Internet Addiction

Internet Addiction











Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) was first introduced in 1995 as a spoof by Dr. Ivan Goldberg (Thurlow, Lengel, & Tomic, 2004). Since that time some have taken his spoof seriously claiming that individuals really can be addicted to the internet. In 2007, Katie Couric warned the entire nation against the dangers of internet addiction on the NBC Evening News (Notebook, 2007).

A Google search of the keywords “internet addiction” displays a link to a site for testing one’s addiction to the internet (Center, 2008). The test asks 20 questions about behavior and usage of the internet and the participant selects whether the behavior or usage fits them rarely, occasionally, frequently, often, always, or does not apply. Each answer has an associated number of points and the more points one earns the more addicted they are to the internet (Center, 2008).

Some sample questions include “How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are on-line?” and “how often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend on-line and fail?” (Center, 2008). The website offers resources to those who have an addiction including support groups, recommended readings, and information on how to find professional help.

Despite all of this information about IAD, there remains a controversy over whether IAD is a real disorder or not. The controversy stems from whether or not the internet itself is addictive or if only certain activities that can be done on the internet are addictive. For example internet gambling and internet pornography are both addictive but they are also addictive off line too. In other words gambling and pornography are what is addictive; the internet is just a means of accessing that addiction.

While the debate of whether the internet itself is addictive is still ongoing, there is no denying that the internet has made addictive behaviors like gambling and pornography more accessible
When someone is introduced to a new media like the internet the Operant Conditioning Model of Addiction states that the individuals “consumption behavior progresses in four phases: initiation, transition to ongoing use, addiction, and behavior change” (Marlatt et al., 1988 quoted in Larose, Lin, & Eastin, 2003, p. 230).

In the initiation phase the behaviors allowed by the new media are found to be enjoyable but “if the behavior acts as an important or exclusive mechanism to relieve stress, loneliness, depression or anxiety” it is likely that the behavior will transition into an addiction (Larose, Lin, & Eastin, 2003, p. 230). Once addicted the individual may need to get professional help but in many instances of IAD the individuals can cure themselves. This ability to cure one’s self also raises the question of whether or not IAD is a real disorder. Some argue that if it was a real disorder people would be unable to cure themselves without external help (Larose, Lin, & Eastin, 2003, p. 230).

In conclusion, to prevent internet addiction care should be given to the kinds of activities that are engaged in online. Activities that are also addictive offline are likely to cause addiction online and should be avoided. Also the internet should be not used as a means of escaping the stresses of everyday life as this type of behavior can also lead to addiction (Larose, Lin, & Eastin, 2003, p. 230).

References
Center for Internet Addiction Recovery (2008). Retrieved November 7, 2008 from http://www.netaddiction.com/resources/internet_addiction_test.htm.
Notebook: Internet Addiction (CBS News) (2007). Retrieved November 7, 2008 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrlD3yh8bDE.
LaRose, Robert, Lin, Carolyn A. Eastin, Matthew S. (2003). Unregulated internet usage: Addiction, habit, or deficient self-regulation? Media Psychology, 5(3), 225-253. Thurlow, Crispen, Laura, Lengel, & Tomic, Alice (2004). Computer mediated communication: Social interation and the internet. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.