Internet Guilt

One of those things that has been getting me lately in the guilt category is time spent on the internet.  I feel like I have to defy those "young people spend such and such # of hours a day using media" statistics and unless I am not using media for a big chunk of my day and instead doing things that human beings did before the internet existed, you know, enjoying nature, playing with my child, exercising, reading actual books, then I feel like a failure.  But I'm here to convince myself out of this guilt and give myself permission to spend the time on the internet that I do.
I'm a big believer and kind of fascinated by the idea that one principle or idea or thing can be good if used in certain ways, and destructive if used in other ways--or even destructive in two opposite ways.  For example, money is just a thing and some people have the vice of spending it frivolously and getting themselves buried it debt, but the other extreme I think can also be damaging--being too miserly with our money or using too much time obsessing over how to not spend as much of it.  I think the internet is definitely this way, and even though I really do think I use it largely for positive things, somehow I've been convinced somewhere that if I spend a lot of time on the internet, that's bad.
Part of it I think, is that a lot of things that we used to do have become easier online.  I read tons of articles online that I would otherwise be reading from a newspaper or a magazine which I don't at all think is wasted time.  Quite the opposite actually, whenever I am flipping through the New York Times (one of the best kept secrets I know is that you can pick these up daily and free at the Kennedy center at byu.  How do more students not know this??) I usually congratulate myself for learning what's going on in the world.  And I love about 20 different magazines and would subscribe to all of them if I could, and have never once felt bad to spend time reading articles or flipping through fashion magazines.  Why does it feel so different then, when it's the exact same thing online?  I don't have an e-reader, but I'm curious if reading a book on one of them would give me the same bogged-down-by-technology feeling as opposed to the pat-myself-on-the-back-because I'm-reading-a-classic feeling that the real life pages in my hands book gives me.
I order diapers online.  They offer free shipping to my door within one day and it's lovely.  I've started buying  clothes online occasionally.  And I rarely read a book anymore without first hearing about in online and reading a few reviews for it to make sure it will be worth my time.  I check the weather.  And. . . lately I read blogs and look at pinterest.  Which is the biggest one that people I think could criticize and say "well, ya, that one's just a time waster."  But the more I think about it, I really don't think it is if you do it right.  This post got me thinking about it, and I really like her thoughts.  If looking at fashion blogs makes you feel bad about yourself and jealous about things you don't have and can't afford--stop looking at them.  If looking at pictures of elaborate beautiful birthday parties and such makes you feel like a bad mother--stop looking at them.  If looking at interior decorating/organization blogs makes you feel guilty about how messy your house is and sad that you're not rich or creative enough to make your house that beautiful--put your computer down and go clean it!  If your friends blogs (you know, those ones you read of people that you actually  know in real life) make you jealous of their vacations, kids, apartment, job, husband---stop reading those blogs.  Or change your thinking.  Some of the blogs I've started reading are written by smart, beautiful, uplifting, inspiring women who have good things to share and say and show.    Yesterday, I found this blog post (via pinterest) 10 Simple Things to Make you Happier at Home and it made me really happy and inspired me.  This post motivated and encouraged me to start getting ready every day instead of letting myself hang around all the time in basketball shorts (which has been happening too often lately) and try harder with my wardrobe.  Some of them help me to be really happy and grateful and remember to soak in the awesome little moments I have with my little baby.  I have a whole network of blog friends that had a baby the same month that I did and sometimes it's just good to keep in touch with a network like that and know that a lot of people are (for lack of a less cliche'd phrase) going through the same things I'm going through.  That's how blogging should be I think!
Not a jealousy fest or an oh my gosh look at all the things I don't have and don't do and should start acquiring and doing.
My mother in law has a wise piece of advise that she always tells women to put a clock by their computer and always set and intention of how long you are going to allow yourself to be on there.  That way you keep it to a positive, constructive use of time instead of mindlessly letting yourself go and realizing hours later that you're still surfing and not doing what you really want to do with your time. 
So. . . I'm done now I think.  If you made it to the end of this rant I commend you.  And I'd love for you to share your thoughts on it!