Neil McCallay
Dr. Wardzinski-Cope
Eng 101
16 October 2017
Internet Addiction It is hard to imagine in today’s world that a day could pass by where we do not, in some form or another, have little or no contact with the internet and/or social media. The creation of the internet has had several positive and negative results on the world. Certain aspects of the Internet make it a unique medium of communication with its own set of factors. These various factors have influenced children and adolescents alike. Problematic Internet use, which has become known as Internet addiction, is not limited by geographical nor demographic elements but can be found in every corner of the globe. The Internet has been around since the late 1960’s, but its popularity skyrocketed in 1991 with the launch of the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web introduced us to a whole new world most of us didn’t even realize existed. It gave us the power to chat in make-believe rooms with other people from all over the world, it gave us answers to questions that we were too shy, or ashamed, to ask. It made sending and receiving a thank you letter or a “how are you?” card so much easier. Our eyes lit up when we heard those three simple words, you’ve got mail. Now we could go out into the world and explore from the comforts of our own homes. America Online was launched in the early days of the web and, by the year 2000, controlled the market with 23.2 million subscribers (Bryfonski 17). In 2002, a new era was
The Internet Age has become a time in which computer technology has not been envisioned as a luxury, but rather a necessity in many parts of daily living. And as the positive impacts of technology use in the workplace, and education setting, becomes a reality then so does the negative consequences. However, the ability to deal with the negative consequences may be more difficult to deal with for adolescents and young adults who heavily use technology for social media, text messaging, and web surfing. As these impressionable sectors of society learn to navigate their place in the world with the aid of technology, they are experiencing an inordinate amount of
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.
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
In the article, “Caught in the Web: More People Say Heavy Internet Use is Disrupting Their Lives, and Medical Experts are Paying Attention” by January W. Payne argues that using technology too much, has consequences that can affect the people around, and the individual’s health as well. At the same time, many people use internet excessively, and do not realize that, they might get further from the outside world. According to a research by Stanford University, demonstrated, that people spend on the internet about 3 or more hours daily. Many people are getting addictive to the internet, because they see it as an escape from problems, while others use it as a way to relax themselves. As people addiction to the internet increase, people isolate
It has become common today to dismiss different perspectives, such as Danah Boyd’s, that teenagers aren’t the ones responsible for themselves constantly being on the internet, but society is the one to blame. Many people assume that teenagers have put themselves in the position of being addicted to the internet, yet Danah Boyd complains in her article, “Blame Society, Not the Screen Time”, that, “We put unprecedented demands on our kids, maxing them out with structured activities, homework and heavy expectations.” In making this comment, Danah Boyd argues that adults continuously add stress and pressure to teenagers, which then results in teenagers resorting to the internet as a way of socializing. For many, the internet is simply an escape.
In the article “Journal of Mental Health” Kristy L Pinpoint the status of internet addiction (IA).Kristy L has informed us that the Internet has become a necessary for communication,
Throughout history, no single piece of technology has been so heavily relied upon such as the internet. Things such as the first car, the first telephone, and even the first airplanes were not as easily, or readily accessible as the Net is today. In all reality, the internet is the greatest and most useful tool that humanity has ever dreamt up. From instant transferring of data to endless sources of information, the Net not only connects all corners of the world, but makes each and every person more knowledgeable and self-aware. But as with all new and virtuous things, there is a darker and more dangerous side. The internet is a tool that consumes the intellectual, changing the way the brain functions and ultimately creating a reliance. This reliance is so severe that all of life’s functions depend on the internet without the same dependency being reciprocated. The relationship is one sided, where the Net has much to gain while the user has little. Furthermore, in its relatively new state, the internet is very obscure and has very questionable ethics. Although beneficial in specific cases, the internet affects one’s emotional state and latently mars cognitive function while creating a devastatingly powerful and coercive reliance.
Aided by the convenience of smartphones, tablets, and computers, the Pew Research Center has found that 92% of teens are online daily, with open access to harmful material that can affect developing minds permanently, and set up habits that can damage their potential for success in the future. An even more shocking 24% of teens say that they are online “almost constantly.” As a tenth grader in Carolina Day’s upper school, I’ve witnessed the daily activities of students who confirm these statistics. To them, navigating the internet is second nature, and that is where the real danger lies. While at school, they are still granted connection to every game, social media site, and free essay resource, without limits. Unrestricted and unlimited access to the internet is negatively impacting Carolina Day School’s environment by affecting interpersonal relationships, stunting the positive development of the brain, and decreasing the chance of students gaining critical life skills.
The field of psychology is steadily expanding due to the progression in technology, which is being driven by the advancement of civilization. More and more time is spent on the internet, which has gradually altered the method in which primary communication takes place. Previously face-to-face interaction was touted as the primary method of interfacing with one another, now communication via the internet is almost mandatory to establish and maintain healthy relationships (Greenfield and Yan, 2006). This is especially true amongst children, adolescents and teenagers. The need for psychologists have never been greater in order to assess how individuals are able to acclimate to this societal change. Traditionally, there are two methods in which children, adolescents and teenagers communicate via the internet, through social media and video games. Each primary method presents their own unique social challenge. In response to the issues in of teenagers over use of the internet, psychologists are providing assistance for internet addictions at a greater rate. The first method utilized by mental health professionals is traditionally counseling and if those efforts fail, then the potential exists for adolescents to be placed on medications.
Today, the Internet is the center of attention for businesses, governments, schools and individuals around the world. It has produced new industries, transformed existing ones, and has become a global cultural experience not only for adults but for children as well. It is a learning tool used to educate in schools and within our homes. The surfacing of the Internet as another means of electronic communication has had a transformative influence on social interaction.
The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks. Today, it is a public, cooperative and self-sustaining facility accessible to millions of people. This global access to a new world has its shortcomings. One of many that might be considered the most important is addiction; I can easily confess that I see myself as a cell phone addicted person. After reading the article “Half of Teens Think They” by Kelly Wallace, I came to a conclusion that I am not the only one who faces this impasse. However, the article also says that it is difficult to say how many teens are truly addicted to their devices and the Internet. Also it is found a problem, because parents feel their teens spend too much time on their mobile devices. Trying to solve this difficulty, some parents came up with solutions.
A lot of people enjoy surfing the net, they look for interesting websites and chat with people all over the world. Although, some people spend so many hours online that they are internet addicts. However an average person spends about 12 hours per week, but an addict may spend 8 to 12 hours per day online, because addicts spend so much time interacting with the computer that their lives are negatively affected. They become socially isolated, because they stop going out and talking to people face-to-face. They avoid real-life social situations, preferring instead to be in a dimly lit room with only the glowing screen to light up their lives.
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.
The Internet is a technology that has negative impacts on our daily lives. It has changed aspects of our life for the last 50 years, and it has demonstrated the considerable influence on people’s lives. Almost 3.2 billion people in the world use the internet. The Internet has gained acceptance across the globe, and it has also become a reason behind the critical changes in the modern society. Some of the changes are social isolation, health disorder, lack of privacy and internet addiction.
When it comes to the topic of technology, most people will readily agree that it has been growing non-stop at a significant pace. About 16 years ago, technologies, such as computers were not a necessity in mainstream life. Since then, technology has progressed and people have become extremely reliable on. In the essay “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” by Amy Goldwasser, she talks about the positive aspects of the Internet. Although she mainly focuses on the positive she also contradicts herself and mentions some negative aspects. “Twenty-plus years ago, high school students didn’t have the Internet to store their trivia”(Goldwasser 238). Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interest to know that it basically boils down to