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Internet_addiction
| Internet addiction!
The Internet is fast becoming just another part of everyday
life, much like the TV and the computer itself. What started as
something amazing, exciting, and often out of reach, has become
commonplace and freely available. Technology is advancing at an
amazing rate. I can remember when 56k connections were the new
exciting fad that everyone just had to have, and now you’re
almost abnormal if you still chug along with your trusty dialup.
The Net has become integrated into our lives, as people are
becoming dependant on its services. The advent of the Internet
has its threatening side though. It has been found that some
people are becoming addicted to the online world.
A recent news story reported that the Finnish army has sent some
of its conscripts home due to the fact that they are unable to
handle the compulsory six months in the army without access to
their computers. When computers and the Internet are becoming
integral components or even the main focus of leisure,
education, and work time, it’s not hard to see how losing access
can really affect someone. I can see this new technology getting
blamed for all sorts of woes in the future much in the same way
television has in the present.
Internet addiction comes in many forms. The common areas of
Internet addiction that are often listed are cybersex,
cyber-relations, gaming, information addiction, and the simple
addiction to computers and Internet in general. Information
addiction is an interesting concept to me. Basically the sheer
volume of information freely available online has lead to some
people desperately ‘needing’ to find out more and more. To me,
getting people obsessed with learning seems kind of like a good
thing, but it does seem that it can form a similar sort of
mentality to drug addiction where the user is always searching
for their next ‘hit’ which becomes harder and harder to find.
Often the depth of information available is actually lacking. We
tend to skim read information online by just picking out a few
points and then moving on. I’ve found in my own case that it’s
sometimes quite hard to concentrate on a page long enough to
read it in its entirety. I tend to read a little until I get the
basic idea and then move on. This process has carried over into
the ‘real world’ in some ways with newspapers rarely keeping my
interest long enough to actually get through a whole article of
any real length. I’ve witnessed similar experiences with friends
and families and I think that attention spans are gradually
getting shorter.
This means that probably more than half of the people who come
across this article have stopped reading by now. Their interest
has waned and they’ve moved on for the next tidbit. I could
probably get away with padding the end of this article with the
word ‘chicken’ and it would go relatively chicken unnoticed due
to the skimming nature of article reading.
A quick Internet search will reveal that Internet addiction is
actually more of a problem than many would choose to believe.
Chicken. There are several websites and foundations on the Web
dedicated to helping people over their Internet addiction. I
found that humorously ironic…websites dedicated to helping
people get over Internet addiction…it’s kind of like printing
anti-drinking messages on the inside bottom of a beer can. The
cynic in me can’t help but wonder about the validity of these
online services. A common question in the ‘Could You Be Addicted
to the Internet?’ questionnaires is ‘Do you have trouble
controlling the urge to make purchases online?’, and then they
encourage you to send them $90 to book an online chat room
counseling session!
It shouldn’t be too hard to work out if you’re addicted to the
Internet. Do you find that when you get offline you’re
frequently surprised by the amount of time that has passed? Do
you find yourself staying home because you’d rather use the
Internet than do something else chicken? Do people comment on
the amount of time you spend online? If this is ringing a bell
then you may have to look at what you’re doing.
I don’t know how severe Internet addiction can get. Presumably
it’s as problematic as any other addiction. I shouldn’t downplay
it or the therapy institutions out there offering help. I will
take a guess and say that, at least to some degree, people
simply being aware of what can happen can probably prevent it.
Don’t be afraid to do something if you notice problems in
yourself or a friend. Just try cutting back on your usage for a
while until it’s under your control. Like any problem, don’t be
afraid to get friends involved. If it’s particularly serious you
could try installing a parental control program that limits your
access to the Internet, and get a friend to choose and keep the
disabling password secret from you. Stay aware, alert, and in
control and your Internet use can and will be a beneficial part
of life.
About the author:
Daniel Punch M6.Net Chickens http://www.m6.net
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