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Cathlene-Why Is Internet Addictive

The document discusses internet addiction, how it has become a growing concern as internet use has increased. Internet addiction refers to an irresistible compulsion to stay online that interferes with normal life and relationships. It can negatively impact social skills development and relationships. There are various behaviors considered forms of internet addiction. Factors like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and lack of emotional support can make some people more vulnerable to developing an internet addiction as they seek solace online. Internet addiction is now recognized in some countries as a health problem due to its effects on large portions of the population.

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72 views

Cathlene-Why Is Internet Addictive

The document discusses internet addiction, how it has become a growing concern as internet use has increased. Internet addiction refers to an irresistible compulsion to stay online that interferes with normal life and relationships. It can negatively impact social skills development and relationships. There are various behaviors considered forms of internet addiction. Factors like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and lack of emotional support can make some people more vulnerable to developing an internet addiction as they seek solace online. Internet addiction is now recognized in some countries as a health problem due to its effects on large portions of the population.

Uploaded by

Mila aguasan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Addictive Internet

You’ve probably heard that we’re all spending too much time on our phones and

computers. Now that the internet becomes increasingly intertwined in our lives, some experts

have raised concerns around the concept of people having an internet addiction. As Germany

Kennant said, “If social media controls you and is robbing you of your freedom and good

emotional energy chances are, you're addicted and it's not a healthy hobbit.”

Years ago, everyone had to get used to being bored, whether it was because of long

lines or long doctor's office waits. The Internet promises us permanent relief from boredom: no

matter where you are, you can get an instant entertainment. Research suggests though, that we

need boredom to think creatively; when you can't daydream, your ability to occupy yourself at

times of boredom, encouraging a strong need to always check your phone and surf the web; in

the end, some users find that they simply cannot be entertained without the Internet.

Internet addiction refers to the irresistible need to stay online that interferes with normal

life and may affect relationships. It can negatively affect personal relationships with beloved

ones and may also cause negative impact on life. By spending hours on the internet, the

development of social skills may be impacted negatively.

There is a variety of behaviors that can be referred to as Internet addiction. Other terms

for this addiction include Internet addiction disorder (IAD) and net addiction. Surveys suggest

that males who are addicted to spending time online tend to prefer viewing pornographic

websites, while females are attracted to chat rooms for making platonic and cybersexual

relationships.
Internet addiction is being recognized and acknowledged, particularly in countries where

it is affecting large numbers of people, such as South Korea, where it has been declared a

national health problem. It is also a growing concern in developed nations in North America and

Europe.

Many psychologists argue that immoderate internet use should be treated like the other

types of addiction. Just like other types of addiction, there’s no single cause of internet addition.

In addition to high exposure to technology, there are many other reasons why a person can

become an Internet addict. For example, people suffering from anxiety and depression can have

the tendency to have an Internet addiction; their lack of emotional support makes them turn to

the Internet to fill this need.

Another example is people who have feelings of inadequacy, a fear of disapproval, who

are overly shy and can’t build relationships with their peers suffer from low self-esteem. As a

consequence, these people end up relying on the Internet for solace and to create fake

personas as an image of who they would like to be. As Mokokoma Mokhonoana said, “Man

does not really love social media; he merely hates boredom and loneliness.”

Lack of emotional support makes users turn to the Internet to fill this need. Like other

addictions, compulsive Internet usage completely dictates a person’s life. Users struggle to

control their behavior, causing a sense of despair, leading them to dive further in their addictive

pattern. After some time, they become dependent on cyberspace to feel normal.
References

Bannon, S., Mcglynn, T., Mckenzie, K., & Quayle, E. (2015). The internet and young people with

additional support needs (asn): Risk and safety. Computers in Human Behavior, 5

Al-Menayes, J., & Unger, J. (2015). Psychometric properties and validation of the Arabic social

media addiction scale. Journal of Addiction, 2015

Dowdell, E. (2013). Use of the internet by parents of middle school students: Internet rules, risky

behaviors and online concerns. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 20(1),9-16.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/internet-addiction

https://childmind.org/article/is-internet-addiction-real/

https://www.psycom.net/iadcriteria.html

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