Internet and Video Game Addiction
Internet addiction is a worldwide disorder that is oblivious to the technological age we live in. Since its inception in 1991 (Livingstone), the World Wide Web has only improved our quality of life. People don’t perceive online technology as a problem but as a solution to make our lives cheaper and efficient. As a working college student, my whole life is run on the internet. I use Facebook religiously to keep in-touch with my friends, I play Xbox Live to compete with amateur Call of Duty players, I read online newspapers to get current events, and I use every internet resource available to write research papers like this one. I classify my use of these devices as a learnt behavior—not an addiction—I developed over time because of the long relationships I have with these device.
NetAddiction.com, a center for online addiction, classifies internet addiction disorder as “a compulsive behavior in which the Internet becomes the organizing principle of addicts' lives.” Having an addiction and engaging in compulsive behavior are two entirely different concepts. Internet addiction often arises from a low self-esteem or depression. Moreover, people with ADHD are more prone to the addiction because of boredom and the constant stimulation of the technology. Psychologists suggest that Internet addiction can be a symptom of a more recognized problem such as social isolation (Stewart) (Zed).
Netaddiction.com also states that “the most common type of internet addiction is online pornography, but online gambling, auction sites and multiplayer role-playing game are on the rise.” Multiplayer role-playing games tend to be the most common type of addiction among individuals ages 10-18. The source of many intern...
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...rent to teach their kids about the benefits of the internet. Video game companies that were on this list saw their profits increase dramatically.
Licensed internet addiction camps that generate profit but are still controlled by the Chinese Government, is the primary method businesses are addressing the internet addiction problem. Since the online gaming market in China is one of the largest in the world, it makes it an easy playground for internet addiction. Gaming industries have been targeting this saturated Chinese market for decades; the company that captures the most gamers in China rules the industry. We learned that the government is placing more regulations on video games, creating a roadblock for online gaming companies trying to acquire market share. Most businesses doing business in China are there to make profit off internet addicts: Simple as that.
As with any phenomenon, psychology must be interpreted to be understood (Burton, Westen and Kowalski, 2012, p. 3). Many physicians, physiologists and psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud, John Locke, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner respectively, have developed and contributed to their own psychological perspectives which have carried on to the present day. This essay will explore the fundamental ideas, similarities and differences and strengths and weaknesses of both the psychodynamic perspective and the behaviourist perspective. This essay will then shift focus to internet addiction – what it is and how it can be explained. An intervention will then be developed for an individual suffering from internet addiction based on the behaviourist perspective.
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.
The experiment was based on 1319 responses to an online questionnaire. People were asked how much they used the internet and for what purposes. The respondents were aged 16 to 51, with an average age of 21. The authors found that a small number of users had developed a compulsive internet habit, replacing real life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. They classed 18 respondents, 1.2% of the total as Internet addicts. This group spent more time on sex, gambling and online community websites. "This study reinforces the public speculation that over-engaging in websites that serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction."
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:
Internet Addiction, which many may know by the terms computer addiction, online addiction, or even Internet addiction disorder is when an individual has impulse-control problems. There are currently five types of internet addiction. The first type is Cybersex Addiction. This is when an individual compulsively uses the internet to watch pornography and go in adult chat rooms. The main effect of cybersex addiction is that it negatively harms the person’s real life relationships. The second of internet addiction is type is Cyber-Relationship Addiction. This is where a person is addiction to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or other sites. People with this type are so addicted that they lose connection with real life friends and family (“Internet & Computer Addiction” 1).
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.
Video game addiction has always been the main topic of controversies recently due to its impact on the young generation. In spite of the fact that it helps us to enjoy ourselves during recess and economically contributes to several countries’ income, its negative affects towards children and teenagers and so on, need our consideration.
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
People who are addictive tend to obsessively go on online and follow up one of their role models or to play videos to create different characters in the virtual world. One of the mains reasons of why people become addicted to the internet is so they can escape their realities. People, who usually had unfortunate childhoods, try their best to find a way to become distracted with their own life. If they are not happy with themselves, they play videos games to create characters online or they obsessively update themselves on others that they wish they could be. Another reason why people become obsessive because it is a way for them to meet others online that share the same interest. From personal experience, my father used to have an obsession playing “World of Warcraft.” If he had the choice to, he would not leave the house and would play until he had to go to sleep, rinse and repeat. In a military family, it was common for us to constantly move around and for my father it was difficult in finding friends. My father would mostly play the game to find others that had the same interests that would keep him company. If my father didn 't realize how badly the game had corrupted his lifestyle, the addiction may have became more
Researchers are seeking a clarification of the term “Internet addiction.” It is debatable whether the compulsive use of the Internet should
There are five types of internet addiction. The first is Net-Gaming. People with this addiction participate in online games, Multi User Dungeon Games (MUDs), will visit virtual casinos, and my become obsessed with e-auctions and online trading and shopping. Another type of internet addiction is Cyber-Relational Addiction. People with this tend to make chat room relationships more important than their relationships with family or friends. They may even try to meet someone personally after meeting him or her online. The third type of internet addiction is Information Overload. People become obsessed with tracking down certain information and organizing it.
Video game addiction is “persistent and recurrent use of the internet to engage in games leading to clinically significant
There are many causes for people are addicting on the computer. First of all, students have free access to the Internet and easily available at most schools’ computer lab. Because it is free and most school provide an e-mail account and have no limit the amount of time for student to log on. Second, anyone who addicts to Internet has a bigger problem with social life; especially, people who are easily bored, lonely, shy, relationship problem, lake of self-confidence and low self-esteem. They may rely on the computer screen to solve personal problems or meet their needs for companionship. However to ignore what cause people to addict on the computers, the endless new connections are that draws addicts to all of us.
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.
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.