A person who signs up for internet service 'just for the convenience of email' who's friends and family soon begin planning an intervention to help them realize that the person is in total denial and unaware that they have become addicted to being online. Classic symptoms and changes in habit include withdrawal from outdoor activities, decline in personal hygiene, inability to keep appointments on time, dark circles under the eyes, and a propensity to run towards a computer every time a doorbell rings.
When Billy declined the free month-long vacation sailing the Caribbean with his family citing "spotty broadband access" as unacceptable living conditions, they could no longer look the other way; Billy was an AOL-ic.
by FatrCat November 12, 2009