Our society is becoming more technology advanced every day. It seems like new flips and gadgets are coming out every month. The latest phone is being updated, new software is available for download and we all have the urge to poses it. It's safe to say that technology and the use of the internet is becoming more and more widely spread throughout our world today, but being attached to the internet can have negative side effects and be harmful to ourselves. That's where the word "internet addiction" comes in. Internet addiction is a slightly growing problem that’s becoming a huge issue in our world today. Internet addiction can cause people to lose sight of focus and affect their work productivity. The internet is easily available in many countries especially since Internet connectivity speed is increasing and access is rising as well. Some of the websites that cause people to be attached to the internet are social media, gaming, porn, internet surfing, gambling and a few more. If we use the internet wisely, it will benefit us as opposed to harming us in the long run.
The United States and China both agree that computer gaming is a major issue causing internet addiction which is why they are focusing their attention on behavior from online gaming. “Nearly all researchers agree that Internet addiction exists, even if the terms they use to define this addiction differ” (Lawrence M. Paska and Zheng Yan). A test recently came out called the Internet addiction test to try and discover if users were addicted to the internet. The test contained signs of six factors whether the user was addicted to the internet or not. The test included signs of salience, work productivity, feelings of anticipation, excessive use, diminished self control, a...
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...ernet surfing the web much of our time is lost. Therefore there aren't more hours in the day to finish what needs to be done.
Ultimately the Internet can significantly enhance a person’s self- identification, closer relationships with friends, and bonding with the world. However many negatives come with that from health issues to job performance. It is extremely important that we have control over our internet usage and realize how to use it effectively. A few ways to improve your internet usage is limiting your computer time every week. Another way to avoid the internet is to get involved. Join a team, club, church, sports or a hobby that doesn’t involve the internet, video games or cell phones. If people make good use of their time, internet addiction rates will decrease. Overall the internet is a great tool to have, but it can also be a horrible habit.
Some participants say they use the internet the entire time they are awake. Tolerance is the increasing amount of a substance over time in order to achieve the desired effect meaning that subtle use was not enough. Craving is another symptom seen but not assessed in the DSM-5. Participants report craving internet use especially when the see that internet access is available to them. Loss of interest in other hobbies or activities was another sign seen in activities such as reduced either academic or project work, reduced socialization with friends and family, and reduced exercise because of the use of internet. The use of the internet in order to escape or relieve a negative mood was also observed among the participants, internet use is used as a distraction. The last symptom observed by the study was the “lying about the use”, individuals would lie to their family, friends, and therapist in order to conceal the extent of their involvement with the
The internet is used today for many reasons. It is a platform for people to stay in touch with others, entertain themselves and complete work tasks. In the following articles, “Internet Addiction Left my Brother Homeless” by Winston Ross and “The Pointlessness of Unplugging” by Casey N. Cep, the internet is discussed very deeply, but in two varying lights. In the article by Cep the author is writing from personal experiences and research. In the article by Ross the author is writing merely from opinions.
In his article “internet addiction”, published in 2010 by Reason Magazine, Greg Beato tries to show how internet addiction, an excessive behavior brought up by the psychiatrist Ivan Gilbert, is an important issue for the society and why it should be considered as a behavior disorder. He supports his thesis by using a lot of evidence such as graphics, statistics, and researches. Although, Beato’s arguments about the causes of internet addiction and the reasons why it should add to the DSM are mostly true, some of his observations on the future are pessimistic.
Today, more than ever, the world is connected to one another. Whether down the street or across continents, one’s personal information and social life is readily available. With so much of a person’s life available for the world to see, many young adults seem to suffer from issues of depression and lower self-worth than other previous generations. According to a study by Morrison & Gore, in which researchers used items from the Beck Depression Inventory and IA Test to determine a correlation between depression and excessive internet usage. With an estimated 75% of online adults using social media, as referenced in Pew Internet Research findings, does this level of connectivity and accessibility have an adverse effect on those who use it most?
1 (2008): 1-3. Prevalence and Correlates of Excessive Internet Use among Youth in Singapore and China. Annals, Jan. 2008. Web. Feb. 2010. http://www.annals.edu.sg/PDF/37VolNo1Jan2008/V37N1p9.pdf [8]
The website, NetAddiction.com, has self-assessment tests that tell you if you are addicted or not. Here is a list of some of the questions the website would ask you: Do you neglect housework to spend more time online? Are you frequently checking your e-mail? Do you often lose sleep because you log in late at night? If technology is interfering with your daily life, it is an addiction and taking a toll on you. A clinical psychologist, Ms. Dowling calls that “Internet Dependence.” Some experts ideas for solving this problem would be setting limits of how many time you can check your email, social media, etc. An experiment with 200 people was done at the college of University or Maryland. They asked them to not use their technology all day, to see what the results of the people thought. Their experiment showed that quitting cold turkey is very difficult, but it makes them connect with people more. Technology is decreasing our time to have real conversations with people and enjoying and seeing stuff that we usually
Finally, video games addiction should be taken seriously because it affects gamers’ lives. Each individual should take prevention measures for this community problem and help people who are struggling with this addiction in order to avoid the harmful consequences. In time when computers are taking great part of our time we should try to keep in touch with the reality regardless of the appeal of the virtual life.
Addiction to the Internet can be emotional for other people and can take an emotional toll. Researchers got some evidence of how being addicted to the internet can affect teens, “ Health studies also show that those who spend a lot of time online are more likely to experience depression.” (David Price) A study shows that teens who use the Internet may be about 2.5 times more likely to become depressed. But wait, there’s more! There’s more evidence of why the internet can cause an emotional problem, “ A slow internet connection or ‘unplugging’ can promote irritability and anxiety for a teen otherwise used to constant connection through technology.” (FCD Prevention Works) Because of being addicted to the internet, slow wifi can irritate teens by not having what they want fast enough. There’s no conclusive explanation as to why anxiety and depression so often coexist. There are serious cases in which teenagers would change their behavior and more. This proves that being addicted to the internet can promote bad things for the physical body and even the
In their article, Janarthanan Balakrishnan, and Mark D. Griffiths discuss that “internet viewers online addictions are primarily about addictions on the Internet rather than addiction to the Internet, and that most of those with online problematic behavior are addicted to the online content rather than
According to Aviv Weinstein (2010), from the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, “Computer game addiction is excessive or compulsive use of computer and video games that may interfere with daily life” (p. 1). A survey done to measure the negative relationship between video games and addiction involved kids from the age of 13 to 17 (Brunborg, G. S., Mentzoni, R. A., & Frøyland, L. R., 2014). To no surprise, there was a relationship between depression, low academic achievement, conduct problems
In Greg Beato’s article “Internet Addiction” originally published in august, september 2010 in to Reason magazine he argues that internet addiction is a problem in our society today. Internet addiction should be reported in the Diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorder (DSM). It is a huge problem, he also says that internet is like narcotic drugs and very addicting. He states that if ones use Google for few minutes only it leads us to spend more than a few minutes on the internet and it turns in to spending hours. Beato refers that University of Maryland did a group study for 24 hour and all the students went crazy without their phones and iPods, one girl admitted that she is an addict. The students were anxious and miserable. He also says that one kid killed his parents because they took away his Xbox. Internet also leads to death of people, therefore it is a problem and we should put it on to the DSM.
Another case where computer addiction is found to be a problem is in some Asian countries. Elizabeth Cooney, in her article “Some People Need Help To Kick Their Internet and Computer Gaming Obsessions” reports that “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in girls and hostility in boys can predispose children to later Internet addiction, which they estimate affects 4 percent of children in Korea and 15 percent in China.” Furthermore, there have been reports of death due to Internet addiction as well. In Korea, a man died because he did not perform basic survival skills such as eating and sleeping for 50 hours due to his Internet addiction (Cooney). In the article “Computer Addiction No Joking Matters,” the author confirms more fatal incidents due to Internet addiction (Svensson).
A lot of research has gone into understanding the real impacts of technology in people’s lives. The impact of Internet on our life becomes more and more significant and undeniable. Life without Internet is definitely very troublesome and inconvenient. However some do think that this technology is more of a nuisance than useful. Even more complaints have come forward about the Internet disrupting humanity. Over the last two decades people have seen time and again complaints from parents that their children play video games 24/7 or relationships that have been ruined because of a partners inability to use technology in moderation (i.e. Technological addictions). Technological addictions are categorized under behavioral addictions and involve human-technology interaction. They can be passive (e.g. television) or active (e.g. computer games) Internet Addiction does have the core components of any addiction and will be expounded on in this
Internet addiction is a growing problem with more and more people. The internet is much more accessible to people now than it was just a few years ago. The internet provides people with entertainment, loads of information, and an escape from everyday life, but like anything else, too much a good thing can be addictive. This paper will cover what internet addiction is, warning signs of internet addiction, problems caused by internet addiction, who develops internet addiction, preventing and treating internet addiction, and safety guidelines for internet users.
This online article was useful for my research because it showed how over use of technology impact on people. This article also gives background information on internet addiction and internet dependence. The source is one of the best sources used in my research due to the fact that it had some of the basic information about the harmful effect of becoming so much dependent on technology.