What Are the Disadvantages of Computer Addiction?

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

Patho-physiologists define addiction as a disease, thus affording to the chemical imbalance between the limbic and frontal lobes of the brain (Litowitz 2012). Psychologists have taken a broader approach, linking neuroscience with a binomial relationship to human behaviour in order to diagnose and challenge whether addiction is mind over matter, or indeed a neurological disorder (Burton, Westen, Kowalski, 2012). The following essay will firstly discuss three theories of psychology and how they each approach this binomial relationship; with particular reference to Internet addiction. Secondly, the paper will discuss research and results particular to each therapy and finally, argue that cognitive therapy as opposed to psychodynamic therapy and behavioural therapy, is a better catalyst for effective treatment of Internet addiction.

You can become addicted to virtually anything the human race never ceases to amaze us with what people can get addicted to. When thinking about addiction most people commonly think about drugs and alcohol but the most common and modern form of addiction for the twenty first century is technology addiction. As we move on to the future technology is constantly improving and becoming a necessity for modern life.

In the real world, people are addicted to technology. According to distractingpodcast.com, “I’m Ryan. I’m 19. I’m addicted to information technology and gaming, so that’s any form of electronic gaming or the pursuit of information without purpose. I’ve always been interested in video games, from a very young age.

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,

Internet Addiction: A Logotherapeutic Approach: Web habit (IA) is both the most quickly developing fixation and the minimum comprehended dependence (Watson, 2005). For advocates, treatment issues encompassing the illness are additionally developing. At the cutting edge is the absence of comprehension concerning treatment convention to deal with the testing recuperation and upkeep stages after IA

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,

Let us face the cold hard facts. We are addicted to our computers. They run our lives, our homes and our businesses. Most of us use our computers every single day. It may be for fun and games or it could be for work. Even now as you read this article you are using your computer.

Ever wondered if that computer your using right now is causing you to be an outsider?Most people don’t want to admit they’re addicted are just denying what is true. It is said that if you spend more than 5 hours on a computer you must get off it. It could cause your vision to get worse, loneliness to kick in, etc. Sometimes it’s good to be on technology when your bored, but for a few hours. Do something outside and leave your phone for a few hours and come back to it just to check things, not stay on it forever.

The warning signs of video game addiction are playing for longer periods as time goes on, you start to ignore basic human needs such as eating, sleeping, or needing to go to the bathroom, poor performance at work or school, or as escapism for difficult life situations. Psychical effects include poor personal hygiene, disturbances in your hormones from sleep deprivation, and “Video Gamer’s Thumb” (Repeated use of your thumb which causes swelling and tendonitis).

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.

These variables include mental health history, personality and environment, according to Addiction 101. If an individual is suffering from depression, anxiety or lack of sleep. If a person has low self-esteem they are also more likely to be addicted to technology. Addiction 101 claims that those with low self-esteem turn to the internet to escape. In addition internet users with low self-esteem use the internet “to connect with others in an anonymous, non-threatening way,” (Addiction 101). The last variable that could possible cause internet addiction is the person’s environment. Having an abundant amount of stress or not having a good support system can also increase the risk for internet addiction, Addiction 101 claims. Although these factors could lead to internet addiction, it is not guaranteed that if a person contains these qualities they are addicted to the

Playing video games for hours at a time in one day, every day of the week can lead to another major problem, gaming addiction. Youth may become obsessed with the game and think they have to beat it before they do anything else and never want to leave their rooms because they want to consistently play the game. Dr. Russell A. Sabella states in his article on Education.com that: “for most people, computer use and video game play is integrated into their lives as a balanced manner. For others, time spent on the computer or video games is out of balance and has displaced work, school, friends, even family”(Sabella). Becoming addicted to video games can cause a lot of problems in the family because some parents like to have family dinners and they have to literally fight with their kid to get

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.

The amount of time a child spends on the computer can affect how well they socialize with people in the real world. Children and teens sometimes interact with one another in person by reiterating what they would say to someone on the Internet. One can become very lazy and unwilling to do anything physical but sit on the computer because they do not have to leave their house to talk to or see people anymore.