Term paper on Internet Addiction

Internet Addiction Essays

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Research Paper Theme: Social Impact of the Internet 8 October 1997 ABSTRACT The Internet

is the largest source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a

means of communicating with people in places all over the face of the earth. Since its conception

in 1973, the Internet has grown at a whirlwind rate. 51 million adults, were on-line as of the

second quarter 1997 in the United States alone. Some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it

is almost addictive. The problem is that researchers are beginning to agree with them. Studies are

revealing that there may be an actual form of addiction involved with over-use of the Internet.

Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is the problem. There are no real

answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. While lost in this so called

‘Cyber Community’ for long periods of time, people are neglecting other important activities like;

time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns. One of the most extensive studies on

Internet Addiction to date was conducted by Dr. Kimberly S. Young of the University of

Pittsburgh at Bradford. In her study, she revealed concrete evidence supporting the Internet

Addiction claim. However, help for web addicts is available. There are several web sites available

for the treatment of Internet addiction, as well as counseling centers and clinics. Is it Live, or is it

Internet? Internet Addiction The Internet is the largest most versatile source of information in the

world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in

places all over the face of the earth. But with all this power at our fingertips, are there any

negative impacts of using this interface? Are we as ‘simple humans’ capable of interacting with

such a powerful communication source. Recent studies are beginning to uncover evidence that

would suggest that maybe some of us are not so capable of dealing with this technology. In fact,

as more research is conducted, experts are finding that the Internet may even be addictive!

Development of the Internet began about 15 years ago. In 1973 the U.S. Defense Research

Projects Agency initiated a program to research the techniques and technologies for inter-linking

various types of networks.1 The objective was to develop communication protocols that would

allow networked computers to communicate transparently across multiple, linked networks. This

was called the internetting project and the system of networks that emerged from the research was

known as the Internet. Since that time, various other research projects, to include those

conducted by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, have shaped and tailored this project to give us the Internet as we know it today.

(1) The Internet has now grown to include over 4500 Service Providers in the United States

alone. A survey by Christian Huitema of Bellcore indicated that there were 26 million host

computers on the Internet as of September 1997.2 A survey conducted by Intelli Quest

Information Group Inc. showed that 51 million adults, age 16 or older, were on-line as of the

second quarter 1997 in the United States alone.3 With such a large portion of the population

swimming in this seemingly never-ending sea of information, what is the real impact of the

Internet on society? It seems that the majority of society thinks the Internet is the greatest

invention since the telephone. This is probably best justified by the whirlwind rate at which the

Internet grows. In fact, some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addicting! The

problem is that recent studies have shown that the Internet may not only be addicting because it is

enjoyable, but that a fairly large number of users are experiencing addiction of a clinical form.4

Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is another problem. There are no

real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. A few researchers are

comparing the Internets effects to marijuana as a psychostimulant. They argue that the chemicals

in marijuana activate the same stimuli as the Internet.5 Most researchers to this date do, however,

agree that this is some type of behavioral addiction. People can become addicted to activities even

when there is no physiological dependence or physiological addiction. Overeating, sex, work,

exercise and gambling can be addictive if done to excess.6 Behavioral addiction means (2) that the

activity alters your emotional state in some way. The main way to determine if an activity is

addictive is if it is having a negative impact on some other important area of your life. The

questions to be answered now are, if there is such a thing as Internet addiction, what are the

effects of this addiction and why are people falling into this trap? According to Dr. Maressa

Orzack of the Computer Addiction Services at Harvard University’s McClean Hospital in Boston,

“The single greatest factor in becoming an addict is boredom.” “They’re lonely, and the Internet,

with its chat rooms and endless information, fills a need.”7 The chat rooms, whether they are used

for sexual and romantic encounters or just to talk to other people around the world, seem to be

the number one temptation. Others include fantasy games and the ability to create false identities

of oneself. Although this ability to create a false identity is not one of the main lures, it does play a

major role when looking at the psychological effects of the Internet. Identity is a key factor in

everyone’s life. Without a sense of identity, or a confused identity, people have difficulty

socializing with others. They also have...

1.) Cerf, Vint. "A Brief History of the Internet" Internet History. (12 Sep 97) 2.)
Gehl, John & Douglas Suzanne. “Internet Keeps Growing and Growing.” Edupage. 16 Sep 97 3.)
INTELLI QUEST. "Internet Survey." Internet News. 04 Sep 97 (08 Sep 97) 4.) Smith, J.W.
"Internet Addiction" Internet Addiction.. 15 Nov 96 (11 Sep 97) 5.) Blakley, Ben. "Mouse
Potatoes & the Net, Is the Internet Addictive? The Internet is Addictive!” Internet Addiction. (11
Sep 97) 6.) "Internet Addiction" Internet Addiction. (11 Sep 97) 7.) Gong, E.J. Jr. ABC
News.com. Internet Addiction. (11 Sep 97) 8.) Tate, Gary "Welcome to my Internet Addiction
Page." Internet Addiction. 4 Sep 97 (11 Sep 97) 9.) Young, Kimberly S. "Internet Addiction: The
Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder.” Internet Addiction. (11 Sep 97) You should cite this paper as follows:

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