Internet Addiction - a Disease 2.0?

There is no doubt that new media and technology bring a lot of benefits to the modern world. We can communicate with beloved people who are very far using skype, MSN and social networks, we can share the ideas and opinions on any subject we want, we can find any data we want and enrich our scope using Wikipedia and surfing the web, not talking about the advantages of online shopping, entertainment and emails. Each person uses the Internet differently. Some people need it for their works or for keeping in touch with friends and relatives who are far away. While for many people the time spent in front of the computer is productive, for others it can negatively affect their everyday life. They start to neglect their studies, work and relationships, not being able to keep the balance.

 Have you ever feel that internet takes too much of your time? Do you find it difficult to control and limit your time online? Do you find yourself lost your previous hobbies and interests because there is no time for it because of the Internet? Having problems with timelines? What about social activities? Have you ever replaced hanging out with friends on playing World of Warcraft? Do you feel that you use Internet to escape from your problems in real life? Do you think about checking your facebook when you are offline?

If the answer on most of these questions is “yes”, you may have the symptoms of Internet addiction. In 2006, a Stanford University study fоund that оne in eight American adults shоwed signs of Web addiction. [1] In 2008, an Oregоn psychоtherapist Jerald J. Block argued in the American Journal of Psychiatry that Internet addictiоn shоuld be included in the next Diagnоstic and Statistical Manual оf Mental Disоrders, the bible of the mental health industry.[2]

The most common Internet addictions are cybersex, online gambling, and cyber-relationship addiction. Cybersex addiction can affect the real relationships, emotional conditions and even work, because nobody likes people downloading and watching pornography for hours. Gambling has always been a problem, but the Internet gambling is more accessible, therefore more dangerous. Online casinos are open 24/7 for anyone who has an Internet access. Video games addiction considerably interferes with daily life, making the addicted isolated and concentrated only on the game achievements, losing social and family contacts. Online relationships can harm the person, as the fantasies can do nothing with reality. Moreover, the addicted is trying to spend more time with the online friends, because in real life he is lonely, but meeting those online friends in reality can be disappointing  as some people lie about their age, job or even gender. That is the large field for crimes like pedophilia or violation.

With the development of Wi-Fi connections in public places, iPhones and Blackberries the access to the Internet is possible almost everywhere.  Many people find it hard to control their Internet use in these circumstances. Who is in the focus group, predisposed to this type of addiction? First of all, kids and teens are in the group of risk. Adults who tend to be depressed, stressed, anxious, unhappy, and solitary or suffer from other addictions are also likely to be at-risk.

Consequences

• ·         Depression

Spending less time with family and friends provokes the feeling of anxiety and depression. In this case being online enhances the feeling of isolation and increases depression.

• ·         Social relationships

When a person, especially a teen is addicted to the Internet his social life is impacted. Normally, they neglect sports activities, lose or gain weight, do not attend the social or family activities, lose friends and acquaintances.

• ·         Grade dropping

Study shоwed that exam results of thоse whо use Facebook and Twitter while studying, even in the backgrоund, were 20% lоwer than nоn-users. What is more, the excessive  time spend in front of the computer might replace sleeping time which causes fatigue and leads tо bad performing in class. 

Kids today do not play enough, do not socialize enough, do not spend enough time outdoors on the playground, do not spend enough time with their parents and grand-parents, do not draw, paint, imagine and explore enough. My generation had the childhood full of outdoor games, communication and nice time spent with family. We didn’t have cell phones, iPads and Internet and I think it’s the best benefit we could ever have had. This kind of childhood creates imagination, deep-thinking, creativity and confidence. At the teen age, when we started to use computers, it all changed, but at least we had a nice childhood :)

Solutions

Many people can deal with their addictions if they find a substitute for it. Go out with your friends, read a book, practice some sports, go for a date, enjoy the nature, try something new, travel - just do something! Think about how many things you are missing out while you constantly check your email, Facebook, Twitter and email once again. Use Internet only as a tool for searching information and maintaining the necessary connections with your friends who are far away. Keep your Internet use under control and don’t forget that life is beautiful.

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[1] http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2006/october/internet.html

[2] http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?Volume=165&page=306&journalID=13