Internet Addiction

1. Introduction
2. History of the development of Internet
3. Impact of the Internet on society
4. Temptation tools of Internet
5. Internet & its sociological effects
6. How addiction develops
7. Websites of treatment addiction
8. Conclusion
9. Symptoms of Internet addiction

The Internet is the largest of information in the world today. With its websites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in places all over the face to the earth. Since its conception in 1973, the Internet has grown at whirlwind rate. Some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addictive. The problem is that researchers are beginning to agree with them. Studies are revealing that there may be an actual form of addiction involved with over-use of the Internet. Identifying which gate gory of addiction the Internet falls into is the problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. While lost in this so called ‘Cyber Community for long periods of time, people are neglecting other important activities like; time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns.

The Internet is the largest most versatile source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is means of communicating people in places all over the face of the earth. But with all this power at our fingertips, are there any negative impacts of using this interface? Are we as ‘simple humans’capable of interacting with such a powerful communication source. Recent studies are beginning to uncover evidence that would suggest that maybe some of us are not so capable of dealing with this technology. In fact as more research is conducted, experts are finding that the Internet may even be addictive.

Development of the Internet began about 20 years ago. In 1973 he U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency initiated a program to search the techniques and technologies for inter-linking various types of networks. The objective was to develop communication. Protocols that would allow networked computers to communicate transparently across multiple, linked networks. This was called the Interknitting Project and the systems of networks that emerged from the research was known as the Internet. Since that time, various other research projects, to include those conducted by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have shaped and tailor this project to give the world the Internet as we know it thousand Service Providers in the world.

Latest data indicates that there were 1.5 million host computers on the Internet as of June, 2002, in Pakistan. With such a large portion of the population swimming in this seemingly never-end sea of information, what is the real impact of the Internet on society? It seems that the majority of society thinks the Internet is the greatest invention since the telephone.

This is probably best justified by the whirlwind rate at which the Internet grows. In fact, some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addicting! The problem is that recent studies have shown that the Internet may not only be addicting because it is enjoyable, but that a fairly large number of users are experiencing addiction of a clinical form. Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is another. There are no real answer yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. In the West, a few researchers are comparing the Internets effects to marijuana as a psychostimulant. They argue that the chemicals in marijuana activate the same stimuli as he Internet. Most researchers to this date do, however, agree that this is some type behavioural addiction. People can become addicted to activities even when there is no physiological dependence or physiological addiction. Overeating sex, exercise and gambling can be addictive if done to excess.

Behavioural addiction means that the activity alters your emotional state in some way. The main way to determine if an activity is addictive is if it is having a negative impact on some other important area of your life. The questions to be answered now are, if here is such a thing as Internet addiction, what are the effects of this addiction and why are people falling into this trap? According to Dr. Maressa Orzack of the Computer Addiction Services University’s McClean Hospital in Boson, USA, “The single greatest factor in becoming an addict is boredom.” “They’re lonely and the Internet, with its chat rooms and endless information, fills a need.”

The chat rooms whether they are used for sexual and romantic encounters or just to talk to other people around the world, seem to be the number one temptation. Others include fantasy games and the ability to create false identities of oneself. Although this ability to create a false identity is not one of the man lures, it does play a major role when looking at the psychological effects of the Internet. Identity is key factor in everyone’s life. Without a sense of identity, or a confused identity, people have difficulty socializing with others. They also have a difficult time dealing with stress and he real world and therefore resort to other measures where there is no direct contact with other people. On the Internet, there is no direct communication. Therefore an insecure person or a person with low self-esteem does not have to worry about what the person on the other end of the link thinks about them. They may modify their identity, work position, marital status, or any other of a number of characteristics that affect their role in life.

The real problem with this addiction, however, is its sociological effects. A number of people say that the Internet is like travelling. They say each trip is like a new journey and you never know where it is going to take you. The problem is that they spend so much time on the net that they with draw from regular society. The escape reality into culture with no real boundaries or existence. While lost in this so called ‘Cyber Community’ for long periods of , time they are neglecting other important activities like; time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns. Internet abuse has been cited as a contributing factor in the disintegration of marriages and families and the collapse of promising careers.

Non-dependents were able to control the amount they used the Internet and reported no adverse effects due to its use. However, dependents. Reported significant changes to their lives because they had simply lost control over their ability to limit the amount of time they used the Internet. The use of the Internet. The use of the Interne to criteria traditionally utilized for other established additions are found significant identical values. The Internet itself is not addictive, but that specific areas such as the chat rooms play a significant role in the development of the addiction. Research is not, however, the only evidence that a problem exists. As the Internet continues to expand, the number of horror stories increases. In Cincinnati, USA, a mother was arrested for neglecting her three young children because she was spending too much time on the Internet. It was reported that she was spending 12 hours a day on line while her kids were locked in a room filthy apartment. In addition to this case, all one has to do is browse the Internet addiction sites to find many other people and their individual stories.

Now you will probably ask, if there really is an addiction, what are the symptoms and is help available? The list of Internet Addiction symptoms is long. Most researchers in this area stated that any combination of the symptoms could identity a person as an addict. The symptoms include:-You neglect important family activities, social events, work responsibilities, academic projects or health concerns to spend hours on the Internet – A significant person, such as a boss, close friend or partner, has complained you’re spending too much time or money on the Internet- You are constantly anticipating your next on-line session. – It becomes impossible to cut back on your Internet time – Losing track of time once on-line-You check your email compulsively- You develop cravings and withdrawal symptoms when you are away form the computer – You skip meals, classes or appointments to get on the Internet. – You would rather talk to people on-line than face-to-face, - You sleep less than five hours a night so you can spend more time on-line. –You are

having increased difficulty discussing matters not related to the Net.

The dilemma here is that most people will not admit they have a problem (as with most other addiction). Some researchers state that people may be using the Internet to substitute for other addictions. When someone finally realizes hey have a problem, however help is available. There are number of web sites available for the treatment addiction. They include sites like Welcome to the Web Addicts Detox Page or “The Internet Anonymous Virtual Meeting Page.” There is even software available for addicts. One such package is Graham’s Mac Shareware. However, trying to cure on-line is probably not the best answer. Face-to-face counselling is probably the best method for dealing with this problem. The availidity of this type of counselling is expanding rapidly. Over the past two years, some major clinics have also been established to treat this addiction.