Internet as an abstraction of reality The high number of hours spent on the computer today is "masking" many human needs. In the United States today, over 57 million people use these hours by going online (Telesys). Information can be accessed across 320 million different web pages with the push of a button. Hours are spent receiving and giving information. People are now more than ever able to communicate with others using the World Wide Web. Someone once said that what is one man's gain is another man's loss. The computer age, especially the new use of the Internet, has caused a drastic loss of personal, face-to-face human interaction. People feel safer typing a hello rather than saying hello. Understanding that people continue to communicate in many ways throughout the day, the numbers suggest that human interaction will only continue to decline through Internet use. The Internet has interfered with and replaced a major aspect of communication that is fundamental to the psychological and physiological needs of human beings. Everyone understands that human beings need to interact with each other on a daily basis. Without it, we withdraw from society and others. Although the World Wide Web offers opportunities for communication, this new form of human interaction is simply a replacement for the psychological and physiological needs of human beings. Our computer screens are simply masks to represent human interaction. These masks show a facade of our true selves to others. Abraham Maslow developed a biological sketch of the human hierarchy of needs. In this hierarchy he describes five personal characteristics that a human being needs to survive. Each contains specific elements that are critical to achieving and maintaining high self-esteem and physical well-being. These needs include physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization (Huitt). In today's society, especially here at University, the number of hours spent "online" is astonishing. The University of Texas Internet server, Telesys, has over 3,100 lines for use by outside students. These lines are constantly used during the day and night. At what time of the day do students use the Internet the most? According to Telesys all lines are active from ten in the evening until half past two in the morning (Telesys). This is time spent in "chat rooms" and browsing the web.