The Internet Addiction

Now a day, due to the improvement to technology, “those we depend on are more accessible today than at any point” (Social Media as Community) than ever before in history. Since technology is much more easily accessible, it has help people gain useful knowledge. But now, consequently, people have now become hopelessly distracted by them, helplessly devoted to them. People have become so helplessly devoted to technology that they spend countless hours texting, sharing, playing games, and watching YouTube that it has caused them to have “fractured thinking and lack of focus persist” (Attached to Technology). For example, “the Net bombards us with and other bits of data, and everyone of those interruptions breaks our train of thoughts” (Is Google Making Us Stupid?), which can cause people to understand, learn and remember less than they potentially

As humans, we detect that we are unable to function without the use of our technology. Does this excessive usability of technology affect how we analyze and operate daily? Nora Volkow, the director of National on Drug Abuse, states “The technology is rewiring our brains” (Ritchel 2). Individuals have demonstrated how this has become a valid statement in society today. In Ritchel’s article “Attached to Technology and Paying the Price” Mr. Campbell, an active technology user on and off the job, suffers from being incapable of detaching himself from his technology. Mr. Campbell falls asleep every night with his cell phone on his chest and initially rises in the morning to flee to the Internet. His lack of disengaging himself with his technology not only affects himself, but his family as well. His wife states that “I would love for him to unplug, to be totally engaged” (Ritchel 3). As shown in the lifestyle of Mr. Campbell and his family, technology has not only dominated his life but his families as

In today`s society, it is simply impossible for anyone to go a single day without hearing these phrases, “Hey guys did you hear there`s a new iPhone?” or, “I`m out of Xbox live so I can`t talk, Sorry bud!” maybe even, “My phones at 12%, I am going to die!” They sound so familiar in today`s time, don’t they? This leads to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Is society addicted, and dependent on Technology?” The amount of technology used has tripled since the 1990`s. Look around to see all of the people glued to I-Pads versus books or even newspapers. Technology is used every day in schools, friendships, and even in our food. Technology is overused because it is dumbing down society, negatively affecting our health and ruining socialization

Since the rise of technology and smart devices, the public has seen controversy over the benefits and drawbacks of internet usage. Nicholas Carr shared his opinions in the article “From The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.” In the text, he claims that it seems to be “chipping away” his “capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 5). In addition to that, he does not hesitate to state how “some worry they’re becoming chronic scatterbrains” from using the web (Carr 6). His views are painted purple in this piece of writing, as any reader could infer that Carr possesses a slightly bitter tone when it comes to the interwebs. He displays his dislike for the way it is reshaping our brains and mental function, even going

The Internet is the culmination of technological development. Thankful to it, humans have become multilaterally developed, the time has become a measure that has truly gained value, and science is more practical and accessible around the world. In his work:” The Shallows-What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains”, the publisher and author Nicolas Carr explains on his experience how the Internet besides its benefits has an enormous defect-distraction, lack of concentration on the meaning of things, or an event. In his speech, he mentions a habit that we practice daily and we do not realize his negative impact, namely the lack of concentration caused by “over welling urge to get up and check email, start clicking on links, do some googling” even

Technology is slowly taking over our lives. Individuals can chat with their loved ones whenever they want, even those who are many miles away. With a click of a button, one can purchase something from halfway around the world. Perhaps more importantly, technology is changing the way we access information; anything is accessible in mere seconds. This implementation has resulted in the most aware society of all time. Most information is just a quick and simple Google search away. An article, written by Nicholas Carr “Is Google Making Us Stupid? “ in a 2008 issue for The Atlantic magazine, questioned the negative cognitive effects of the world wide web. Carr recognizes how much we rely on the internet and believes that humanity needs reform. According to Carr, we rely on technology too much! In the article Carr dives into detail and supports his argument by providing research facts and personal examples. Even though Carr believes the excessive use of the internet will inevitably turn humans into machines, I believe that the internet has benefited us in various ways. Carr does not see that the western fast paced lifestyle has caused us to lose our ability to focus on reading. Using technology will not turn us into robots, but instead it allow us to always be connected. Therefore, we should welcome technology openly.

It’s hard not to see or use a technology tool in our daily life, if we live in a modern world. The bombardment starts early in the morning and it will be manifested through our day in several ways, the regular person will wake up and check the apps on the cellphone while drinking a coffee, it can be for example to read news on the web, daily market numbers or for social interaction with others. The expansion to advanced options of communications like smartphones and tablets are great examples of the accelerated transition to a mass online communication. The social use of technology is influencing adult population in our present. According to Pew Research Center (n.d) data collected up to September 2014 in the online environment:

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.

Technology, can’t live without it anymore, or can we? Almost everyone uses technology. It is estimated that 100 million people use Facebook, 300 million uses Instagram, and 974 million use Twitter. In 2012, a program called “Shut Down Your Screen Week” was started to get people off of mediatic devices for a week. Over the past few years, this movement, to temporarily get off technology, has racked up a substantial amount of followers, including Mrs. Menge’s English and Literature Class. It is an idea I personally agree with and am in favor of trying. Shut Down Your Screen Week has also inspired many articles. Some of which are: Social Media as Communities, written by Nytimes, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by Nicholas Carr, and Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, by Matt Richtel.

In this digital age, technology is everywhere. The continuing growth of technology made people’s lives become too complacent and lethargic. Every human being grasp the advantages of technology in pursuit of doing things fast and easy. What exactly is technology? The word technology can describe different type of electronics and machinery today such as microwave, television, cars, computers and even manufacturing cables. The internet, which is a vital part of technology, makes any thing easily accessible and offers convenience through the use of social media. According to Ventola, social media is referred to as “Internet-based tools that allow individuals and communities to gather and communicate; to share information, ideas, personal messages, images, and other content; and, in some cases, to collaborate with other users in real time” (Ventola, 2014, p. 491). Even though technology can be educational and let people stay connected with family and friends, it causes social isolation for people who are having difficulty to disengage or being dependent on technology’s advancement. The use of technology like the internet and devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers can negatively impact people psychologically and physically because it can damage social skills development, inhibits social interaction, and it enticed people to waste time.

The purpose of this paper is to show the many different ways that people can become addicted to the web (Internet) and to try to explain why. The various aspects of the web, such as the wide range of information, the advanced technology, and alternate ways of communication have contributed to its addictive nature.

With technology advancing faster and faster, it seems to have taken control over our lives. Society today spends more time on the internet than anything else, which means there’s a rapid growing of corrosion over our minds. When we use technology, such as watching television or surfing the web, do we even use our brains at all? Today, most of us live in our heads rather than in the real world. Technological regression in the tracking of smartphones, the inclination of society’s laziness, and the abuse of features such as posting/commenting have all contributed to a dystopian world.

Relevance Statement: Most teens nowadays use the Internet; the usage varies according to each person, but I know that everyone in here is familiar with it.

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.

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