Internet Addiction        

            The development of the Internet started in 1957 and its popularity grew in the 1990s. It seemed like the act of going online became an over night sensation that took the world by storm. The average human being spends about 14 hours a week on the Internet. It’s now possible to do a wide range of activities without getting up from your seat. It’s like living life with just a click of a button. Today anything and everything can be done online: shopping, paying bills, watching TV and movies, and conversing with friends However, many people can manage to balance and separate their online activities and their social and personal lives. We still have to do everyday things that don’t consist of the use of a computer. Unfortunately, there are those whose lives revolve around the World Wide Web more than the average Internet user

(http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgibin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=170&num=2581).

            The popularity of the Internet has brought upon positives and negatives. Sometimes we find ourselves staying a little longer on our computers than expected. Either we’re checking our emails more frequently or even spending the whole day glued to the computer when we’re bored. True there’s nothing wrong with little flaws or guilty pleasures, just like with food or spending money, as long as we do it in proportion and moderation. But what happens when the Internet becomes an obsession and takes over your life? You find that you aren’t able to tear yourself away from the computer screen and if you’re away from your computer, it makes you anxious. This just might be a case of Internet Addiction.

               Like drugs, alcohol, and, gambling, the Internet can also become a bad habit and more importantly difficult to escape. “Internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the Internet.” It’s becoming addicted to spending time on the web and the difficulty of taking oneself away from it. While Internet Addiction is not addressed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is a disorder that is recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder.html).

             There are many symptoms of Internet Addiction that people should pay close attention to. Look at the person’s tolerance. A person suffering from Internet Addiction may want to spend more time online to feel good or to get away from negative emotions. Symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, lack of sleep, low energy, and thinking obsessively about the Internet can occur when having with drawl.  Another symptom to look for is to see how much the Internet is being used and how long they are on it, or if they stay on longer than intended. A person may also have Internet Addiction if the individual’s work ethic and personal life are threatened and in danger. Relationships may suffer and be negatively effected due to spending so much time online. To be diagnosed with the disorder and labeled an addict, the American Psychiatric Association says that they must show three or more symptoms anytime during the course of a year (http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/dessy/honors/papers/ferris.html).

            So what is so appealing about the Internet that makes it an addiction for some?  Dr. David Greenfield, a leading expert on addiction caused by the Internet found that there were many reasons behind the disorder. Media Stimulation, which is similar to the same sensation one gets when watching television, has been increased greatly online now that there are more sites that show newly released movies, TV shows without commercials, and video clips like on YouTube.com. Other reasons include that the Internet is easy to use and available to access at any time. Also, there are fewer restrictions online than in real life. The Internet allows a person to do and see things they wouldn’t be able to do in reality. Going online entertains us when we’re bored and have nothing to do. It allows us to get away from the hardships of our daily lives. The Internet serves as a home away from home for frequent users (http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/03-04-wt2/www/C_Hill/types.htm).

            There are even different types of addictions. Cyber Sexual addictions are when one becomes obsessed with online pornography or anything related to sex. Some may become addicted to Cyber Relations which include activities that allow a person to interact with others online. Take for example chat rooms and social networks like Myspace.com or Match.com. Net Gaming is a popular addiction for the younger crowd. Gaming alone serves as popular entertainment and if one is able to spend time playing it for hours in front of a TV; it wouldn’t be any different spending it in front of a computer screen. Being very occupied on the Internet can lead to Information Overload. With the large amounts of information on the web today, it can overwhelm and also bring out obsessive compulsion when searching on the web and looking through data bases. Online shopping has become a bigger problem because all one needs to do is click a button to get what they want. Online auctioning (i.e.: Ebay.com) enjoy the thrill of bidding. They purchase items they don’t need just for the excitement of winning (http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/03-04-wt2/www/C_Hill/types.htm, www.netaddiction.com/net_compulsions.htm). Due to the Internet’s wide range of things to do, addictions can come from anything at any time.

            Internet addicts can sometimes be mistaken as computer geeks that cannot socialize in today’s society. Despite the stereotype, anyone can become addicted to the Web despite age, ethnicity, and gender. Children today are taught about how to use computers and learning to access the Internet at an earlier age from when it first became popular. With the combination of technology and education, most kids can figure out to work a computer. It isn’t hard for a child to go online with any difficulty. Many kids today go online un-supervised while their parents are working or busy playing games or watching video clips. Teens spend plenty of time on the web instant messaging and sites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com. While being online might be the “in” thing to do as a child or an adolescent, some may spend so much time online because of emotional problems. Sang Kyu Lee, a Professor of Psychiatry at Hallym University, Korea, made a study that included 425 middle-school students to take a test and were asked questions about their interaction with the Internet. “The study shows that about 11% of the teens were ‘highly addicted to the Internet,’ Lee says. ‘Less than one-third were in the no-risk group.’” He then used his study to test for depression. “The teens most addicted to the Internet scored highest for depression, he says. The group with the lowest addiction tendencies scored the lowest. When they looked at specific behaviors, the researchers found that the Internet addicts tended to be novelty seekers, with low attention span and low goals” (http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/106/108167.htm). Spending compulsive amounts of time can affect adults too. Social networking and adult sites allows interaction with anyone in privacy. It can negatively affect personal relationships with a significant other.  “Over one in eight American adults may have signs of internet addiction, say researchers from Stanford University, USA. In fact, 8% are so obsessed that they hide their habits from their partners” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/54477.php). The Internet can also negatively affect life at home with spouses and family members. “The New York Times reported last August about IAD, providing true stories about individuals who think they might be addicted. The paper tells the story of one woman in the Pacific Northwest who was divorced by her husband because of the enormous amount of time she spent in front of her computer. Her fixation with the Internet apparently caused her to forget to buy food for her children, to take them to their doctor appointments, and to buy enough oil to heat her home.” (http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/Oliver/hype.htm)

            Internet Addiction can be very serious. While the disorder is still new and undergoing research, there are many possible procedures to take to solve the problem. Time spent on the Internet should be cut down and used in moderation. It is impossible to cut oneself from the Internet completely as most of us still need it. But, limiting time is usually the first step to recovery. There are also treatment programs and support groups, just like there are groups and treatments for alcoholics and drug users. If the addiction is related mentally and emotionally, one may want to consider prescribed medication and therapy. Encouraging an addict to engage in more social activities is also a positive outlet, that way he or she will feel that they don’t need to become dependent on their computer (http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder.html).

             As for children and adolescents, Parents should keep the computer in a common area where it is easily visible and not in the child’s room. A parent should also check web history and make it possible for a child not to erase it. Set up passwords as needed and limit how much time that is spent online. Parents should also encourage more social activities like planning family events (http://www.sue-scheff.net/sue-scheff-controversy.html).

            The Internet has allowed our society to grow by providing information, multimedia, communication, and just about anything with a touch of a finger tip. But while the Web has many positive and fun things about it, it can also bring about negative things such as Internet Addiction. Anyone can enjoy the finer thing the Internet has to offer as long as it’s done in moderation.

Work Cited

1. http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder.html

2. http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/libr500/03-04-wt2/www/C_Hill/types.htm

3. http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/dessy/honors/papers/ferris.html.

4. www.netaddiction.com/net_compulsions.htm

5. http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/106/108167.htm

6. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/54477.php

7. http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Internet-addiction-disorder.html

8. http://www.sue-scheff.net/sue-scheff-controversy.html

9. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/Oliver/hype.htm

10.http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgibin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=170&num=2581