(n.d.). Retrieved from http://jbnote.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/internet-addiction.jpg
In today’s society, we rarely go a day without accessing a
computer. Whether it’s a PC or a smart
phone, we are constantly using these devices, frequently to connect to the Internet. But what is the distinction between using the
Internet healthily and this use becoming an addiction?
Internet addiction is a reality for many people. In its simplest form, Internet addiction is
an impulse-control problem. Internet
usage begins to take up more and more of your time, and it takes an
importance over other aspects of your life.
This form of addiction covers quite a broad range of topics, including cybersex
addiction, cyber-relationship addiction, net compulsions, and information
overload.
When does this problem become an addiction? It is different for each person. Many people use the Internet for work-related
reasons. Many others use social networking
aspects of the Internet to stay in contact with family and friends that live
too far away for regular face-to-face communication. Using the Internet in these ways does not
mean that you are addicted. A person is
addicted to the Internet when he or she allows it to consume much of their
time, leading to the neglect of his or her relationships, work, or other
important aspects of his or her life.
Internet usage becomes a problem when it is disruptive to your own
productivity and relationships.
So how can you tell if you are addicted to the
Internet? While there is no exact
measure of this addiction level, there are many signs that serve as warnings. As stated above, neglect of
relationships, with both family and friends, in favor of Internet usage is a
sign that you might be addicted. Your
social life may seem to decline, often being replaced by the
Internet. Perhaps you feel as if those
physically surrounding you don’t quite seem to understand your Internet
usage: your cyber-friends seem to
understand you more than the people you truly know. You might also become defensive about your
Internet usage when it is brought up by family, friends, or even coworkers.
Another sign of Internet addiction is a lost sense of time
while online. Time seems to just slip
away, and even if you intend to only spend a short amount on your computer,
time quickly escapes you, and you end up spending much more time than planned
surfing the Internet. If this time is
interrupted by another aspect of your life, you might become agitated. Due to this use, your other, physical work
may go unfinished.
If you find that many of these signs pertain to you, you
might be suffering from Internet addiction.
However, there are ways to move past this addiction. From group support to counseling, anyone can
learn to not let the Internet take over their lives. Throughout this blog, we will dive deeper
into what Internet addiction means, as well as methods to cure one’s self of
this addiction.
Saisan, J., Smith, M., Robinson, L., & Segal, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/internet_cybersex_addiction.htm
I don't consider myself to be addicted to the internet at all but, I do know that it's real. I've seen a documentary on it and a girl truly became depressed after her parents took her computer. She would do anything to get back on it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it is a reality for many people. Like you said, they will do anything to get back their computers, the same way people addicted to substances will go to desperate measures due to their addictions. The good news is that this addiction is gaining more attention, so therefore, more methods of treatment are becoming available. We are going to discuss those treatments in some of our upcoming posts.
DeleteI think that this is a growing problem with many young people. Nowadays, a variety of things can be accomplished through the internet that it may be easy to overuse it and become addicted to it.
ReplyDeleteI do think internet has made the us more dependent on computers. Which is making our society less interactive in a social way. This can become more fatal if we don't put a time limit, because you can spend hours on the computer without even knowing.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to calling and talking to people on the phone. Currently people are communicating through texts or social media like it is going out of style. I agree with Azhar when he said that the internet is making our society less interactive in a social way. Anything can become addictive even positive things such as working out. I use the internet to catch up on news and current events, it is dismaying that internet addiction is increasing, hopefully more news about this will turn up on the news or other sources and prevent good people from an addicting life style on the internet. PEOPLE, life is short go outside and meet new people socially rather than being tucked away on the internet, very unhealthy.
ReplyDelete