Addicted to Technology
by: Kayli Russell and Lindsay Witte
Always have your cell phone with you? Can't get enough of your iPod? Online for five hours while doing homework? Admit it; nearly all teens have some form of Technology Addiction? In this day and age, almost everything is sent by email on a blackberry or through a message on MySpace. The sudden up rise in Technology Addiction is just one more result of the world's teens and working classes impatience to wait just one second for an email, phone call, or text message.
MySpace and Facebook are two of the many websites teens can't get enough of these days. Myspace addiction is real. No one ever thinks that he or she might be addicted to something as innocent as MySpace. Wake up and smell the coffee because it is a real dilemma. If you are having trouble distinguishing between normal computer use and addiction, here are some tips to help you find out:
1. First, admit you have a problem. This may be hard, but accepting that MySpace has taken over your life is an important step to overcoming your addiction.
2. Second, stop communicating with people through MySpace and correspond with only those you know, as fellow addicts only contribute to your problem. Try other ways of communicating, like by phone, an instant messenger program like AIM, or email.
3. Post several bulletins announcing that you will be no longer available on MySpace. Delete your main pictures, blogs, comments, etc.
4. Find other creative activities to do. Try to find ones that both amuse you in the short-term and benefit you in the long-term.
5. Keep in contact with your friends daily.
6. After waiting a good month and re-establishing your life, go back and delete your MySpace.
7. Never go back to MySpace, as it will possibly trigger a relapse into the addiction.
If you know for a fact you are addicted to the internet then here are some tips to help you kick the habit:
1. Find more valuable activities to fill your time.
2. If MySpace is your homepage, change it to something like Google or Yahoo.
3. If your real-life friends use MySpace in front of you, tell them you are trying to stay away form it and ask that they do not get on while you are around. Remember, real friends don't let friends be MySpace Addicts.
WARNING!: MySpace addictions are serious matters and should not be taken lightly. If you or someone you know is addicted to MySpace, please get them the help they need immediately.
We caught up with some students and asked them about their Internet habits. Emily Brunson, a sophomore we talked to said on average she may only get online for a half an hour, but may get on during the weekends for 4 and a half hours. She also said she does not think about MySpace much at school, and then deleted the account because she never had any time for it. Brunson said she doesn't think she is addicted at all to the internet.
Amy Francis and Samantha Keeling also told us that they don't feel that they are addicted to the internet. Francis said she may occasionally get online for a half an hour during the week and Keeling said she doesn't have time to during the week because of school work.
Cell phones and blackberries, or crackberries as they have been recently pegged, are the latest trend in America. Almost too much of a trend, since many accidents and deaths have resulted from texting while driving, also know as short message service, SMS. Text Messaging Addiction is another deadly addiction that has many states banning the use of cell phone while driving entirely. One source, Dr. Mark Collins from the Priory Clinic in London, head of the clinic's addiction unit said "there has been a big rise in the last 18 months with behavioral addictions, mostly texting"? This is not the first time we've heard about texting addictions. Many people can already tell that texting and texting while driving will be an issue we deal with for many years to come.
Many people who are addicted never get caught or treated and endure a life of nothingness and restless nights, but, for those who want help can go to a government clinic for Internet Addiction that was opened in March of 2005 at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital in People's Republic of China in order to treat youths between the ages of 14 and 24, who suffer from anxiety, depression, and lack of sleep often due to long hours of online gaming and chats.
So if you have ever felt like your online for extended periods of time, or that you check your MySpace one too many times, or text while you drive, you may very well be addicted. As mentioned before, Internet and Technological Addictions are very serious and dangerous matters. Look for help with your problem or just use the tips stated above to help you kick the addiction.
References:
Bishop, J. (2005). "Does Internet Addiction Exist?". available online
Caruso, D. (1998). Critics Pick Apart Study on Internet and Depression. available online.
Hansen, S. (2002). Excessive Internet usage or Internet Addiction? The implications of diagnostic categories for student users. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning; Vol. 18 Issue 2, pp.232-236.
Potera, C. (1998). Trapped in the Web?. Psychology Today, Mar/Apr 98, Vol. 31 Issue 2, pp.66-70.
Young, K. (1998). Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction and a Winning Strategy for Recovery. John Wiley, New York
Sources:
www.textually.org/textually/archives/2003/10/001845.htm
www.scholar.google.com/scholar?q=myspace+and+facebook+addiction&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&oi=scholart