Search for news articles about being “chronically online” and you’ll mostly find articles about celebrities spending too much time on X or TikTok (Joe Jonas just can’t live without his phone!). Yet the term “chronically online” is also used by the media to describe people like Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering far-right activist Charlie Kirk.
“Investigators say Robinson is what some would call a chronically online person: someone who spends enormous amounts of time on messaging platforms, social media and playing video games,” according to NPR.
Is being chronically connected simply an awkward character trait or, rather, a gateway to loneliness, illusion, even violence? The word “chronic” makes the description sound clinical, like a diagnosed illness, but online chronic is an unscientific term and a descriptor open to many interpretations.
“I don’t think there’s agreement that time spent online is ‘too long,’ because it also depends on what one does on the Internet,” Carlos Gershenson-Garcia, professor of empire innovation at the State University of New York at Binghamton, told Mashable. “I mean, a lot of people work only using the Internet, so they use it 40+ hours a week, more for their personal time. But then, if we [spends] the same amount of time spent on social media is another story. Or play online games. Or catastrophic scrolling.”
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The phrase “chronically online” became somewhat ubiquitous during COVID, when there wasn’t much to do besides walk, bake bread, and watch the internet. As CNET (a sister site of Mashable) pointed out in 2021, some millennials and Gen Zers liked to point out their peers’ chronic online behaviors, such as regularly using internet-exclusive verbiage (e.g., IRL, OOMF) or getting involved in debates with strangers. While these examples seem relatively harmless, chronically online people can also shift from offline connections to parasocial relationships and become overly invested in conflicts involving celebrities (Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B. seems to be a prime example).
Still, getting unnecessarily invested in a movie star’s divorce may not be the best use of someone’s time, but it’s a far cry from being radicalized on Reddit to commit violence.
“I think the key here is ‘chronic,’ which to me means a health problem,” says John Fitzgerald, PhD, an associate professor of English at Salem State University who has written about technology for publications like the New York Times. “I think it has less to do with how much time a person spends online or even what they watch and more to do with how immersed they are in online spaces.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described Robinson’s online behavior as crossing over into “that deep, dark Internet, Reddit culture and these other dark places of the Internet where this person was going deep.”
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Cox did not mention whether or not Robinson used AI chatbots, which have come under scrutiny for allegedly encouraging suicidal ideation among young people. The term AI psychosis emerged as a way to describe a person who has lost connection with reality due to their relationship with an AI chatbot – but “AI psychosis,” like “online chronic,” is not a clinical term. Would clarification from medical experts on when online behavior goes from merely unhealthy to downright dangerous help people before it’s too late? Perhaps, but there is currently little information about unhealthy Internet behaviors on HHS.com, the website of the government Department of Health and Human Services. (The Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, a division of HHS, offers suggestions for children and youth who use the Internet.)
Dangerous online behavior can emerge when a mix of unhealthy factors are at play, says Saed D. Hill, PhD, psychologist and masculinity coach.
“Some signs [of dangerous online behavior] “That includes when online engagement starts to really fuel social isolation, rigid belief systems, it’s always us versus them, or aggression against certain groups… then we probably move from simple adjustment and escape to full-blown radicalization or potential for violence,” Hill says. “Social isolation, mixed with aggression and relationship difficulties is an important sign, however. This situation is exacerbated by things like drugs, alcohol and access to weapons.”
Hill encourages people who are concerned about a loved one’s online behavior to join them in offline activities and simply interact with them more. Counseling and therapy are also beneficial for those who struggle with online attachment; Connecting with other humans to explore unmet needs is always a better solution than “looking to the digital echo chambers that tech companies profit from and thrive on,” says Hill.
If you are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, talk to someone. You can call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to 988, or chat on 988lifeline.org. You can reach Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.
