What is it about the internet?

There have been many articles recently about the effect of constant connection to electronic devices on our brains.  Are humans becoming less human as a result? What is it that makes us human?
Do we need to stay connected to a machine to feel part of the conversation at the cost of having a conversation with a real live person we might like to sit with at leisure over coffee?

I think there is an epidemic of loneliness.  My theory:

It is an addictive habit like smoking.
It takes practice not to use it so much.

There are so many things I want to know.
The internet provides answers.
Yesterday these were the things I looked up which can give you an idea of what my life is like:

how to clean and re-season a cast iron pan (I overzealously cleaned it)
recipe for corn chowder (love to eat, love to cook with fresh summer vegetables)
national weather forecast (when will the heat move on?)
cat ear infections (poor kitty)
writers almanac (need fresh poetry, Garrison's voice)
pictures of hummingbirds (they are crazy little buggers providing endless entertainment)
cornell's website on birds (wow why so many flycatchers here?)

New York Times crosswords (another habit forming )
New York Times op eds and obituaries (okay the news comes last)
email five times (who wants to talk to me remotely, who do I owe messages to)
zen habits (where are the date stamps on these articles?)
flickr pictures of rural librarians (what would it be like to work in the country)