I raised this issue on the previous VNN forum. Were we better off before the internet came along in 1994? I have talked to some boomers and Gen X people who grew up before the internet and they say things were better before the internet.

All Gen Z and some millennial were born after 1994 so they have always had the internet and now smartphones. I look at how everyone is glued to their smartphones and basic conversation between people has been severely hampered. Teens now spend half their waking hours online and it has been shown that social media is harmful to them. Those are two cons.

Smartphones give instant information but this has made people intellectually lazy. Fewer people read serious books. I think books are still the best way to learn but maybe I am old fashioned.

On the plus side the internet allows instant communication with anybody in the world and it has made shopping much easier. Though the internet shopping has put a lot of malls out of business.

Are people less happy because of internet addiction? I think so. What do others think?