Slashdot Mirror
No Harm, No Foul in Heavy Net Use
An anonymous reader writes "Breathe easy, addicts. A new study says there's no harm in extended Internet use, contrary to earlier research indicating otherwise. Science Blog reports on an a University of Alberta study that found it can even be therapeutic for those 'facing social isolation and loneliness.'" So rejoice, everyone reading this on Sunday afternoon.
Yeah, but what came first?
If people weren't in front of their computers 24/7 maybe they wouldn't be isolated and lonely..
Just a thought..
Will code a sig generator for food
I didn't develop bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and bilateral cubital tunnel syndrome at 19 from watching too much television. Let's be realistic here - too much of almost anything is bad.
G
Some people don't have a choice when it comes to social isolation.
The most obvious example, of course, is the elderly who are shut in. Before you say "but they're old," the elderly are increasing using computers more and more, especially to communicate with family and friends.
Secondy is what I fall into. I have social anxiety disorder, and the net is one of the few ways that I can easily communicate with others. If you don't like using the phone and meeting new people isn't a very pleasant experiences, the 'net helps out tremedously. It helps keep me some sort of connection with the outside world and it works as a springboard for increasing my contact with others.
Not all people are at fault for causing their own lonely situation.
She found that Internet users on average were more likely to have sociological and psychological problems than the regular community. However, for each of the psychological items, she also asked when the Internet users first experienced their symptoms and found that onset of psychological symptoms "clearly preceded Internet use," at a range of five to 22 years.
This is interesting, I guess, but really doesn't say anything about the effects of internet usage. We don't know how psychological functioning changed as a result of internet use. All we know is that these people were experiencing problems before they used the internet - according to their memory, at least, which is not the most reliable form of evidence.
Are those studies really serious, "using" Internet means so many things, it's like saying "living can kill".
Spending hours in "the outer world" of games or business could lead to social issues (well, like spending 3 nights in a row in casinos or all week-ends at the office). But for really shy people it is also a way to socialize. Or sometimes, it's just fun. Like somebody said, everything can lead to addiction in huge quantities, even CocaCola!
I personally spend a lot of time (in my own time-scale) on Internet, but well, less than the population average 2-3 hours in front of TV, and I don't have TV. I keep in touch with friends, learn far more than the same time stoned in front of a TV, mix professional and personal interests... And I don't spend so much time surfing at the office;-).
ClaudeBBG