Hello, my name is Gerard, but I go by Scott (middle name). My hometown is Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. I’m a sophomore majoring in Information Science in the College of Arts & Sciences. I’m into cycling, snowboarding, photography and graphic/web design and I’m a web designer for a well-known organization on campus.
I couldn’t come up with a specific phenomenon that interested me most because they all seem equally absurd, so rather than cover one particular subject, I chose to cover the general phenomenon of Internet addiction. It can occur because of one Internet phenomenon or as a combination of numerous online sources.
Many of the topics already discussed on this blog, such as Facebook fiends, omg txt chatters and MMORPG wizards are cases of concentrated Internet addiction. Facebook addiction is a condition that affects thousands of college students every day. From simply checking in every few minutes, hoping for a new notification, and flipping through random acquaintances’ photos, to writing on your best friend’s wall… as they sit next to you. We can all agree that Facebook addiction is real. Txt chatters are easy to pick out from across the lecture hall, you’ll either see the 2” screen light up every other minute, or you’ll hear it flip closed (sometimes preceded by the feverish click-clacking of the number pad). Many of my classmates have already attested to their personal texting addictions on this blog. While Facebook and texting are certainly addictive, they rarely become as serious as an MMORPG addiction. A few years ago the online game EverQuest was linked to suicide and child neglect because of its addictive nature. Similar games have been responsible for students neglecting work and in some cases, failing out of school. How can someone neglect the outside world to such a degree that a game can destroy his or her life?
The form of Internet addiction that plagues myself and many others is less concentrated in one online realm. It is simply the need to stay connected at all times. Whether I’m reading the newest entries to my favorite blogs, checking recent headlines around the world, answering email, or refreshing my Facebook news feed, there’s always something new online. In an increasingly wired world with new distractions every day, this type of addiction is only getting worse.
Internet addiction spans the whole spectrum of online spaces. Each of Wallace’s spaces can be addictive, one can spend hours surfing the web, become a slave to their email client, accumulate thousands of posts on discussion forums, spend too much time in chat rooms, or get lost in fantasy role playing games like MUDs or (nowadays) MMORPGs. Beyond Wallace’s online spaces, Internet addiction is sure to envelop every new aspect of the net, as it has in the case of Facebook, texting, blogs and more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hey Scott! I agree with you that internet can be very addicting, and I think it’s due to several different phenomena that are occurring online. You pointed out that Facebook, Instant Messanger, blogs, and email all have to do with staying connected. I think we’ve gotten to the point where everyone is so used to being able to get in touch with others in some way, shape, or form that it’s become a necessity. I would personally feel lost if my buddy list weren’t at my fingertips each day. Though my internet addiction hasn’t reached the point where I won’t leave the house, this need to be constantly connected to others may help explain why some people’s addiction reaches that level.
Hello Scott, I also share your concern over the detrimental effects of Internet addiction. I personally felt a slight psychological "withdrawal" effect when I went back to visit China over the summer. The lack of readily accessible Internet connection caused me numerous frustrations, further exacerbated by the denial of two of my favorite sources of news/information – Wikipedia and BBC.com, both completely blocked by the Chinese government. I felt uneasy when I could not contact my American friends for sympathy (the cultural shock was quite bad for me), and I can’t even count the number of times I automatically opened up the Internet browser on my laptop to use an online translator, then realizing that there’s probably no RedRover in the middle of the mountains in eastern China despite its environmental similarity with Ithaca.
However, I can’t say that this sort of behavior should be categorized as “addiction.” It is more accurate to say that we have integrated the Internet so perfectly into our lives that we no longer have the propensity to think without it. Many other types of behavior such as “hardcore” MMORPG playing, however, should definitely be examined closely from the technical, psychological, and sociological perspectives (ah I do wish to go on but then the comment would be an entire blog post by itself!).
hey Scott! I really like the point you make about internet addiction stemming from the need to feel connected. I very much appreciate your honesty when you say that there were many phenomenons that interested you and "they all seem equally absurd." It lets the reader know you are being yourself and upfront. In addition, I find it interesting that the more forms of communication we create, the greater the addiction becomes.
I will be the first to admit that I am a text message addict. The internet and facebook...I could easily kick the habit. But when it comes to my cell phone, I don't know what I would do without it. This past summer I spent two and a half weeks in Europe with my dad and my sister. The fact that I had to leave my phone at home was enough to make me reconsider the long stay. For the one week we spent in Warsaw, we stayed with a close friend in her humble but welcoming appartment. To my horror, I soon realized that not only did this woman( who is my dad's age) refuse to have internet in her house, but she also refused to own a cell phone. The most ironic part of this was that she is the most talkative woman I have ever met. No matter what she was doing she was always talking. Even though she knew that my Polish vocabulary is limited to about five words, she talked my ears off until someone else was around who could understand. And to think that this woman chose not to own a cell phone.
In your discussion about internet addiction, I believe it would create more interest if you could supplement your point of view and your addictions with those of people from other countries. When you talk about internet addiction, are we assuming this is just pertaining to Americans? Or does this problem exist to the same extent in other developed countries?
Post a Comment