8 Fun Online Activities (That Aren’t Social Media)

The internet may be the most wondrous tool ever invented, but it doesn’t always feel that way. All too often, we can find ourselves spending time on the same old social media sites, consuming what is essentially the same old content just packaged slightly differently.

But here’s the thing: while Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok may be the masters of holding our attention, they’re not a true representation of the internet. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that the web is full of activities that are a whole lotta fun. 

If you’ve been feeling a little uninspired by the internet recently, then the following list, which outlines some of the best online activities, should help you get your digital mojo back.

Visit a Random Website

OK, when we say ‘visit a random website’ we don’t mean a truly random website. There are more than a billion websites online, with only around 15-20% considered ‘active.’ If you visited a random website, you’d probably end up nowhere.

No, what we mean is to visit a curated random website. There are platforms that take your interests on board and then, with a click of a button, send you to a website that you’d probably like but have likely never heard of. Mix.com, which used to be called StumbleUpon, is probably the most famous — and the best.  

Watch a Documentary

Social media is awash with short-length videos that can be entertaining and informative. But how much can you really learn about something in fifteen seconds? Or, for that matter, how much information from those videos can you remember? The answer is…probably not a lot.

To really learn about something, you have to take a deeper dive. And happily, the internet can provide it. There are websites that are dedicated to curating the best documentaries on the web, so all you need to do is take a look, find something that interests you, and start watching. By the time you’re finished, you’ll know a lot more about the subject than if you’d watched a few Instagram reels. 

Play a Classic Game

Did you know that some 20,000 games are released on Steam each year? That’s a whole lotta games that you could play, but likely never will. Most games come and go without much fanfare.

The classics, on the other hand, are here to stay. Even though there have been massive advancements made in the world of gaming technology, the old-school games still remain hugely popular. Games like chess, checkers, solitaire, and backgammon have a collective history that runs into the thousands of years, and are all available to play for free online. Looking for something a little more modern? Classic arcade games, such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Tetris, are also available on the web. 

Take a Course

Want to learn something new? Then there’s arguably no better place to do it than online. You don’t need to travel anywhere, you can learn at your own pace, and by the time you’re done, you’ll have learned a skill that you can put into practice.

There’s no shortage of websites where you can learn skills. MasterClass and Udemy are the two most famous, but you can also simply search online for ‘[skill] online course’ and look for independent course producers too. The magic of online courses is that they’re not a massive commitment from any perspective, be it energy or money. Want to learn scriptwriting? How to become a professional chef? Literally anything? Go ahead and do it — you’ll be learning for the fun of it, but you might just find that something good comes from it in the end. 

Visit a Museum

Visit a museum, you say? Isn’t that an in-person activity?

OK, you got us — we don’t know how that ended up on this list. We apologiz…wait a minute, no, we were correct. If you want to see works of art, historical objects, and other works in person, then yes, you’ll need to travel. 

But you can also take a virtual tour and see those same works from the comfort of your own home. Many of the world’s leading art galleries and museums offer free virtual tours, allowing you to take a stroll through a museum without taking off your pajamas. 

Take a Virtual Trip

Not content with merely visiting the world’s great cultural institutions from your home? How about exploring the entire world? 

Given how groundbreaking and impressive it is, it’s somewhat surprising that people don’t talk about/use Google Earth more than they currently do. You can spend hours discovering far-flung places, which might just serve as inspiration for your next trip.

Improve Your Mental, Emotional, and Physical Well-Being

The research is becoming pretty clear: uncontrolled use of social media can be harmful to your mental well-being. And it’s probably not all that great for your physical well-being either.

But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the internet as a whole is bad for your well-being. It’s not — or rather, it doesn’t have to be. Used correctly, the web can be an exceptionally powerful tool for boosting your overall well-being.

The next time you get tired of Instagram, try following along with a YouTube yoga class, or a breathwork or meditation session. Or perhaps do all three. By the time you’ve finished, we’re confident that your body, mind, and spirit will feel much better than they would have if you’d spent the same amount of time scrolling through social media. 

Create a Website

Want the internet to be a better place? Then consider doing your bit to make it so. It’s extremely easy to create a website these days, so even if you’re not technically-minded, you’ll likely find that you can have one up and running within a couple of hours. Given how easy and low-cost it is, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t create an online space. It might simply start as a passion project, but maybe over time it’ll turn into something that’s so much more.