Internet Addiction or Pathological Internet Usage
What is Pathological Internet Use?
Pathological Internet Use or Internet Addiction is a type of impulse control disorder. (Holliday 10) Psychologists put it under this category because the effects of chemicals produced in the brain during Internet use haven't been properly documented. The addiction is similar to an obsessive compulsive disorder and is also often compared to alcoholism. "An estimated five to ten percent of people who use the Internet can be classified as having a problem." (Ross 2)
More than 90 percent of addicts became addicted to two-way communications functions: chat rooms, MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), news groups, and e-mail, says the author of Caught in the Net, Kimberly Young. Typically it's new users that become addicted, the unemployed, and people with low level jobs. (Schuman 1) In a short article, "Diary of a Mad Mousewife," Lea Goldman describes how her addiction started, "Six years ago a well-read, suburban bred college kid pulled me into a corner at the all-night library and showed me the Internet Relay Chat (IRC), the grand daddy of chat rooms. By sunrise I was still settled in that corner, illuminated by the blue glow of the monitor and the flicker of the chats scrolling down my screen."
For many people their addiction started with just such an all-night occasion. Once contacts are made and you have "regular" chat sessions before you know it your spending all your time in front of the computer, even meals.
Can Internet Addiction truly be considered an addiction from a psychological standpoint?
Although psychologist have tried to group Internet Addiction with other addictions such as drug and alcohol abuse and even used the crit...
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...s, and Concequences." (5 March,2001).
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Ross, Melanie F. "Study shows some Internet addicts suffer from mental illness." Link-Up May, 2000:2.
Schuman, Evan. "It's Official Net Abusers Are Pathological." Tech Web. 13 August, 1997. (5 March, 2001).
Stoll, Clifford. High-tech heretic: Why computers don't belong in the classroom and other reflections by a computer contrarian. New York: Doubleday, 1999.
Wilson, Tim. "Some People are Too Hooked on the Net." Internet Week 22 November, 1999:60. Infotrac Student Edition. 2000. 5 March, 2001 .
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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.
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...
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.
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