People spend so much of their spare time online because the Internet is the biggest source of instant information, entertainment and communication.

Most people use the Internet to communicate by email, and not just for business. People send emails in their spare time to share jokes, forward links and spread gossip.

Some people go online using a cell phone or an iPhone, and use these to check for new emails and to send email messages in their spare time. It is also possible to use mobile devices to access Twitter for live "tweeting".

* Phoning

Many people use Skype and other Internet phone services to communicate with friends and family. These are far cheaper for long distance and international calls than a traditional telephone service, so users tend to chat for much longer when they connect online.

* Making Friends

Access to the Internet is grows daily around the world and more people spend time networking and making new friends. This can be done through social sites, blogs, forums and dating sites.

Active bloggers needs plenty of time for writing and posting on their blogs, also to see what their friends are blogging about, to read comments and to leave comments.

* Linking

At an increasing number of online communities people spend time sharing links with their followers. Link sharing at social sites means members spend more time viewing videos, listening to audio clips and music, reading blog posts and keeping up with breaking news.

* Entertainment

Entertainment can take up a lot of spare time. Rather than watching a DVD or TV, more people now download movies and watch shows on their players. Live radio can be accessed online and many people listen to local radio stations, or find Internet radio stations from around the world.

* Gaming

Online games can be very compelling and generally take up a lot of time. Internet users can play solo games or compete with opponents online.

* Gambling

Card games, gambling and betting can become compulsive spare time activities. Many people play online bingo, gamble in online casinos, take part in lotteries or do some sports betting. Gambling sites usually offer slots, scratch cards, arcade games and other games of chance, where people use their spare time winning occasionally and losing a lot more money.

* Spending money

Spare time is used for shopping online, finding bargains and using comparison sites to save money on essential services. Some people become addicted to buying and selling on eBay, spending all their spare time bidding or checking the latest bids on their own items.

* Making money

Most money making programs require a lot of time for posting, commenting, clicking and promoting. Helium writers make money from their articles, but often need to spend time on research before writing, and spend time rating articles by other members.

* Gaining knowledge

The Internet was designed for storing and sharing information, and most people search online in their spare time. Search engines often bring people to Helium. This site alone has more than a million knowledge articles. Reading one article can often lead on to finding more articles on that topic, and many other articles of interest.

Generally people are spending much more of their spare time online, watching TV and video clips, listening to music and radio, playing games and gambling, chatting, networking, reading, writing and making money.

Learn more about this author, Ruth Belena.
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