If you were to poll the average female Penn student on her study techniques and procrastination methods, I assume she would, reluctantly, admit to high volumes of Facebook stalking, online shopping, perhaps a little Netflix and some New York Times for the sake of being informed. Though novelty blogs like “Dear Blank, Please Blank” or “Postsecret” may make sporadic appearances as time wasters, for the most part, by the time such distraction is necessary, the student in question will inevitably resign herself to cracking a book and getting to work — not me. For me, procrastination is not a pastime, it’s an art–form, made entirely possible by an uncharacteristic and unexpected passion for all things internet.

In my senior year of high school, the discovery of StumbleUpon literally changed the way I look at the internet. For the n00bs out there, StumbleUpon is an “internet search engine” of sorts, which, based on your personal preferences, helps you discover websites that may be of interest. Two years later, this uninhibited exploration of the internet has not died down, but rather flourishes, earning me nicknames and shocked looks from those who watch me in the act.

In 200–person lectures, my peers refer to me as “blog girl,” referencing my shrinking attention span and my tendency to fill up the lecture hour with a constant barrage of refreshed pages. These pages range in content from fashion to technology to design. And, because they are so numerous, I have mastered the flow of content from one site to another; for instance if HolyCool.net does a post on Star Wars merchandise, I know that within two days, Geekologie.com will probably feature one of those items. Fourteen of my 24 “top sites” are blogs, in addition to a bookmark folder labeled “good tumblrs.” Tumblr has become increasingly dangerous, now that I have a page of my own.

I would have to say though, the thing that most distinguishes my internet usage from other procrastinators is the fact that I am the only self respecting 19–year–old girl I know who still plays online video games. I am that girl who sits on the couch, pretending to write an American politics essay, when in actuality I’m trying to beat the last level of Doom, and all those frustrated looks are because I keep running out of ammo and getting killed by a fireball. It is one of the main reasons my 14–year–old brother and I still have so much to talk about.

While I understand that most people my age spend a little too much time on the computer and would claim to display signs of internet addiction, I would be lying if I said I’ve never had a panic attack when the internet stopped working. I think there is something to be said about falling asleep every night, eyes burning, from turning a one–page homework assignment into six hours of distraction. At the end of the day, however, no matter how much time I may have dedicated to pointless research and dead–end digital pursuits, I wear my internet addiction as a badge of pride, keeping me informed and entertained whenever I can get computer access.

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