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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!
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?
"If people weren't in front of their computers 24/7 maybe they wouldn't be isolated and lonely.."
;)
Before computers, books were the domain of the isolated and the lonely, so you can't lay the blame on computers
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 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.
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
Bah. There are plenty of things worse than reading slashdot on a Sunday afternoon...
Like... err... posting to slashdot on a Sunday afternoon.
I have to second that. My personality is very predisposed to not being social. I really enjoy spending time with other people but unless I make a concious effort to do so, I'll never get around to it. When I was a kid I would spend most of my time building with legoes, errector sets, or even sticks and dirt in the backyard. I would also draw alot or just spend time daydreaming. I would never think to see what the other kids were doing, and so the only time I would play with them was when the came over and got me. When we got a computer it really didn't change anything - it was just one other thing to explore and build things on. It wasn't really until college, when I was surrounded by my friends 24/7 (due to living in the same dorm) that I developed something close to a normal social life. Even now I have to deliberately schecdule to spend time with my friends or I will end up sitting around in my apartment by myself all the time. And in this regard, the communication aspects of computers, especially IM actually help me from sliding back into my old patterns.
Not all books are enriching.
Not all internet pages are crap.
-Colin
I am going to be blind in a couple of years (no idea when exactly, I still can see quite fine, but it is going to happen). I am pretty thankfull to know that a) I know how to touch-type and b) a lot of software is accessible for the blind, including a lot of free software (including the main desktop environments like Emacs, Gnome and - although lacking behind - KDE) - and I seldomly had to do anything that I couldn't do in Emacs, so I should be OK. A lot of web sites lack in terms of accessibility and general standards-compliance *cough*slashdot*cough*, but my chances to use the net (with a standard desktop, "smart"phones etc are going to suck) without usable eyes are a lot higher than they are to use television or newspapers. (And let's not talk about radio, OK?)
Programming can be fun again. Film at 11.
That's one of the most accurate descriptions of AS I've seen in a long while, and I'm 'glad' to know there're other SlashDot'ters that have the same problems I do. For me, the internet is the equivalent of a social life. I have some very dear friends online, better friends than I ever made in real life. For comparison, my best RL friend ended up beating me up in 7th grade. People say that the internet can be harmful to you, that people you meet online are dangerous, etc etc. I know, but as most of the people bothering to read this will be aware of, it's easier to spot the pervs through text than through faces. In real life, I guess it's safe to say that my being eccentric is focused on animals, and horses in particular. Horses are simple, they are easy to understand, they don't play all those power games humans do. I know this is a fact for many people with AS, that animals become our very best friends in the real world. To those who don't know much about AS, I recommend reading the article in the parent post. -- Calydor.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Oh yes I can. How many Counter-Strike addicts would have been reading books if computers didn't exist?
Books are still there, but the Internet appeals to a lower common denominator.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
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.