While an Internet is an important discovery that has excellent functions and has lots of benefits to humans’ daily lives, its excess use also has many dysfunctions. Internet has tremendous amounts of functions. We use Internet for different purposes; such as for school works, for shopping, bill payments, online banking and for social networking, such as (Facebook, twitter, yahoo mail, hot mail, g mail and my space) and even for dating. It also enables people to watch videos on YouTube, play video games, read books and journals and other material resources. However when people spent an unlimited number of times on a computer for non-profit activities like, gaming and Facebooking whole the day results in time wastage and if repeatedly used can cause Internet addiction.
Lam argued Internet addiction as an uncontrollable and detrimental use of the use of Internet and is documented as a ‘compulsive-impulsive Internet usage disorder’ (Lam 2). , Kimberly Young, of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania said “At the same time the Internet has had negative ramifications. Some people are becoming preoccupied with the Internet, are unable to control their use, and are jeopardizing employment and relationships. The concept of ‘Internet addiction’ has been proposed as an explanation for uncontrollable, damaging use of this technology” (Young 2). But some opinions are opposing this argument and expressing that Internet use as not addiction. Kim said “there are various opinions on Internet addiction. A common saying is that if someone is addicted to anything and it is knowledge, this case is not addiction” (Kim 1). However, I would argue that if we extremely use anything even if it is knowledge it is addiction. The more heavily we use the internet the more negative consequences we have, such as, disproportionate time wastage, diminutive school performance and also the possibility of developing mood disorders.
Several situations can cause Internet addictions including, family, friends with whom we spend most time, peers and some other neighbors have the paramount significance. Hyung situated multiple causes of Internet addiction and he said, “the causes of Internet addiction are not only associated with habitual backgrounds of using the Internet, but also demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds” (Hyung 10). The availability
One of the major aspects of the Internet is how it affects humans’ emotions. There is one aspect of this, which has sprouted a new subject of academic research. Internet addiction is rapidly becoming a compulsive disorder as well as a sign of failure to control impulse emotions and to limit Internet use. There are many signs to tell if someone is addicted to the Internet or emotionally dependant on the Internet. Some people are compulsive shoppers and they have to buy something online whenever their e...
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.
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
According to Internet Live Stats, 40% of the world’s population has access to the internet today. In 1995, this number was less than 1%. The first billion was reached in 2005, the second billion in 2010, and the third billion in 2014. With these overwhelming numbers, it can be presumed that having access to the Internet has never been so easy. In fact, we are so conditioned to this technology that most of our tasks depend on it to be done. Nowadays, most of the school work is done online and when looking for a job a lot of times it is required to be computer savvy. Of course the internet is not all bad, but becoming so dependent on this can surely have severe consequences. CNN released an article evaluating internet addiction. According to this article, “A 2014 study determined that about 16% of 18- to 25-year-olds are involved in compulsive Internet use” (CNN, Adair). Psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair further explains:
The prevalence of Internet use and the growing realization that it has become an addictive vice for some has spurned the creation of groups such as Webaholics Anonymous, Interneters Anonymous, Netaholics Anonymous, the Internet Addiction Association, and the Internet Addiction Support Group (IASG). All of these self-help groups can be sought on-line, which is rather ironic, given the topic, but nonetheless the groups seek to aid those addicted to using the Internet. The name, Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) has even been given to this growing phenomenon of Internet addiction.
Much like Facebook, the internet ruins our social abilities and too much time can really cause harm to us. Dokoupil says that, “The current incarnation of the Internet—portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive—may be making us not just dumber or lonelier but more depressed and anxious, prone to obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit disorders, even outright psychotic” (Dokoupil). In order to prevent any of this from happening, Dokoupil says, we need to be able to limit the amount of time we spend isolated on the internet and choose face to face conversations wherever possible. It turns out that “The brains of Internet addicts look like the brains of drug and alcohol addicts,” so by abusing the internet and isolating ourselves from the rest of society, we really are harming ourselves (Dokoupil). It is for this reason we need to focus on the real world and not the online fake reality that many have come to
Current technology increases access to the internet and social media. How individuals relate is being greatly influenced by the current technologies. People hanging in groups are more focused in their devices than with each other or their surroundings. Level of physical interactions thus tends to decrease among people who knew each other. Around the globe, there are increased reports of cases of individual overindulging in using the internet via various devices. The increase in the use of technology has greatly affected how individuals relate and interact with each other. A country like China, for instance, is currently experiencing increased cases of teenager being addicted to online gaming. Parents are more worried as they find it difficult to communicate with teenagers whose attitude become unpleasant. Internet addiction is considered a psychiatric disorder in some countries. Individual...
A crippling aspect of our modern society is our habitual use of internet, and the immense connection it has to our lives. Many people find themselves consumed by the internet, having it interfere with their personal lives. Recently, increased internet usage has led to the development of Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) and those afflicted are suffering from a serious problem. They overuse the internet, causing them to become isolated from their loved ones. Their internet usage destroys their minds, causing problems like depression and anxiety. Worst of all, the effects of IAD on your neural pathways are identical to the effects of substance-abuse disorders. In the effort to battle IAD, solutions have included cutting off our internet usage
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.
Internet addiction has become an international problem that is now being recognized as a serious problem. Internet addiction can cause excessive fatigue or loss of sleep, academic problems, withdrawal from friends and family, and behavioral problems in those who suffer from it (What is Internet Addiction, 2016) (ISTE, 2017).
Abstract— This research examines three questions: Does Internet addiction really exist? If it does exist what criteria does one have to meet for them to be labeled as an Internet addict? And lastly an ethical evaluation of Internet addiction. The questions are explored by investigating the fundamentals of addiction (i.e., Compulsion, Obsession, living problems, lack of satisfaction) and then correlating them to excessive Internet use. This research concludes that whilst the concept of Internet addiction cannot be completely ruled out, the majority and most probable explanation when it comes to Internet addiction is that the Internet is being as a medium to engage in different types of addictions.
The internet is an essential tool in everyday life. The age of a person does not matter, because whether they are a teen, an adult, or an elderly person in order to stay in contact with others they will need the internet. However, the internet is dangerously addictive. Some studies say that the internet is not the addiction, but the means of getting to the addiction. The more believable of the two studies are the ones that discuss the internet being the addiction. Curtis stated in 2012 that reports on the brain are showing that people who excessively use the internet show abnormalities similar to people who suffer from substance addiction. Curtis also stated that internet addiction was becoming
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.
Nerdy, geeky males that knows a plethora of things about computers and spend most of their time on the computer, that’s the first kind of person the average individual thinks of being in danger of becoming a computer addict. However it is estimated that internet addiction affects at least 1 in 8 Americans. Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), internet dependency, and internet compulsions are all the same thing. According The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the various aspects of its technology, such as electronic mail (e-mail) and the world wide web. Internet addiction, also known as IAD, covers impulse control problems.
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.