Internet Addiction ( Pathological Internet Use )
The Internet has become one of the most universal methods for communication with over 100 million users worldwide. From e-mail to the possibly billions of web pages, there is an infinite amount of information flowing. And another enticing aspect of the Internet, is the opportunity to interact with other people. Chat Rooms and MUD (Multi-User Dimensional) games offer the person the ability to talk and mingle with others online. But with this newfound freedom, also comes the possibility of abuse and addiction.
Internet addiction, also known as Pathological Internet use, has emerged as a very destructive force in today’s society. David Greenfield believes “an estimated 6 percent of the web users 100 million people are thought to be online addicts, and that number is growing everyday.” But what causes Internet Addiction? There are many different causes, but one of the most essential, is thought to be a personality disorder. Carol Potera, an author in Psychology Today says, “The lone, bored, depress, introverted, lacking self-esteem, or have a history of addictions are most vulnerable.” This group of people seems to be the most susceptible to all mental disorders, psychologically or physical. These people need to fill the void that has been created by not having any real life relationships, so they turn to the Internet, just as if someone would turn to drugs. Greenfield thinks “people feel closer, quicker to the people they communicated with online than in real life; time passes freely, and people like the anonymity.” (Greenfield)
A study conducted by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society and InterSurvey (headed by Norman H Nie and Lutz Erbing) had some interesting findings. Twenty-five percent of the surveyed participants (4,113 in 2,689 households) say that web time has reduced their time spent with friends and family and participating in events outside the home. They also found that nearly 60% of the surveyed cut back on television viewing also, in which
Erbing added that “the Internet could be the ultimate isolating technology that further reduces our participation in communities, even more than TV did before.” (Erbing)
This is a relatively new disorder, and there hasn’t been much studying or research of it. So how does one know if he or she is a patholo...
... middle of paper ...
...es. Another treatment is Motivational Enhancement Treatment (MET). “MET is less familiar. Its aim is to help patients acknowledge that they have a problem and need to change their behavior. The stages of change are contemplation, determination, action, maintenance, and contemplation again after a relapse.” Therapists also assess the computer the use of patients in great detail and reaffirm their acknowledgment of the need for help. Therapy groups are the most advised way for treatment. When you can relate to others with others who also have the same problem.
The Internet has opened the door of the information age to many people. Actually, the information age was created due to the Internet. Yet, the negatives will never out shadow all the positives that the Internet has done for the world probably, and the Internet is almost assuredly here to stay. So people must be able to use it, without abuse. This isn’t the first time that something has been reared a society-destructive force, and it probably won’t be the last. It is just another way that people can escape the real world, and enter their own sort of utopia. Whether drug-induced or via e-mail, its all the same.
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. Another major difference in the two pieces is the main idea of the articles. In Cep’s article the main idea of his work is the idea of Unplugging from the internet. In Ross’s article, rather, the main point of his work is to discuss internet
Another thing that I observed and recorded with an a frequency count was Jamie doing several work sheets. One of theses worksheets was a math specifically counting and the other worked on identifying objects that started with the letter R. After the teacher gave instructions on both the papers Jamie started to work on her worksheets. With in the time it took her to finish these worksheets (less then 15 minute) Jamie ask on of the adults if she was doing the work correctly about seven times. One thing that I would modify in the future is the instructions that were given at the beginning. I would make sure that the students understood what they were support to be doing before they started the assignment. I would also be very specific with
McEwen, Fred B. “Henry James.” Literary Reference Center. Salem Press, Jan. 2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
Evidence by Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield, and Gross (2000) states “In this study, those who were lonely or depressed were not more drawn to the Internet. Rather, the HomeNet results suggest that using the Internet in itself caused the declines in social well-being” (p. 135). The conclusion of the studies provides supporting evidence that the internet will cause depression and loneliness, since depressed individuals were not already drawn to the internet. The isolation that comes with internet usage can too add to the less likelihood of face-to-face interaction. The more one is isolated the less contact of friends and family. Adolescents have to be mindful of their usage of the internet and the effects. Social face-to-face interaction skills are a key skill to have in the ‘real-world’ versus a fix virtual
This is making people dependent on the internet. People are less independent in the way they deal with their emotions, relying entirely upon their desires for physical pleasures instilled by the internet. Through his novel, Feed, M.T. Anderson suggests that if the use of the internet continues to increase, society will become harmfully dependent upon it. People will be reliant on the internet for knowledge and evolve into a lackadaisical, careless society.
His older brother William was very intellectual and studied medicine at Harvard and spent most of his professional life there, first as a professor of psychology and later in a new department of psychology. William became renowned for his public lectures on psychology and became well known in America and Europe. Henry also attended Harvard but went to the law school for a year but withdrew to concentrate on his writing career, he was awarded an honorary degree in 1911.
painter but his dad wanted him to study science or philosophy. However, James was steady about wanting to become a painter so Henry allowed him to. After studying painting with William Morris Hunt for about a year, James realized he needed to support himself and switched to Harvard Medical School. James was unhappy with the medicine world and went on an expedition with Louis Agassiz, but he did not enjoy it. He said, “I was, body and soul, in a more indescribably hopeless, homeless and...
Nicholas Carr says, as our work and social lives come to center on the use of electronic media, the faster we’re able to navigate those media and more adroitly we’re able to shift our attention among online task, the more valuable we’re likely to become a employees, and even friends and colleagues. When using the Net most seem to lose focus on others and can seem disrespectful. The Internet has so much on it besides information that can be very distractful. The practical benefits of the web uses are many, which is one of the main reasons we spend so much time online, and why so many have trouble paying attention and not being social. “The internet has changed the way we communicate with each other, the way we learn about the world and the way we conduct business.” -Ron
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
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
Tyler, R. T. (2002). Is the Internet Changing Social Life? Journal of Social Issues, 58 (1), 195-205.
Robert Kraut et al. presented the no side of this issue. Kraut focused on two major themes, Internet for entertainment, information and commerce, similar to the television, meaning it could reinforce social bonds or reduce social involvement, and interpersonal communication, similar to the telephone rather than the television.
For example, it has become a new medium for play and entertainment for children, but is this a healthy alternative to older forms of play? And what about parents who use technology just to keep their kids quite? As with all new technologies, there are pros and cons. Although, it is unfair to blame a technology because of the content people put on it. Greenfield, Patricia, and Zheng Yan put it best when they say, “Just as we cannot ask whether a knife is inherently good or bad, we cannot ask whether the Internet is good or bad; we can simply document how it is used.” So, as much as some may blame the Internet for its problems, the real war is against the substance within the Internet (Greenfield, Patricia, and Zheng Yan 390-93). And thus comes the main argument against the Internet, is the composition of the Internet harmful to
When someone says the word “addict,” what is the picture that comes to mind? The most common response would be that the word “addict” refers to someone who abuses alcohol or some other drug. If someone smokes cigarettes they are also considered addicts because the materials inside of them are addictive. Tobacco is the most addictive recreational substance used around the world (Kleinjan, Engels, and DiFranza, 2015). The most addictive material is known as the internet. Millions of people are addicted to some form of the internet. This will almost certainly lead to problems in society and everyday life. Social skills will certainly start to decrease, because of people spending too much time on the internet. Internet
Have you ever thought how much time do you spend using on a computer in a day/week? Computers are as common in numerous households around the world. People from all age groups are learning to operate computers and anyone who has worked with computers for long periods of time knows that computers can be just as addicting as drinking every night of the week. Take further, Computer addiction can have a number of physical, social, and psychological effects on a person, and it is to be taken as seriously as any other addiction that a person is against, but what are those possible effects of spending too much time on the computer, and what are the causes.