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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.
Extended Internet use is just like extended use of anything else. There's a point at which it becomes excessive and harmful. But given the user-controlled nature of the Internet, I don't see how anything less than a pathological obsession therewith could cause true physiological harm (couchpotatoitis notwithstanding)
Look, defenseless babies!
tell that to my girlfriend!
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
Deep vein thrombosis can really kill a good buzz.
All these studies have ever proven is that there may be a correlation between heavy internet usage and loneliness / depression. The problem they completely ignore (or perhaps the ones ignoring it are the reporters writing about it) is that correlation does not prove the direction of causality. Does the internet make you lonely, or does being lonely make you want to use the internet?
As long as the circumstance of isolation aren't CAUSED by the Internet use, I'd agree. Right now I'm living at home with only about 20 other people in my village, and the Internet is a great way to discuss politics, and technology with other interested people. But once I'm back in a city, I'll be spending less time on the computer, and more time out in the real world meeting real people and talking face to face. I'll have to get used to not saying "LOL", and get my point across the old fashioned way.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
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
I have AS, and can't imagine what my life would be like without the internet. It gives me an easy way to keep my brain active without leaving the house. TV and radio are crap and books require leaving the house (or money I don't have). I can read unlimited amounts of conversations without participating or even letting anyone know I am there. This is amazing for me because I get experience with other people without the stressful interaction. Best of all, I can share my opinions anonymously!
Moderation in all things should be a way of life.
Absolutely, and the same goes for meta-moderation.
Vonal Declosion
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.
The research also showed that the Internet group reported a greater tendency toward membership in voluntary organizations and a higher level of helping others.
Yup. Worked 55 hours a week, took a light load of classes and joined a community group - all thanks to search engines, online documentations and wishing it be so. Soon, I had a decent job, and with the downturn in the economy I still am able to work in a computer related field. Definately not bad for my experience.
However, after a week or so of continual use of a monitor under flourescent lights, my eyes kinda twitch like.
Another thing, every once in a while if I make a mistake off of the computer, like putting too much pepper in the stew, or throwing a paper-wad and missing, I find that my first instinct is to CTRL+Z!
Stuff that matters.
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
After that last report that said it was addictive and damaging, I tried to quit and couldn't.
Now I don't have to!
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
Bah. There are plenty of things worse than reading slashdot on a Sunday afternoon...
Like... err... posting to slashdot on a Sunday afternoon.
AS is basically a mental disorder that, for all intents and purposes, defines the average geek.
m l
From: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.ht
Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".
By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naivete, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.
it burns us! Stay in your dank cave and guard your precious!
The author of the study sought to disprove the notion that heavy internet usage had a deliterious effect on people experiencing depression.
That's a long way from claiming that Internet usage is not harmful, or beyond that, that it may have an effect on depression.
This is the psycho-industrial complex in full bloom. Truth is, "internet usage" is such a scientifically meaningless term as to evade any meaningful scientific metric. It is analogous to studying groups of people "using sidewalks."
"Internet usage" can mean anything from viewing pornography to online communities like Slashdot, with lots of stops in between. Each of these stops will have radically different effects on the user, particularly along an axis like "social isolation." Personally, there are times when I use the Internet to interact with people, there are other times that I use it to get the hell away from people. It's a meaningless indicator.
There is a mention at the close of the story that indicates the author is going on to study epidemiology. Good, she needs it.
The best way to do is to be.
I am the proof that with increased internet usage your social skills actually increase. When I moved to US (from Europe [and a nerd] originally) it was hard for me to adjust to cultural and social settings here. Even the US nerds had social advantage over me in terms of their fluency in English. I distinctly remember my freshman year in college I could not wait for weekends. Not because I wanted to go out and party, but because all the other people did, hence freeing up all the valuable high speed for the distro sites that I was running. Yes that is how pathetic I was.. While all the people were getting laid I was on my computer doing all kinds of nerdy stuff... I despised and hated talking to people in public, and you could say I suffered from social disorder.
Eventually on internet I started talking to people outside of the distro groups that I was dealing with and eventually I was becoming more and more social on net which in turn resulted in increased social activity outside internet domain. Finally I started chatting with girls, and yes I was pathetic.. I had no idea what to say or how to say it.. But with persistence (what did I have to loose? They had no idea who I was anyway) I started figuring out girls and what they want to hear and eventually became really good at it, and eventually I reached a point where if there was a girl on net that I wanted to talk to I could get her attention in no time and could get her phone # in first or second chat..
That increased smoothness transcendent into real life when I would meet these girls and with each new date my seducing skills and my confidence grew... Going to real dates I would learn even
more about club and bar scene and would use internet skills to expand my efforts into bar and club scene. After few years of net (and Gym) I was able to get a date with any girl whether I met her on net or in a bar or club and get her attention or whatever else I wanted.
The social impact of net did not only change my dating scene. On the internet I had ability to talk to thousands of people (whether it is scene related or other subjects). Increased exposure to people of all types of walk improved my communication skills and eventually enabled me to subtly manipulate conversations to get the desired result. I was increasingly getting better at reading people on the spot based on their responses regarding the conversation. This was in turn very helpful in first few jobs that I held out of college.
Today, when I look at myself back 5-6 years ago its amazing how much my social skills have changed. And the only reason that happened is because of net. So anybody out there trying to claim that net has negative social impact on the population as whole is DEAD WRONG and I am the living proof..
Where can I download that?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
Your damn strait at 16hrs a day I'm not an addict.
;-) That's not really isolating. it's a different form of communication.
I think there's valid evidence to back up this new claim.
Think about how "isolated" you really are. What do most people do online:
Email
Instant Message
Forums
Read News
far from isolating activities. In fact, the goal of these activities is to prevent isolation. Be part of a community.
We email friends we don't see often (replacement for the "letter" as our ancestors called it).
We IM friends "what are you doing tonight?", "want to have cyber sex?"
Forums are a giant community messaging each other.
News is simply staying informed about activities and events of others.
That's not isolation. That's assimilation into society.
Just my $0.02