Caught in the Web

Micah davis

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction – and one of man’s most revolutionary achievements, the Internet, is a perfect example of this.

Society has leaned on the easily accessible, expeditious World Wide Web to conduct the bulk of our day-to-day operations.

Gone are the days when shopping meant departing one’s cozy abode to acquire whatever was desired.

Food, fun and even true love are guaranteed to be available online.

“I love the Internet,” said Steven Garcia, 20. “I can keep in touch with friends without actually calling.

Plus, anything I want I can find somewhere online.”

In fact, mostly everything is attainable with a few simple keystrokes.

Such mediums as online dating, shopping, gambling, gaming and socializing offer any individual with Internet access the opportunity to live in a different world.

“I’m online anywhere from two to 10 hours a day,” explained Aaron Hopson, 24, business major. “I use it to view all kinds of programming from Podcasts, to music videos, to baseball, to old TV shows.”

“It’s a great tool for learning but more importantly it helps kill time… Gotta love this thing,” Hopson said.

IAD is a relatively new development, originally theorized in 1995 by Dr. Ivan Goldberg.

Definitions and classifications of Internet Addiction Disorder are still being discussed, learned and updated.

“There’s no question that there are people who are seriously in trouble because of the fact that they’re overdoing their Internet involvement,” Goldberg said in a 2006 article in the Washington Post.

Generally, therapists can agree cybersex and cyberporn addiction is the most common form of IAD, according to netaddiction.com.

Gaming addiction, virtual society addiction and Internet social interaction addiction have also been diagnosed in patients.

“Internet addicts suffer from emotional problems such as depression and anxiety-related disorders and often use the fantasy world of the Internet to psychologically escape unpleasant feelings or stressful situations,” states The Center for Internet Addiction’s Web site.

IAD does have its share of detractors.

“It depends on what you’re talking about,” said James Crossen, professor of Addiction Studies at Pierce College. “Addiction is not a psychological issue, in the same way diabetes is not; it’s a physical problem. (IAD) is a psychological disorder. All you have to do is stabilize your life.”

According to a 2006 article in The New York Times, Professor Sara Kiesler of Carnegie Mellon University, said, “I think using the

Internet in certain ways can be quite absorbing, but I don’t know that it’s any different from an addiction to playing the violin and bowling.”

“There is absolutely no evidence that spending time online, exchanging e-mail with family and friends, is the least bit harmful,” Kiesler said. “We know that people who are depressed or anxious are likely to go online for escape and that doing so helps them.”

While professional opinions differ on the legitimacy of an Internet Addiction Disorder, there are obvious side effects of extensive Internet usage.

“I got so hooked on one particular Web site,” Hopson said. “That I missed out on a couple of dates once. One was for a job interview.

(I) got so addicted that I would be surfing sites and be exceedingly late for class.”

In 2005, a 28-year-old South Korean man collapsed and died inside an Internet cafe while playing Starcraft, an online real-time strategy game.

The man played for 50 hours, only taking short breaks to nap and use the bathroom.

Last September, a 30-year-old Chinese man died of exhaustion after playing video games for three days straight.

Maressa Hecht Orzack, director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at Harvard University’s McLean Hospital, believes that anywhere from 5 percent to 10 percent of Web surfers suffer from Web Dependency, states forbes.com.

There are an increasing number of people utilizing the Internet, and thus becoming susceptible to IAD.

Though IAD has yet to be acknowledged as a legitimate addiction, the disorder continues to plague Internet users everywhere.

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