With the advancement of technology and information being made accessible on a global scale, it is no surprise that media usage has spiked tremendously over the last few years throughout the world. The big dilemma now, is how dependent people have become to these technologies and how important aspects of life and human interaction are being lost in the midst of this twenty-first century “disease”. Nowadays, kids are being raised with an iPad as a pacifier and a computer as a babysitter. As time goes by, people are becoming more and more addicted and reliant on television and its reality shows, social media and the internet in general, and video games that stimulate violence. It is not an uncommon scene to walk in a house where the TV is right …show more content…
The term itself means to socialize; contrariwise, what we see on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter have nothing to do with building a social engagement between people. As we continue in the digital era, kids are starting to connect earlier than ever before. Social media has become a place where people expose their ego, bodies, and lives; anything that can get them more likes and followers. Numbers determine likeability and give others an impression of self-acceptance, or even worse, the impression that one is not good enough to be accepted. Psychologist Paula Durlofsky reflects, “Numerous studies have been conducted linking social networking to depression, social isolation, eliciting feelings of envy, insecurity and poor self-esteem” (Durlofsky). Taking these facts into consideration, an imperative subject that these networks bring up is cyberbullying. As mentioned by Kari Henley, president of the board of directors at the Women & Family Life Center in Guilford, Connecticut, “Kids get into trouble with sites like Facebook and MySpace because they are too self-centered in their overall development to understand the impact of what they are doing” (Henley, TCC Database). With this said, one must be aware that much of what is seen in these websites is not the truth. There are even “social media celebrities” who get paid to post on …show more content…
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: Science has already established that early or excessive use of screens and digital devices affects us neurologically, some people more than others. The signs of tech and Internet dependence or addiction include obsessive or compulsive gaming, social media or Internet activity; and heightened restlessness, irritability, anger, anxiety or withdrawal when access to it is limited or denied. (“Are You Addicted To The
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.
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.
Most students are exposed to pictures of their friend drinking using drugs or passing out on social networks before they graduate. Students that are exposed to such types of images are highly likely to consume alcohol and also it is highly probable that they will use marijuana. Just as disturbingly, these students are also able to access mind altering substances which include prescription drugs which are more readily than individuals that do not use social media (Lenhart, Madden, Smith, and Macgill, 2009). These students are more likely to have freedoms that abuse illegal and prescription drugs. Even though most parents may not appreciate the overall consequences that social media platforms have on the willingness of children to consume alcohol, they use drugs and tobacco. Social networking sites heavily influence most of these students. Most students claim that seeing pictures on social media that depict their schoolmates using drugs motivated them towards mimicking the behavior.
Many people may argue the fact that social media has increased the efficiency of the way we conduct business. However, like most things there is always a negative side; the very existence of these social platforms such as “Facebook” has brought about a desensitized society. Furthermore, the leaders of present times have gotten so used to social media that if the system was to crash it would literally have most of them pulling out their hair. I am not disputing the fact that social media has brought about a positive, yet momentous impact on the way we live today, but people have gotten so used to their use that we have personally stopped interacting with each other physically. Let me reason my point by asking you to pause for a minute and take a look around, what is it that you see? I am sure if not in a room by yourself that you’re probably gazing at a group of people that failed acknowledge you as you walked in, or you were the one that was too fixated on your personal gadgets that you’ve yet to realize you aren’t the only one sitting at this desk.
Kershaw provides an example of the negative effect of Internet addiction in the article “Hooked on the Web: Help is on the Way”. Mike is a 34 year old man who addresses his Internet addiction problem and seeks treatment. Before seeking treatment, Mike struggled with alcohol and drug abuse and depression along with Internet addiction. He often spent countless hours using the computer to search news and sports information. He never felt it was a problem because he liked it so much and used it in his everyday life. However, Internet addiction started to impact Mike’s life. He became unemployed and lived with his mother. It also affected his social interaction; he would rather be on the computer than be around other people (Kershaw). Another case where computer addiction is found to be a problem is in some Asian countries. Elizabeth Cooney, in her article “Some People Need Help To Kick Their Internet and Computer Gaming Obsessions” reports that “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in girls and hostility in boys can predispose children to later Internet addiction, which they estimate affects 4 percent of children in Korea and 15 percent in China.” Furthermore, there have been reports of death due to Internet addiction as well. In Korea, a man died because he did not perform basic survival skills such as eating and sleeping for 50 hours due to his Internet addiction (Cooney). In the article “Computer
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
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.
A lot of research has gone into understanding the real impacts of technology in people’s lives. The impact of Internet on our life becomes more and more significant and undeniable. Life without Internet is definitely very troublesome and inconvenient. However some do think that this technology is more of a nuisance than useful. Even more complaints have come forward about the Internet disrupting humanity. Over the last two decades people have seen time and again complaints from parents that their children play video games 24/7 or relationships that have been ruined because of a partners inability to use technology in moderation (i.e. Technological addictions). Technological addictions are categorized under behavioral addictions and involve human-technology interaction. They can be passive (e.g. television) or active (e.g. computer games) Internet Addiction does have the core components of any addiction and will be expounded on in this
There is no secret that a modern day teenager’s life is built around the usage of technology. As a result of society’s heavy reliance on technology, social media has become popular amongst people who are “technologically advanced.” Though there is a wide variety of social sites that can be accessed through modern day technology, a few have become very popular. Social sites which have become widely popular among teens include Instagram, Tumblr, and Snapchat. These social networking sites provide instant social connection and emotional support while letting teens post and send pictures of their everyday life. Many teens look towards social media for emotional support and social acceptance. The continual usage of these sites are negatively impacting the self- esteem of teenagers worldwide since they heavily rely on social medias to portray images of what they believe is acceptable for the society we live in.
Social media is a controversy topic in today’s society. Some people think that social media destroys human interaction and real life human relationships. While others think that social media is a bless to humanity. Social media makes human interaction much more convenient and much faster than real life human interaction, it makes globalization a reality, it gives a chance for introverted people to express themselves, and it also benefit develop international relationships whether its business or social.
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
Using computer, internet, cellphone, television, etc. make peoples’ lives easier and more comfortable. Young people are the most users of it. They cannot think of a single day without using a 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.
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.
For the past decade or two, Internet is a channel that promotes an access to information and communication in the global world. It is one of the most powerful tool. Now-a-days, an access to the internet has become easier than ever, whether we are using a computer, phone or tablets. There is no doubt that people are spending more and more time online. Because many people use the internet for their career and education, it is hard to differentiate between the normal usage and excessive usage of the internet. We all use web at a normal level, but when it becomes compulsory for survival it becomes an addiction.
Mass media and social media are technology all around us. They are ways of a mass communication that reach a limitless amount of people. Media has changed the way the world thinks. Mass media refers to TV, magazines, newspapers, pictures and Radio. Social media refers to any kind of internet logging like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google, amongst others. Mass and social media surround us and tell us what we should be or should do. This can lead to constructive behaviors or it can lead to the destruction of lives caused by how the media relays these messages. Ultimately leaving the diversity of people falling victim to mass and social media. Not one person can make that sole decision. Consequently, changing how people think. Consequentially, changing the way the public looks at presidential candidates.