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Could You Be Addicted to the Internet?
Billosaur writes "Over at The Register, Dr Stephen Juan has this interesting article on Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Apparently this has been around since at least 1995 and there are those lobbying for it to be included in the DSM-IV. While some people use the Internet a lot for work or to keep in touch with family & friends as well as banking and bill-paying, it's interesting to thing that some people actually become addicted. There's still a lot of controversy over the diagnosis, whether this is true addiction or not. There is more detailed information available in this paper from Viriginia Tech."
The answer is so obviously "yes" in this audience. Was there any doubt? Why even ask?
Constitutionally Correct
Apparently it's been around since at least 1995... It's like saying Car Wrecks have been happening since the early 20th century. Duh! That's about when it started!
Funnypics
I'm also addicted to my car. Darned if a day goes by that I don't use it to get somewhere too far to walk.
Just because you use something often doesn't mean it's an addiction.
It's sad when choosing an installation directory on your own qualifies you as an "advanced user."
Isn't that last one just teh stupid? It's cribbed word-for-word from a typical symptom of alcholism, as are the rest.
Even if there are still ISPs in the world that charge by the MB, it just doesn't fly. Now, if they were talking about "unexpected" credit card charges, maybe... but pr0n addiction
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
I'm not a medical person so perhaps there is some criteria I'm not familiar with, but isn't addictive behavior pretty much the same regardless of what someone is addicted to? Is the question whether the "addiction" is chemically based vs. simply being socially based? (For example, if a nerd likes playing Quake for 16 hours a day instead of interacting normally with the human race, does that constitute addiction or just different mental software?)
;-) The rest of us would probably take issue with that, but really what objective criteria would be used to have the argument?
I mean really, if addiction is defined as depending on the chemicals that are generated when we feel "good" wouldn't an excess of ANYTHING that makes us feel "good" be a candidate for a cause? And wouldn't it be expected that potential causes of addiction depend on the individual? Some are obvious and would impact virtually anyone (chemical manipulation) but other behaviors which don't directly alter mood via chemical means I would intuitively expect to be more subtle.
Heh, maybe anti-social people (not the angry, dangerous wackos but those who are just indifferent to and/or dislike social situations) would argue that the rest of us are addicted to social interaction.
Anybody with a medical degree around here that can point to some definitive definition of the word "addiction" and what it means, medically?
"I object to doing things that computers can do." -- Olin Shivers, lispers.org
I can stop if I want to.
:-)
I just dont want to, and you arent going to convince me to stop.
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
of course not. the nerve to actually suggest that i'm addicted!
I can stop any time that I want to. In fact, after I finish submitting this post, linking to it from my del.icio.us account, blogging about it, making a video mash up of some select sounds from the blog post and uploading it to youtube and google video and visiting Zefrank's page for the 20th time today, i'll work on my network programming thing that's been pending for the last 2 months.
I'm TOTALLY in control of my life. thankyouverymuch./p?
'tis but a scratch.
Drugs - addictive. People will rob other people for money to buy drugs. People will prostitute themselves for money to buy drugs. People will even kill at times for money to buy drugs.
The Internet - Guys (since most of you are), how long would you have to go without email before you'd have sex with another guy for $5 so you could use an Internet Cafe? (That's if you wouldn't do it for free, anyway.)
Okay, so the Internet is NOT addictive the same way as drugs are.
Cigarettes. Those are addictive. Now, apply the same behavioural process. What would you do for money to buy cigarettes that you would not do for money to buy a CD?
Would you do the same thing(s) for 30 minutes of Internet access?
Okay, so the Internet is NOT addictive the same way cigarettes are.
And so on and so forth. Until you get to the point where the Internet is no more "addictive" than telephones or television or radio.
Tubes? What about the boob-tube? I spend a lot of time on the internet. By the same token, I spend almost no time watching television -- I see DVDs from time to time -- no cable, no antenna, just a DVD player connected to the TV, and yeah, call me an elitist I don't care. Anyway, why does the internet get bashed for being addicting, but television doesn't? Some people watch 5 or 6 hours of TV each day and yet I rarely see articles about how addictive TV is. "Internet Addiction" is just another way to bash the net as an evil place by those who either don't understand its utility, or don't want people to understand its utility.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
television does get bashed for being addictive, but this report is about the internet, not TV.
""Internet Addiction" is just another way to bash the net as an evil place by those who either don't understand its utility, or don't want people to understand its utility"
no, internet addiction is when people turn to the internet even to the point where it is harmfull to them financially or socially.
Why would you think the internet would be an exception to everything else when it comes to addictions?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
A lot of people are addicted to television.
I think we all have addictions, but some are dangerous. That line is crossed when it starts affecting other areas of your life in negative ways, like your work suffers, you ignore other pressing needs to feed the addiction, such as socializing, or paying rent.
That said I think I'm mildly addicted to the web, however, I have gone cold turkey from even email during vacations and didn't get the shakes. The big problem however is that I rely on the net for my job, so giving up the web completely would be a problem.
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Webomatica
Because normal, adjusted people do not prostitute themselves so they can watch TV.
Yes, they do.
But you're confusing the material being addictive with a person having an obsessive disorder.
And obsessive person will become "addicted" to anything.
The question is whether a non-obsessive person can become "addicted" to that material.
And the answer is "No".
Time spent doing something doesn't equal addictiveness. How many people neglect their family and their jobs staying up all night every night watching TV, compared to how many people do the same playing Everquest.