What does “Chronically Online” mean?

"Chronically Online" refers to individuals who spend an excessive amount of time immersed in internet culture, often resulting in extreme or out-of-context takes on real-life situations.

The term is usually used to describe people who apply niche online discourse or hyper-specific internet logic to everyday scenarios in ways that seem bizarre or disconnected from offline reality.

Example

"Someone said using a microwave is classist. We’ve officially gone chronically online."

What are ways to use "Chronically Online" on social media?

The phrase is commonly used in response to overly complex, unrealistic, or outrage-driven takes that could only make sense within the bubble of social media. It’s often used sarcastically to highlight when someone is taking a simple situation and turning it into a Twitter debate or TikTok lecture.

Pro Tip

Be careful using the term as an insult - it can come off as dismissive. It works best when used in a lighthearted, observational way.