The answer is not in removing particular mindless vices but in moving toward the learning and creativity of which the author speaks. I see so many people saying "I'm going to quit video games" or TV or internet browsing as if it's going to change their life. And it doesn't. They still spend their time piling rocks in the corner - they just use different rocks.

I suppose a big part of it is mindfulness - realising that you're just twiddling your thumbs doing nothing and that later you'll be really glad if instead of watching another episode of The Walking Dead that you spend an hour playing bouzouki. That's what living in the moment means to me, anyway. Aye, gotta believe in a new kind of me...

Edit: I wrote that while halfway through the article. I just read the bit at the end - that the internet is where the people are.

I'm not convinced one way or the other that internet mediated relationships are innately worse or weaker or whatever than "real" ones - it's a very complicated issue - but I do think that in a way it kind of sucks that the internet is effectively mandatory, especially for young people. If you're not on Facebook, you don't get invited to parties.