Juan Gallegos(Edison College) Net Addiction

Net Addiction

A lot of people spend a lot of time surfing the net.  They look for interesting web sites, download music, videos, games or chat with people all over the world. However, some people spend many hours on internet that they are internet addicts. Because addicts spend so much time interacting with the computer their lives can be negatively affected. They star becoming antisocial, because they stop going out and talking people face to face. They avoid real life situations, preferring instead to be in a room using their computers surfing in an imaginary world.

According to an article of CNS Spectrums called:  “The international Journal of Neuropsychiatric Medicine.”

·         More than one in eight adults in US show signs of being addicted to the internet, a study has shown.

·         “Addicts” showed signs of compulsive internet use, habitually checking e-mail, websites and chat rooms.

·         More than 8% of the 2,513 respondents to the Stanford University phone survey said they hid their use from partners.·         A typical addict is a single, white college-educated male in his 30s, who spends more than 30 hours a week on “non-essential” computer use, it found.

·         We often focus on how wonderful the internet is; how simple and efficient it can make things,” said Dr Elias Aboujaoude of the Stanford University School of Medicine and one of the researchers behind the study. “But we need to consider the fact that it creates real problems for a subset of people.”  

Obsessive behavior

·         Previous studies have shown that a significant number of people could be addicted to the internet. For example, a 1999 Center for Internet Studies survey of 18,000 internet users found that 5.7% had signs of “compulsive” internet use. Since then the internet has become quicker, richer in content and more accessible because of technology such as wireless.

·         As a response, internet addiction clinics have sprung up around the world to try wean people off their cyberspace fix. Last year, China opened its first clinic in Beijing. However, researchers say it is not clear whether compulsive internet use is a distinct problem or an expression of other underlying problems such as obsessive compulsive disorders.

·         The new study questioned 2,513 people in the US about their online habits. The results showed that nearly 14% of respondents found it difficult to stay away from the internet for periods of several days.

·         Almost 6% said they felt their wanderings in cyberspace adversely affected their relationships with other people. ·         Nearly 8% of people said they went online to escape real world problems. Behavior like this, the researchers said, show similarities with other types of addictions such as alcoholism. Other parallels include hiding their online behavior. ·         “The issue is starting to be recognized as a legitimate object of clinical attention, as well as an economic problem, given that a great deal of non-essential internet use takes place at work,” said Dr Aboujaoude.

Internet is a great tool that facility us doing many things. However, as it is stated in the article when people become addicted to the internet they might need to start controlling its use. In conclusion, even though the internet is an excellent source of information and entertainment, people must not let it take over their lives. 

This entry was posted on 10. April 2009 at 17:24 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.