it sometimes seems. But it’s definitely something worths trying. I don’t say that every person now should become a blogger or influencer, most of whom don’t even provide value anymore. But you can use your skills and potential on doing what you do the best. Freelancing is taking over the world, since lots of people understand that it’s more convenient and gives them what all people seek the most- freedom.

Hope this article inspired you to change your attitude towards internet. Try to eliminate the “empty” time you spend glued to the screen. Next time when you take your phone, instead of going straight to instagram/facebook/tiktok, choose more wisely, and do something, that will benefit you, whether it’ll be learning something, or actually having fun via games or movies. It will be difficult in the beginning, because we’re breaking a bad habit and creating a new, constructive one, and it always takes time. But you’ll feel the great change in that. And even if you spend hours online, you won’t feel depressed, bored or apathetic, and you definitely won’t feel guilty, cause subconsciously you’ll know, that you spent that time doing something good.