Behavioral Addictions : Exploring Internet Addiction

One example found in the article of dangerous behavior caused by internet addiction is of a kid killing his mom and injuring his dad because they took away his xbox. Another example is of a couple who cared more about their online baby that forgot to take care of their living baby which ended up dying.

Internet addiction has become a huge problem in today’s society. In Greg Beato’s article, he discusses the growing phenomena of internet addiction disorder. The writer explains that more and more people are becoming addicted to the internet. For example, he tells of a teenager in Ohio, who shot and killed his mom and injured his dad because they took away his Xbox. He tells how it is stated that five to ten percent of the 52 million internet users were addicted. The author is telling us that the internet has become very addictive in our everyday society.

Internet addiction is now considered to be a “grave national health crisis”(Dokoupil 2012, 27). Several cases have emerged where people went completely insane due to the abuse of technology. This was to the extreme where two parents were so addicted to taking care of their virtual baby, they forgot about their real child. The infant was neglected to death. Another case is of a son who turns on his own mother when she suggests “he log[s] off”(27). As a response, the young man beats his mother until she eventually dies. These aren’t the only examples of insanity and for this reason, for the first time in history, “Internet Addiction Disorder will be included...in an

Internet addiction is the psychological condition where the user forges an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with technology (Litowitz, 2012). The level of consciousness behind the addictive behaviour remains a point of contention between various psychology fields and their expressed opinions and/or empirical data, all searching to fathom the aforementioned binomial relationship and decipher plausible, effective treatments. The binomial relationship is pertinent in each field of psychology, with psychologists, scientists and medical specialists all in agreement that both the characteristics of neuroscience and behaviour and their intricate

As technological advances are being made every day, the average adult has begun to increase their screen time daily. More people are spending time on their devices, than going out and interacting with others and their community. People also tend According to a study by David Greenfield, this addiction occurs to individuals who are unable to interact with others in real life and tend to be “socially reclusive” (Greenfield 1). This highlights how some individuals feel uncomfortable connecting in person, so they go to social media to assist them in mingling with other people who share similar problems. Unlike past generations, millenials have been using the internet much more as a platform to interact and this has caused several individuals to become addicted to their personal devices. This real life fear also causes many who attempt to withdraw from this addiction to have long term side effects. Some of these effects consist of “experience withdrawal including: anger, depression, relief, mood swings, anxiety, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom, and restlessness” (Greenfield 1). As shown by the symptoms, internet addiction is a growing problem that current adolescents face. This fear is far more than justified as hundreds of studies have sampled and diagnosed individuals combatting this addiction. Another negative impact of internet addiction is that it can isolate one from the rest of the world and cause them to neglect things that are happening around them. Although everything may seem normal at first, as one grows older this can have long term effects on their social life. Internet addiction is one of many technological fears faced by the world

July of 2009 in Fall City, Washington, the first rehab center for Internet Addiction Disorder in the United States opened its doors. Yes, there is actually a rehab for that! One 19-year-old resident who was interviewed from the reSTART Rehab Center, compared the destruction of his internet addiction to alcoholism and drug addiction as he described how he had dropped out of school and had fought to get his life back together. Although Internet Addiction is not an official disorder and has yet to be included in the DSM-V, it is very real for an increasing number of young Americans struggling to regain control in their lives. Addiction to the internet has caused more and more young Americans to quit school, isolate themselves from family, and even lose their jobs. The internet has had a huge impact on the way most Americans today communicate. Although there are benefits, excessive use of the internet and social media has negatively impacted Americans which has led to problems like addiction, poor school and work performance, and less time spent with family.

In the article, “The Bad, the Ugly, and the Good of kids Use of Social Media,” Jim Taylor gives us a definition of the phrase internet addiction. He states, “Internet addiction is commonly characterized as excessive use of internet that interferes with daily functioning and that can lead to distress or harm,”. The addiction from the internet surely has a price to pay. Internet addiction is harmful psychologically, addictions to the internet shouldn’t be our only concern when it comes to social media, and internet addiction has no age limit.

In this letter, he described how he suffered from the internet: his eyesight worsened, and he became more introverted. Based on Tao Ran’s experience treating hundreds of addicts in hospital, he mentioned that if you don’t give internet addicts any access to the internet, you may see a physical reaction, like someone experiencing the process of detoxification. From his prospective, all types of addictions, including drug, alcoholism, and gambling, are all comparative, because they have the same effects. In recent years, many medias and newspaper had reported internet addictions as ‘habit’; however, Tao Ran argues that if internet addiction is taken to a certain level, it can transform into a mental illness. Another two experts, Wu and Zhang,

Therefore, many researches were conducted recently to find out how harmful the excessive use of internet and process addiction could be and how it affects the social life of the person.

Internet addiction is a growing epidemic in today’s society. The general public began using the internet in the early 1990s. The internet can be useful for finding information or entertainment, but too much of the internet can be harmful. Many people carry a cell phone with them all the time, so they always have access to the internet. Servidio (2014) stated that the internet has greatly improved since it became popular, and now the internet is a vital part of many people’s lives (p. 85). Since the internet has become a bigger part of people’s daily lives, internet addiction has become more prevalent. Social media is a part of the internet that became popular with the invention of Facebook in 2004. Social media addiction has become an issue

Jee,H. et al.(2007) ‘Depression and internet addiction in adolescents’, Psychopathology, 40(6),pp.424-430.[online]. Available at: http://search.proquest.com.ergo.southwales.ac.uk/psychology/docview/233360520/A16BD4468CB348DDPQ/1?accountid=15324 (Accessed: 02 January 2017).

Drug abuse affects people in many different ways. It can affect someone’s health, consume their entire life, or cause lasting effects on their brain. Unfortunately, this addiction extends farther than recreational drugs. For over twenty years, the internet has been a source of information, entertainment, and connection. Billions of people use the internet nowadays, from conducting research, to watching movies, to booking a hotel room, almost everything can be done online. With the world transforming into a device-based system, humans are slowly becoming addicts. To declining one’s health, to changing the way our brains work, the internet has become a new drug.

There is not a clear stated definition of digital addiction however Shaw and Black (2008) characterize Internet addiction by excessive or poorly preoccupations, urges or behaviours regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. However as the term addict is a strong description DA is seen as a general misuse of the internet in various forms, as no formal definition exists the author sees the disorder as problematic computer usage resulting in negative consequences. According to Young et al DA is a broad term covering a wide variety of behaviours and impulse control problems. K.Young (1999) also categorised DA into five subtypes of DA, they are cybersexual addiction, cyberrelationship addiction; net compulsion (e.g. gambling or shopping on the internet); information overload (e.g. compulsive database searching); and computer addiction (excessive game-playing). This project highlights social network addiction which falls into the category of cyberrelationship addiction but also contemplates all other types.

Technology of the 21st century has had a strong impact on how society uses and conducts themselves while using the internet, whether it is for social media, educational or for business use. The internet is a large part of an individual’s daily life, particularly young New Zealand adults from the ages of 18 to 30 years old. Majority of individuals cannot go days or even hours without checking social media or using the some form of digital technology. This is has resulted in multiple clinicians, academics and even journalists claiming that there is a new form of addiction impacting societies from all around the world. This addiction is internet addiction or digital dependency which poses the question: Is there any neurological research to confirm there is a digital dependency among young New Zealand adult? An analysis of literature relating to the keywords of the proposed question will be discussed according to reoccurring themes identified. The themes include defining what internet addiction is, diagnosing the addiction, neurological effects and social effects of internet addiction. theory established within the literature is the uses and gratification theory which relates to the negative impact on young adults suffering from a digital dependency. The methodology established across majority of the literature focuses on the use of quantitative research in the form of individual interviews and surveys. The goal of this literature review is to create a theoretical approach to

Users who spend too much time in cyberspace are typically fleeing problems with relationships or trying to address deep feelings of insecurity or loneliness…and as with other addictions, what at first seems like a pleasurable retreat from pain, gradually becomes a tyrant, interfering with work, family life and normal, healthy contact with other people (Macklin).