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Introduction of Internet Addiction
Effects of social media on adolescents
Effects of social media on teens
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In this generation, everyone, mostly young adults, are glued to technology. We see people walking around, looking at the ground as if they have a ball and chain dangling from their necks. We see people sitting on their chairs and looking at their computer screens long enough for their backs to hurt and their eyes water from the bright screen. People addicted to the Internet are those who pay attention to a virtual world more than their own lives. Internet addiction has corrupted people’s social lives, prevented their maturation, and induced negative behaviors. In “Internet Addiction,” Greg Beato expresses how the Internet has corrupted lives and should be added to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Behaviors.” If we continue our …show more content…
People who are addictive tend to obsessively go on online and follow up one of their role models or to play videos to create different characters in the virtual world. One of the mains reasons of why people become addicted to the internet is so they can escape their realities. People, who usually had unfortunate childhoods, try their best to find a way to become distracted with their own life. If they are not happy with themselves, they play videos games to create characters online or they obsessively update themselves on others that they wish they could be. Another reason why people become obsessive because it is a way for them to meet others online that share the same interest. From personal experience, my father used to have an obsession playing “World of Warcraft.” If he had the choice to, he would not leave the house and would play until he had to go to sleep, rinse and repeat. In a military family, it was common for us to constantly move around and for my father it was difficult in finding friends. My father would mostly play the game to find others that had the same interests that would keep him company. If my father didn 't realize how badly the game had corrupted his lifestyle, the addiction may have became more …show more content…
In this case, this theory is true but this addiction could be even more destructive than an average drug addict if we do not try to lower this addiction rate. Our generation is suggesting that it is okay to focus more on video games than school work and that it is common if you spend hours on a computer chair that you will develop blood clots in your legs. The message that we demonstrate to the next generation will lead them to a non-social and dangerous habits. The Greg Beato clarifies that if we continue these behaviors we will “Become introverted philanderers by now, isolating ourselves in the virtual Snuggie of World of Warcraft by day and stepping out by night to destroy our marriages with our latest hook-ups”. Not only will the next era become more introverted, but they will lack certain behavior that we gain in our childhood. They will not fully grow up and won 't proceed the skills that obtain in our child development stages. The internet is dangerous because of how addictive it can be but if we are not careful the internet can leak out inappropriate images that the innocence can view. Another alarming aspect is if the APA does add this disorder to the DSM the consequences will become aggressive. Beato states that “People who suffer from Internet addiction disorder will receive protection under the Americans With Disabilities
According to Li, O’Brien, Snyder, and Howard (2016), problematic internet use may lead to serious psychosocial dysfunction and has resulted in a proposed diagnostic criterion for the DSM-5 in order to assess the disorder. In the United States, 6% to 11% of internet users are problematic internet users. Researchers, in fact, compare problematic internet use to the assessed criteria for gambling and internet gaming disorder. They have also concluded that college-aged teens and young adults are at most risk due to the availability of internet access around them and the direct relationship between the internet and education. Symptoms include impaired physical health such as obesity or sleep disorders, psychological distress, and behavioral problems. Students may also experience more interpersonal problems and worse school and work performance.
Beato stresses out the idea that “American psychiatric Association (APA) should add internet addiction to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)” by bringing up its consequences, he is extremely right. In its first conception, internet addiction disorder may appear as a negligible issue in our society since some of its effects are the promotion of the stupidity and the increase of the unconsciousness. An example of how ignorant and insensate we have become, Greg writes an anecdote about “the 18-year-old who choose homelessness over gamelessness” (para. 7). However, when in paragraph 8 he presents the tragic brief history of the young man who killed his mother and injured his father because they wanted to take his Xbox one, this leads us to question ourselves on how the internet can seriously affect our behavior like drugs. In addition, internet addiction has a negative impact on our mind. In other words, it may conduct to a depression. In his article Beato backs up this evidence with an example of students who qualify themselves “jittery”, “anxious”, “miserable”, and “crazy” (para.3) when they were deprived of their connections to the Internet. Finally, many young people have prefer their virtual life at the expense of their social life. They do not know what it means to communicate with other methods like a letter or a face to face communication. Greg support this idea by using a statistic graph. According to that graph, “more than 1
When it comes to the topic of technological advances, most of us agree that they are beneficial to humans. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether or not Generation Z is at risk. Whereas, some are convinced that we have become cyborgs and are enslaved to devices that lie in our pockets. Others however, maintain that it can be both beneficial and detrimental. In “We Are All Cyborgs Now,” Amber Case argues that, although there are challenges with online socialization, being able to connect online helps to humanize us in new ways. In “Generation Z: online and at risk” Nicholas Kardaras disagrees, asserting that people with addictive personalities, particularly young people, are risking their mental health by favoring their online connections over their ordinary ones.
Addiction has been defined as "A primary, chronic disease, characterized by impaired control over the use of a psychoactive substance and/or behavior. Clinically, the manifestations occur along biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual dimensions (2)." While there is currently no category for video game addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3), which is the manual utilized to diagnose psychological disorders, video game addicts are often described by clinicians in the field as displaying many symptoms characteristic of other addictions. These behaviors include failure to stop playing games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to loved ones, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle (4). Withdrawal symptoms can even include behaviors as severe as shaking (5).
The ability for people to surround themselves with the familiarity of their comfort place by using their technology is appealing because it rarely provides the user with something unexpected or unfamiliar. By constantly being cut off from personal interactions and new experiences because of a technological device. A generation with substandard social abilities is being groomed. If we do not have to face reality by experiencing new things, making personal relationships, and problem solving, then we will never be able to function as Humans. Technology hinders personal communication, which negatively impacts our lives. Although “our culture heralds the Internet as a technological wonder, there are suggestions that Internet use has a negative influence on individuals and their social skills,” (article 1) Data shows that those who use the Internet frequently spend over 100 minutes less time with...
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
Video game addictions does exist, in 2007 a study was conducted and found that almost 12 percent of participants in a 7,000 person study study were diagnosed as addicted to video games. If this trend reflects numbers in greater populations we can be in a deep hole. Video games can be played at all ages causing a greater population of gamers, this leads to more and more people becoming addicted making the world of gaming hard to maintain. Despite video games being entertaining to play and a great way to build relationships, video games are addicting because they cause long-term physical health complications and eventually having trouble being social and engaging in the real world
The change in the social life of children and young generation causes research upon technology’s usage of young people. A recent survey shows that adolescents aged between 10-18 waste an average of six to seven hours with electronic devices like computers and smart phones, which cause negative outcomes such as depression, social isolation, anxiety, insomnia, and obesity (“Technology gadgets steal kids' sleep, shows survey”). The good feeling brought on by the chemicals like adrenaline, dopamine as in the gambling addiction and the joy of social networking sites, smartphones, online video games and also not-feeling alone and freedom in virtual world are the factors of technology dependence. This 24/7 online, connected community is actually a place to escape from stress and bad emotions. The countless facilities and alternatives of the virtual world attract the attention of many teens.
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.
Video games are not considered as a serious addiction amongst teenagers and adults, often being compared to severe cases of addiction, such as drug abuse or alcohol abuse that may result in the appearance of a decrease in the severity of the addiction. However, video game addiction is a serious matter and has unhealthy consequences for an individual 's life and their health; spending too much time playing video games can take a great toll on one 's physical and mental well-being. Continuing unhealthy patterns of video game activity for prolonged periods of time can result in mental health issues, physical health problems, and a decline in a social life.
One argument is that the internet is not the addiction, but is a medium to the addiction. The other argument is that the internet itself is the addictive substance. The argument that has the most support and is more believable in the research that it does is that the internet itself is the addiction. This makes sense for multiple reasons. One of the reasons is that some of the addictions on the internet are not possible to be addicted to without the internet. Another reason is that people also need information, and people can get addicted to the internet because they want the information. These are only some of the reasons why the internet should be considered an addictive substance. It is also important to know the difference between being addicted to the internet and being addicted to something on the internet. According to an article written in 2012 titled Internet addiction: how to fight it, it is two different ideas to be addicted to the internet and to be addicted to things such as online gambling and online sex. These differences are another part of why internet addiction is a real thing and not just a
Change has always been for the better, but when it comes to change in technology; it’s not necessary that the change is going to be good. Technology has been advancing rapidly and is given more importance now than ever before. Every day, technology enhances our modern lifestyle. Although electronics allow us to connect and communicate our ideas with people, they also brainwash us into spending more time using our devices rather than spending quality time with friends and family. It may be hard to believe, but statics show us that almost sixty percent of teens that were surveyed said that they had a slight addiction to the internet and more than forty percent of teens are addicted to their phones. There is no doubt that the internet is very useful, keeping in mind all of its benefits, however its advantages are not the only things we need to focus on. Some of the negative effects internet is leading to are harming us online and in reality. The internet is negatively affecting major parts of our lives, such as affecting us online and in reality, internet becoming an addiction and lastly its negative effect on our culture and religion.
Certain studies have shown that children are being affected by this addiction both socially and behaviorally. Smart phones are making it so that children no longer think that they have to learn to do things face-to-face with anyone. There are some children who will not talk to their friend, even if they are in the same room, instead they just text each other. Children rarely even call to each other on the phone, because of these smart phones. Without these skills it makes it even harder for people to jobs that require face-to-face negotiations, because the children never learned the required skills to do the job. However, internet addiction affects children differently when it comes to behavior. According to Kilic et al. in an article he and others wrote in 2015, adolescents who are addicted to the internet are more likely to participate in risk-taking behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, dangerous driving, and unprotected sex. They also said that children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD will no longer have a willingness to do homework, but will have a desire to watch television, play video games, and surf the internet (Kilic, Uncu, Vural, 2015). This addiction will only lead to them being under the control of their supplier, or in this case internet
Accessing the cyberspace is the first right should be granted in order to have privilege of and exercise the rest of the human rights on the internet. The internet has a very big impact in people’s life and what they have become today, especially with all the opportunities this medium provide for them to exercise their basic human rights. It has allowed the freedom of many voices to be heard in ways that was merely impossible before this revolution. Not only it has given people the rights to express and associate, but also the right to education as it allows to access many educational materials. In fact, accessing this virtual place has become a necessity to fulfill many other human rights including the right to work, and the right to take part in country’s government. Therefore, internet access should be a public right that ensure information and internet accessibility, usability, and availability for all people regardless of gender, place, and income.
Technology addiction is almost similar to drug addiction. Technology is useful in many ways. Using computer, internet, cellphone, television etc. make peoples’ life easier and comfortable. Young people are the most user of it. They cannot think of a single day without use technical device. Tara Parker-Pope is an author of books on health topics and a columnist for the New York Times. In her article , she expressed that, “The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda at the University of Maryland asked 200 students to refrain from using electronic media for a day. The reports from students after the study suggest that giving up technology cold turkey not only makes life logistically difficult, but also changes our ability to connect with others.” ( Parker-Pope, “An Ugly Toll of Technology: Inpatients”). Her point is that, for the young generation it is quite impossible to give up from becoming addict...