Can you wrap your head around the idea that the internet as we know it has only been alive for about 15 years? All the news, blogs, images, games, videos and pages. All that immeasurable amount of content.

They called it the “world wide web”. A web of networked information, accessible by anyone with a connection from any point on the planet, designed to bring the world to our fingertips. But has it, really?

It’s undeniable that the internet has had a humongous effect on our lives. It has created jobs, made information so much easier to reach and collect, and has enabled and empowered so many people to realize a myriad of accomplishments. In fact, it’s almost impossible imagining a world without the internet anymore.

On the other hand, it has gradually gotten us to be more and more disconnected from the “real” world. People are increasingly feeling more comfortable expressing themselves through text rather than with face-to-face interaction. We’ve become constantly wired to every beep, ring and notification. We’ve become chained to the never-ending ‘realtime’ distractions and hooked to streams of fragmented information like addicts of a potent drug. Before getting to know the specs of a new phone, we ask if it’ll be convenient enough for accessing facebook, twitter, whatsapp and what not.

The world wide web is seeming less like a safety net for a trapeze player – one we go back to for guidance or to cross check things that will help us to take actions in our lives, and more like a spider’s web – one we get caught in and locked in, just waiting for our death.

I can’t be completely sure about it, but I have a feeling that Plato, Da Vinci, Einstein or any of the people who have done great things in their lives didn’t spend their days staring at news streams. Also, it somehow seems that even without all the gadgets, connectivity and super speed bit rates of our world today, they were able to take advantage of their time a lot more, which gives the impression that something is amiss in our modern equations.

As the Arabic proverb goes: ‘what is over-done, turns against its own self’. Striking a balance is key. The internet is an extremely powerful tool as it is a lethal weapon. It’s important to keep purpose in mind – our own purpose in life as well as the purpose of the tools around us – and not let ourselves be caught helpless in the convoluted World Wide Webs of inaction.

Sara Abdel Azim