what are we looking for?

I've begun to notice a little habit that I have. 

I'm generally pretty good about keeping my phone in my handbag whenever I'm having a meal with someone, but if I'm ever alone and waiting for something -- anything, really -- out it comes.

The first thing I do is check my email, to make sure I haven't missed anything important.  But once that's done, I start just pushing buttons. 

Recently, the next thing I'll do is I'll check my Instagram feed, to see what the people I'm following have uploaded since I last checked. 

Then, usually not finding whatever it I was hoping to see, I'll check Twitter:  first for any responses to my tweets, and then to see if any of the people I follow closely have said anything that I'd missed. 

Then, still searching, I check Feedly, to see what my favourite bloggers have uploaded. 

And then, as a last resort, I'll check Facebook. 

Then I start all over again.  And I do this until my friend arrives, or my name is called, or my turn is up.   

The thing is, I've realized, I do this every time I have a wait -- almost obsessively.  And more often than not, I find myself somewhat dissatisfied, unable to find whatever it is I'm looking for. 

Am I alone in this:  this searching online, through blogs, and news readers, and websites, going from one to the next, looking for ... humour?  Knowledge?  Connection? 

Inspiration?

I'd love to hear your thoughts:  if you find yourself mindlessly surfing the web, what is it you think you're looking for when you do?

Song:  World looking in by Morcheeba