Is Internet addiction real? To really understand this, we have to ask, what really is an addiction? An addiction is an attraction to a substance or behavior that severely adversely effects your life. For example, drinking a couple beers a day will not severely damage your body, however, drinking 12 beers a day, every day, is most likely a sign of her serious addiction.
So clearly addictions are very subjective and will vary in definition from person to person. So in my subjective opinion, Internet addiction is very real and affects tens of millions of people. What makes the Internet so addictive is the fact that it acts as a social medium, and all humans deep down want to be accepted by a group of their peers.
This differs from television because the user cannot communicate directly with the television, which is a one way dialogue.
In my personal experience, the Internet can be a wonderful resource in terms of learning opportunities, but it can also be a major sink of time. Online pornography, gambling, and every other type of vice is available anonymously and discreetly, making it more prone to abuse.
While I did not suffer any serious problems as a result of using the Internet, I found that it was consuming an ever greater portion of my time, without getting anything accomplished. For me, it was all about the sheer volume of information that is available for one to explore.
The problem is that this cut into my productive activities, meaning I was making less money and just didn’t get much done.
So if you think that you are suffering from Internet addiction or you simply want to cut down on your Internet use, what are some steps that you can take in order to fix the situation?
One step that you can take is to simply cut off all of your Internet usage for a week. Of course, this isn’t possible if you own an online business, but if you are like most people, set your limit to only checking your e-mail and set a standard limit of minutes that you are on the Internet a day.
Of course, this method requires discipline but monitoring your Internet usage is certainly a feasible way to utilize your time wisely. If you still find that you cannot budget your time wisely, it may be a good idea to simply give up the Internet altogether and only use traditional means of communication. Much like a recovering alcoholic can’t drink a drop of alcohol, some people just cannot use the Internet in moderation.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is also useful in creating new habits. If you are on a web site you should be on, you simply have to tell yourself that you shouldn’t be looking at that particular page and force your mind to switch it off. Simply training yourself into adopting better habits is an effective way of changing undesirable behaviors.
The third way is to do something else that is productive during the time on what with which you’d be on the Internet. For example, you could take a walk, or cook yourself a snack. You may go out with friends or go on a date. By simply finding yourself other things to do during that time period, you will find that your need to use the Internet will lessen.
Remember, the that the Internet is a great resource and is truly beneficial to humanity overall, but if not used in moderation it simply becomes a time waster and a useless resource.
