Not long ago, “going online” was a novelty – something Americans did every so often as a casual hobby. But in 2025, it’s a full-blown lifestyle. According to a recent Optimum survey, the average U.S. adult with internet access now spends more than ten hours a day plugged into the digital void – about half their waking hours.

That’s five hours every day watching videos and 5.4 hours online. Taking a deeper dive, when online, people focus on the three B’s: browsing, bills, and buying.

The survey says that when asked to pick multiple activities that they or their household do online besides streaming video and TV (which is the number one activity), the survey found:

• 79% Generally Browsed
• 77% Paid Bills
• 73% Scoured Social Media
• 72% Online Shopped
• 37% Handled Work Assignments • 20% Completed School Work

Picture this: you wake up, check your phone. You’re still checking your phone when you’re brushing your teeth. By lunch, you’ve replied to 10 emails, scrolled twice through your feed, paid a bill, and preordered that thing you absolutely don’t need. Dinner arrives, and you stream while social media whispers sweet-nothings in your ear. Before bed, you pay more bills while binge-watching one more episode. Boom – another “half your day” spent staring at a screen, but hey, at least you’re “connected.”

But connected to who and what? Have you participated in any meaningful conversations with anyone face-to-face? Have you spent quality time with your family and pets?

And here are some more questions to ask yourself:

• When was the last time you read a physical book cover to cover?
• Can you name three birds that live in your neighborhood – without Googling it? • Could you sit through a meal without reaching for your phone?
• If the internet went down for 24 hours, what would you actually do?

In the end, maybe the better question is this: are we using the internet, or is it using us?