A further complication arises when the person eventually isolates himself or herself from friends, in favor of friends online. Finally, people with Internet addiction have a sense of guilt about their online use. They often lie to their friends about how much time they spend online, and consider their Internet use a secret to others. While they understand that what they are doing is not entirely socially acceptable, they cannot stop. This results in a diminished self worth and further symptoms of Internet addiction.
Specific thoughts associated with Internet addiction are subconscious and automatic.
People with Internet addiction don't even realize that they are thinking this way. These thoughts are played over and over again in the person's mind until it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. I have little effect on other people, and I am a failure when I am offline. Typical thoughts about the world involve generalizing specific events to global trends. In other words, the individual might think, The Internet is the only place I am respected, Nobody loves me offline, the Internet is my only friend, or People treat me badly offline.