Digital Addiction And The Issue Of Digital Dependency

My main problem that I possess when it comes to my phone dependency is how to fill my free time with efficient activities like reading, homework, or other things. When I went through school without using social media, I was much more attentive in class and I did not really miss the connection I had with my phone. I also discovered that I do not deal with the “fear of missing out” because in actuality I did not miss out on a single thing. Identifying this fact enabled me to understand that thinking I need my phone because something important could potentially arise is a complete lie that I feed to myself to give a “valid” excuse that I need to be connected to my phone at all times of the day. This challenge revealed to me how detrimental social media could become if I keep using it extensively. I have read several articles about how media are physically altering our brain in a bad way and leading to a lack of essential skills in people, mainly in the millennial generation. This made me question if new media has contributed to the rise of social anxiety in individuals or aided the downfall of literacy in America today. This project has truly opened my eyes with my personal media use and the potential risks that can spawn from abusing

This simile describes social media to be, “Like a drug, we think getting a fix will help, but it actually makes us feel worse” (Walton). By comparing social media use to drug addiction, the author inhabits fear into social media users. This simile continues throughout the article to show that over-dependency and addiction are common when it comes to social media. The author states, “We have known for some time that people who are over-dependent on digital devices report feelings of anxiety” (Walton). Additionally, with t words related to addiction and drug-use used as descriptors for social media such as addiction, withdrawal, and fix, the simile lingers to help demonstrate how social media’s effects can be very destructive towards one’s mental health just like drug addiction.

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.

The idea behind the internet was to revolutionize society and with over 3 billion individuals using it, it clearly succeeded (ITU, n.d.). However, individuals started coming online to check their email, watch a video, visit Facebook, or play an online game as a habit, may easily become addicted to these behaviors over time. According to the DSM-V, internet addiction applies to individuals who use the internet excessively, often without realizing how much time has passed, how much more they are using the internet and neglecting their basic needs, as well as, ignoring any negative impacts said internet use has caused (dsm). When not using the internet, the individual may feel withdrawal, angry, tense, and/or depressed; in addition, they may feel the need to have a better computer and more software, which is an internet-addicted individual’s form of tolerance (dsm). Time of use per day in those addicted to the internet is nearly double the time those who are not addicted spend online (Lee,

This article will guide me through my research because it gives a vast perspective into the addictive world. It explains the issues of internet addiction, how it's emerging as a global concern, also how and why the internet has been integrated in our everyday lives.

The use of these applications provides a more effective outcome of everyday lives. However, the overuse of the technology and social media has negatively impacted those who abuse their time on technology and the use of social media platforms. The first source explains why the overuse of technology negatively effects adolescents and gives data to support their idea. The point of this article is to promote awareness for the younger generation and their abuse of technology. The author gives statistics and multiple studies to back up their argument. The article explains that the overuse of technology can eventually lead to mental health issues and irregular behavior and can lead to depression and mental anxiety.

According to the authors, Greenwood, Perrin, and Duggan, there is a variety of ways in which americans utilize online networking to seek out information and interact with others. A long time back, individuals did not utilize the PC to finish a task of a class nor did they connect with others through messages or through online networking. In the article, Youth, Education, and Technology by Ryan Leys, he expressed that “The downsides of technology have proven to be prominent over the last decade, in particular with the growing popularity of the smartphone. While technology can be used in schools to further the education of students, it can also be used in ways equally as harmful.” Now, people send text messages or emails as opposed to looking at the other individual in their eyes when talking. Young children utilize acronyms such as “lol,” “wya,” “wyd,” as opposed to spelling it out. According to our authors, “too much hypertext and multimedia content has been linked in some kids to limited attention span, lower comprehension, poor focus, greater risk for depression and diminished long-term memory”(Clinton and Steyer, 2012). Not only has it affected young children, but as well as adults. Researchers have proven how it interrupts with their sleeping schedule, how it causes stress for both men and women, and how it increases

It is fascinating how the Internet is changing people's lives in today’s world. Anyone is able to promptly do research and gather information on the Internet. With the click of a button you can have the data you need in less than ten seconds by searching for it on a search engine, such as Google. Since just about anyone has access to social media in today’s society, it makes it very easy for students to get distracted while in class or while doing their homework. Our world has been given so many different aids of communication which makes its very easy for us to connect with anyone.

Simon Hill explores how the internet and its continuous use can destroy a person’s attention span in his article "Is the Internet Destroying Your Attention Span? We Asked an Expert." Hill discovers from Dr. David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine that “On a functional level people have a much higher degree of distractibility, when it comes to digital technology,” The concept by Dr. David Greenfield is enforced by a study by the British Bank Lloyds TBS the average attention span had fallen from 12 minutes in 1998 down to 5 minutes in 2008. Hill’s discovery’s show how the technological advances of social media

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.

A new epidemic has fallen over America and is spreading like wild fire across the states as more and more fall victim to its claws. That epidemic is known as internet addiction which many of today’s youths are prone to due to the widespread usage of technology. Excessive use of the internet has proven hazardous to the generation because it decreases cognitive ability, impairs social development, and increases health problems. Since the current American society relies heavily on technology and web searches through google, the internet has become a necessary essential and making addiction almost inevitable.

In today’s society almost every individual has some type of social media, whether it is Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter, People have accustomed to utilizing these types of social media and it has become part of their life and daily use. According to the essay “Students Addicted to Social Media” by the International Center for Media and Public Agenda, the study from the University of Maryland claims “American college students today are addicted to media” (Signs of Life in the USA 403). The university discovered that when these students are restricted from using media it is similar in terms of drug and alcohol addictions. During the study that the university conducted, students discuss how boring it is without media and how it gives them anxiety about not receiving information through social media. Other students claimed that texting and IM'ing gives them comfort and if they do not have these items then they feel alone and isolated from the world ( Signs of Life in the USA 404). Students are not the only ones who have an addiction of media but also parents and non-students. However, the International Center is accurate in some aspects and the responses students gave are very relatable which some people can agree with.

With the internet being implemented into the daily lives of a majority of the population, it’s easy to understand why over usage would be presented as a problem. As Einstein once said “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” The world has become so invested in new technology that times of old are just a memory. No longer exploring what the world has the offer, people stay isolated in their homes further straying away from outside interaction. In the following excerpt of Dr. David N. Greenfield’s book “The Net Effect: Internet Addiction and Compulsive Internet Use” it further discusses the statistical and psychological

Our lives seem to be more and more consumed by technology as great advances in this area have continue to be made, especially when it comes to social media. Many researchers have begun to notice that depending on how much time individuals spend on these social media sites, they can negatively affect their daily lifestyle in very significant ways.  For example, social networking has become a huge distraction for students and it can affect their grades depending on how often they check their various accounts while doing class work.  Researchers have also come to find out that social media can contribute to the development of psychological symptoms

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.