http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hIF-Ws_AAl3GtjIN04ajuoKIEhBA?docId=CNG.59c8f07fc7da6a4419e50d7af3fe7904.a1
Should compulsive Internet use really be qualified as an addiction? It’s not like a substance addiction, where somebody becomes accustomed to a certain chemical. Does this matter? If it’s still an addiction what makes it so? Are the consequences of Internet addiction, and others similar to it, different than those of substance addictions? How so?
The article says that more young people are classified as being Internet addicts than adults. Why do you think this is? Is it because younger people are more adapted to modern technology? Or are there more websites which are targeted at young people?
The study found that there are more women internet addicts than men. 5% of the females of the tested population were considered addicts, while only 3% of the males were. Why do you think is? The article also says that the girls are largely devoted to social networks, like Facebook, while the boys mostly spend their web time playing online games. Why is this? Is there something inherent to each gender that causes them to be susceptible to different sites?
I think that women are more likely to be addicted to the internet and to get on social networking sites because women like to gossip. Lets be honest, it is a lot more rare to hear guys talking about other guys than it is to hear girls talking about other girls. With social networking sites it is easier to keep updated with the things going on in their friends lives. In my opinion younger people are more addicted to the internet because it is all they know. They have grown up with the internet being there to help them with everything from looking something up on dictionary.com or keeping themselves entertained by doing things like watching youtube videos. The older generations haven't had that their whole lives; therefore, they do not depend on it as much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liz in the sense that the current generation was born at the time of the invention of the computers and internet and hence they are more addicted to it. Also, the assignments and teachings are done through internet which increases the time of usage of internet by the teenagers. Hence the younger generation uses the internet more than the adults and are faster in adapting to the development in internet technology. For the reason why the percentage of internet usage by girls are higher than the boys, I think that most girls, since childhood played indoors and hence feel more comfortable and safe staying inside the house. As they grow up, they no longer play with toys but do something else; which is, in this generation, electronic devices.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Liz and MinSeok in the fact that the 21st century generation is more addicted to the internet. But in this sense wouldn't it also make sense if they were not as well? Since they were born in the technology era then they should be use to all the advances as well. I think it should be more likely for adults to be addicted than teens and the younger generation. I also think that is likely to be addicted to the internet and it makes it an addiction because some cannot go without the internet because of the dependence we have developed with it. Our lives have been centered around the internet for the past 10 or so years and from now on it will forever be in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think Erin has made an interesting point. It is true that younger generations have grown up with new technology, which means they are more accustomed to it. Does it make sense that something that seems so "everyday" to someone can become an addiction? Adults can appreciate technology more since they weren't raised in a world where they could rely on Facebook or texting to communicate with their friends. Because adults might appreciate it more, wouldn't it make sense for them to be more susceptible to addiction?
ReplyDeleteI feel like young adults and middle aged people have become more accustomed to internet and new technology but I have noticed that much older people (senior citizens) tend to resist technologic innovations quite a bit. Why do you think that is?
I do not think that you can be addicted to the internet. Despite that there is no chemical addiction there is also no reason that people should be out of control. They are making the conscious decision to open their laptop or sit at a desktop and go online. There are definitely people who use the internet as a form of escape however I think the problem stems from psychological issues developed from something such as social isolation rather than the center problem being their use of the internet. To help someone like this their first step would not have to be to admit they are addicted to the internet, as it would be with an actual addiction. Instead you would focus on the source of the problem, such as their social isolation.
ReplyDeleteYounger generations grew up with this type of technology. Therefore we have had more experiences through online connections than our parents. It has become our way of communicating whereas our parents are more adapted to communicating face-to-face. Although they probably have a greater appreciation for these advances it is out of their element to partake in things such as Facebook. Even parents who do have their own Facebook accounts do not use it as often because it is not as comfortable to them as it is to our generation.
I agree that the older crowd might not feel as comfortable with Facebook, however I have noticed that twitter seems to be much more widely used among older people. Why is twitter more appealing to that age group?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion people can most definitely become addicted to technology. As I have stated in past posts; addicts get addicted to the "feeling" or "high" they get after carrying out a given action. If someone gets a feeling of euphoria after posting something on someones wall on Facebook or from continuously clicking the refresh button on their news feed, I feel, that you can most definitely say that they are addicted to technology. If they are spending countless hours on the computer or playing video games to the point where it conflicts with their everyday activity and neglect to associate with their family I would say that one could definitely be classified as a technology addict.
ReplyDeleteI do think the compulsive internet use is a kind of addiction. Whether chemical is involved doesn’t matter at all, whereas extend to what people rely on a particular thing and the possible consequences will be brought about are supposed to tell us whether it is an addiction or not. Obviously, the “symptom” of compulsive internet use is very same as what can be seen on those people who are addicted to either alcohol or gambling. They both lose themselves in it and pay much less attention to the people they love and the work they are responsible for. If there is any difference between internet and substance addiction, that would be that they can by no means be cured by chemical correspondingly.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it seems that young people are more likely to suffer from internet addiction and I think that is only because, as article says, they are more adapted to modern technology. It is reasonable for them to take up a large part of the addicts, considering the large amount of young computer users. However, it’s unfair for them to be considered as a group of people who lack self-control and cannot resist temptation. In my point of view, it is those so called mature adults that actually tend to get addicted to internet. Compared with youth, they are bound to take on more responsibility and their life tend to be dull and repetitive, which make them eager to get rid of the reality, no matter how short the time is, and the virtual world is the best place can appeal to them. On the other hand, youth have many activities to distract their attention from internet. In a sense, the internet is a tool for them to live a better life in real world, that is to say, it is their world’s extension. They don’t usually take them separately, which determines that they are not that venerable to internet addiction.
i agree with Erin about how middle age people are more addicted to the internet and other technological devices because as he said we(as a generation) grew up with all this advanced technology and it seems so everyday. Adults though are so amazed and shocked when it comes to how technology has changed since they were kids with only 12 black and white television channels. Also i think it seems right that women are more addicted because no offense to other women but women just don't work as hard as men and have way more time on their hands to do things like updating a status or tweeting whereas men have other things on their mind. When it comes to deciding if internet addiction is possible i think it is possible to get addicted to anything. If checking up on friends or searching the web creates some type of reaction in the brain making it a positive connection it essentially creates a type of addiction.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very thin and misleading. Being addicted to the internet is impossible. This would mean that a person would be addicted to everything on the web, which would take multiple lifetimes to explore. The internet presents a seemingly endless world of websites, all of which have different effects and require different things. The individual may be addicted to specific aspects of the internet like social networking or games. I agree with the article that this kind of addiction brings someone away from reality. Spending too much time on the internet presents the possibility of a less healthy physical and social lifestyle. I completely disagree with the article that boys are addicted to online gaming. Not once have I met someone that preferred internet games over video games.
ReplyDeleteI think internet usage can become an addiction especially in the youth of our generation. Because it's more common to those who are younger it's more likely for them to become addicted since they have grown up with it. But because technology is ever advancing and becoming more and more apart of our society could this become the norm? We already have are friends all online along with banking, schooling, and countless other things so whats not to say that we keep advancing and we need the internet for everything and it just becomes society that were always on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI think one can become addicted to products from the internet. It can slide in as a subliminal addiction though. Many believe they can't become addicted because there is no substance intake, but the time consumption that occurs from overuse of the internet begins to over take other important tasks and errands and then becomes to rule ones life. I guess it depends on what aspect of the internet the person is becoming addicted with the the actual internet is the source which can be labeled an addiction.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one can be addicted to the internet simply because how could one use the internet all the time simply because you have something important to do at a particular website.
ReplyDeleteAlso the younger is much addicted to the internet relative to the older simply because the former has easy access to the computer compared to the later.
i strongly disagree with notion that females are more addicted to the internet than males.Both sexes are equally addicted to the internet.