People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet

People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet Computers have been around for quite a long time, and now they are in most homes in the United States. The most popular activity on the computer is the Internet. The Internet can be used to gain information, chat, watch videos, listen to music, and play games. In today’s society, many people are becoming addicted to the Internet. This has become a problem because people spend most of their time on the Internet instead of investing their time in productive activities. People are also using the Internet as their main source of communication and information. This causes problems because it affects social lives. The Internet also causes people to become lazy. They can find information on any topic so they do not have to think as much as they would if they did not have access to the Internet. People spend too much time on the Internet. This leads to the detriment of their studies, careers, and social and community participation (Davidson 1). Maria from Matawan, New Jersey spends an average of five hours on the computer everyday. One psychiatrist states, â€Å"You may be ‘addicted’ to the Internet if you need to spend more time online to achieve the same level of satisfaction. You may even be experiencing sleep deprivation, facing marital difficulties, losing friendships, and neglecting your job or school work to the point of risking being fired or flunking out† (Goldsborough 1). Maria feels that she loses control over the time when she is on the Internet. She stays up late every night chatting with her friends, watching videos, and playing online games. One author explains how addictive and sinister the Internet really is: â€Å"It’s easy to get hooked on the Web. A page leads to a link, to a page, to a link, to a page, and before you know it, two hours have flown by† (Walker 2). Maria plans on staying on the Internet for a few minutes. Before she knows it, those minutes turn into hours. Another author explains how the Internet can affect relationships: â€Å"An excessive amount of Internet use has an effect on family and partner relations and on communication within the family† (â€Å"Three-Factor† 1). Maria’s grades and friendships seem to suffer because of the amount of time that she spends on the Internet. Spending time on the Internet becomes the substitute for activities and events that are happening in her life. Instead of going out, she chooses to sit in her house in front of the computer. When it comes to doing her homework, she ends up not doing it because she gets distracted by the computer. When her friends ask her to go out, she rejects the invitation because she would rather stay home searching the Internet. This causes her grades in school and her social life to suffer. We are using the Internet as our main communication source. Facebook and Myspace are highly addictive social-networking websites that captivate teens and young adults. Jessica from Hazlet, New Jersey belongs to the social-network Facebook. People who belong to this site have access to hear from old friends, receive new messages, check out new photos, read blogs, and search for new profiles (â€Å"New† 1). Jessica uses Facebook to communicate with friends, family, and classmates. Other ways she communicates through the computer include Myspace, Twitter, online chat rooms, instant messaging, and many others. This is harmful to her social skills. Instead of making friends in person, she meets people on the Internet. This does not give her a chance to communicate face-to-face. It can also be dangerous to meet new people on the Internet because one may not turn out to be who they claim to be. Klavans, Director of Columbia University’s Center for Research on Information Access, states, â€Å"With chat rooms, you can take on a new personality. It’s like when you are on an airplane and you have a conversation with the person next to you. You can pretend to be someone else for a couple of hours. With the Internet, that can last all night† (Keenan 1). Anything can be said through typing, but these words might not always be the truth. These websites make Jessica hide behind a computer screen instead of interacting face-to-face with others. One author explains why students prefer communicating through the Internet over communicating face-to-face. â€Å"Students enjoy communicating via the Net because they have more time to create clever lines. With the distance the computer provides, they do not have to deal with the stress or awkwardness of face-to-face conversations† (Keenan 2). We can find information about any subject on the Internet, which prevents us from thinking. Danielle from Edison, New Jersey always searches the Internet when she has a homework assignment. One author states that people should not become too dependent on the Internet: â€Å"The Internet is very helpful, allowing people to find information to help them with their careers or studies, but one should not always rely on this for everything† (Goldsborough 2). Danielle can find all the answers to the questions she is assigned and all the information she needs to write her essays through the Internet. When it comes to tests and assignments in class, she does not have access to the Internet so she does not always do her best. She is so accustomed to having all of the answers right in front of her. One author explains how some students become addicted to all of the information on the Internet: â€Å"Some students are information junkies who spend their time checking sports scores, reading home pages or combing through the billions of bits of information readily available on the Internet† (Keenan 2). Danielle feels that she has become dependent on all the information the Internet has to offer. This has caused her to not think as much as she should. Computers have changed our lives in many ways, but people should not take advantage of all the possibilities the Internet has to offer. People are becoming addicted to the Internet. They spend too many hours on the Internet a day instead of going out into the real world. They are also becoming dependent on the Internet. They are using it as their main source of communication and information. They should try to limit the amount of time that that they are spending on the Internet by using their time more wisely. Works Cited Davidson, Jeff. â€Å"Internet Addiction Is Not Pretty†. Public Management. Oct. 2008: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . Goldsborough, Reid. â€Å"When The Internet Becomes Too Much. Office Solutions. Apr. 2008: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . Keenan, John. â€Å"Students Stuck in Cyber Web. † Insight on the News. 29 July, 1996: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . â€Å"New Teen Addictions: Facebook, Myspace†. Oakland Tribune. 23 Sep. , 2007: 3. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . â€Å"Three-Factor Model of Internet Addiction: The Development of The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire†. Behavior Research Method. Ma y 2008: 3. Web. 21 Sep 2009.. Walker, Celeste Perrino. â€Å"Help For The â€Å"Terminally Addicted. †-Internet Addiction. † Vibrant Life. Jan. -Feb. , 1998: 2. Web. 21 Sep 2009.