INTERNET ADDICTION AND DEPENDENCY
TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET
Technology has taken over in today's
world. Not only do we rely on technology in our everyday lives, we have become
addicted to the power of technology and what it has to offer us. While it is
true that technology and the internet can allow for great productions and can
be used for productive reasons, it can also affect one's life in a negative way
as well. This brings me to the topic of my Blog which is about internet
addiction and dependency.
WHAT IS INTERNET ADDICTION?
In today's society we've adapted to incorporate the internet into our daily routines. On the opposite end of the spectrum, people can become so addicted to using the internet that they allow it to take over their lives. Although experts are not exactly sure how to define internet addiction, one is said to have an internet addiction if they overuse the internet to an extent where it starts to interfere with their everyday lives. Internet addiction can also affect one's ability to work, their relationships, their behavior, their school work, and even their social life. Experts have concluded a variety of impulse-
control problems that fall into the category of internet addiction, including
cyber-sex addiction, cyber-relationship addiction, net compulsions (online
gambling), information overload, and computer addiction. Although these
impulse-control problems differ from one another, they do have one major thing
in common, which is the fact that people use them excessively.
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH INTERNET USAGE?
When you can't stop yourself from logging off the internet, or you find yourself always thinking about it, and when you let the internet consume up all of your time, even when the internet has negative consequences-- you may be using the internet too much.
KEY WARNING SIGNS OF INTERNET ADDICTION
1.) A "need" to be connected
2.) Loss of interest of offline activities
3.) Less "real" social time
4.) Others have commented about your Internet use
5.) Feeling guilty or defensive about your Internet use
6.) Isolation from family and friends
7.) Losing track of time spent online
CAUSES OF INTERNET ADDICTION
The use of the internet usually starts out as just causal use which then reaches outrageous amounts of time spent online. In many cases, internet addiction occurs in people that are already
addicted to a certain type of behavior, such as shopping, gambling,
gaming, or sex related activity. Sometimes, stress, depression, isolation, anxiety can also be responsible for internet addiction. In this way people turn to the internet to escape their problems.
HEALTHY VS UNHEALTHY INTERNET USE
In today's world it is hard to escape the use of
technology as technology is constantly changing and providing us with sources of information and entertainment. With new and improved gadgets such as smart phones, Ipads, tablets, laptops, and computers, it has become easier for people to have access to the internet at just the touch of their fingers.
Internet use is different for each person. For example, some professions are computer based which means that you are using the internet all day everyday. On the other hand, some people rely on social networking sites so they can keep in touch and communicate with family and friends across the world. Only when the internet starts to absorb too much of you time does it become a problem. When one continues using the internet repeatedly despite the negative consequences, it may be time to seek help. Furthermore, a lot of people do not realize that their internet use has become more important than their work, school, or relationships, in this case, family members and friends are usually aware and step in.
ARE WE ALL INTERNET ADDICTS?
Recent research shows that we are all internet addicts and this uncontrollable desire may be rooted in human evolution. “The Internet is not addictive in the same way as pharmacological substances are,” cognitive scientist
Tom Stafford at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. told Tia Ghose
at LiveScience “But it’s compulsive; it’s compelling; it’s distracting”. Furthermore, "your Internet addiction isn’t an addiction but the logical extension of
existing biological functions, not necessarily a sign of dysfunction". Overall, when your internet use exceeds any another activity and you start neglecting other aspects of your life, then you have a problem.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET
-Access to information sources
- Faster and worldwide communication
- Entertainment
- Social networking
- Online services
- Shopping
--The internet offers a wide variety of uses which mostly outweigh the
negatives. People just need to become more aware of the harmful down
falls of the internet and learn how to balance life online and off.
CASE STUDY
Greg, a college student in his young 20's loved to play online games,such as World of Warcraft which caused him to start missing classes. Shortly after he decided to drop out of school and get a part time job so he could spend the remainder of his time playing online games. His parents were not happy with his decisions but that did not put a stop to the online gaming. He would even chose to play the online games rather than spend time with his family. A couple years later, he finally realized that he did not have much of a social life, and that he hardly ever saw his family. He started to feel guilty for neglecting his family and began to play the game less. Shortly after he would find himself anxious and depressed and gave back into his ways of playing games online too much. He ended up losing his job which left him without an income to support his online gaming addiction. His parents begged him to get help and he finally gave in. This case study clearly shows how much Greg let his addiction to online games take over his life. He dropped out of school, neglected his family and even lost his job. He spent all of his time playing online games where it started to interfere and have a huge impact on his life in a negative way.
GETTING HELP
When it comes to changing your internet use habits, it is up to the individual to control their own internet use. Outside support is also important. First one needs to acknowledge and come to terms with their internet addiction. In other words, you need to recognize any problems that may support your internet addiction. Building coping skills and strengthening your support network are also both important as well. If one chooses to get professional help from a counselor, the counselor will first help them understand the appeal of their addiction and then help them learn alternative activities or behaviors that they can engage in when they get the feeling or urge to go online. Most importantly counselors want to help addicts cope and find new ways of dealing with their stresses or problems.
REFERENCES
