People estimate that nearly ten percent of
users become addicted to the Internet. The vast majority
admitted to feelings of time distortion, accelerated intimacy, and
feeling uninhibited when online. Research has found that Internet
Addiction is a type of impulsive-control problem
and five general subtypes have been defined:
1. Cybersexual Addiction Individuals who suffer
from Cybersexual addiction typically are either engaged in viewing,
downloading, and trading online pornography or involved in adult
fantasy role-play chat rooms.
2. Cyber-Relational Addiction Individuals who
suffer from Chat Room Addiction become over-involved in online
relationships or may engage in virtual adultery. Online friends
quickly become more important to the individual often at the
expense of real life relationships with family and friends. In many
instances, this will lead to marital discord and family
instability.
3. Net Compulsions Addictions to online gaming,
online gambling, and eBay are fast becoming new mental problems in
the post-Internet Era. With the instant access to virtual casinos,
interactive games, and eBay, addicts loose excessive amounts of
money and even disrupt other job-related duties or significant
relationships.
4. Information Overload The wealth of data
available on the World Wide Web has created a new type of
compulsive behavior regarding excessive web surfing and database
searches. Individuals will spend greater amounts of time searching
and collecting data from the web and organizing information.
Obsessive compulsive tendencies and reduced work productivity are
typically associated with this behavior.
5. Computer Addiction In the 80s, computer games
such as Solitaire and Minesweeper were programmed into computers
and researchers found that obsessive computer game playing became
problematic in organizational settings as employees spent most days
playing rather than working. These games are not interactive nor
played online.
How can you tell if you are addicted? Here are some typical warning
signs:
1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous
on-line activity or anticipate next on-line session)?
2. Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts
of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut
back, or stop Internet use?
4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when
attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
5. Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended?
6. Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant
relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the
Internet?
7. Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal
the extent of involvement with the Internet?
8. Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of
relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt,
anxiety, depression)?
If you can answer "yes" to five or more of the questions, then you
may suffer from Internet addiction. Often time, users are not sure
if they suffer from Internet addiction, they suspect because they
spend long hours in front of the computer that they may have a
problem.
Based upon national surveys, research has shown that Internet
addiction can affect people from different age groups, cultural
backgrounds, vocations, and educational levels. Graphs from early
studies showed that mostly high-tech workers and people that were
home during the day (i.e., homemaker, disabled, retired, students)
were the most at risk to develop a problem with the Internet.
Generally, they were online less than one year and chat rooms and
interactive online games were the most addictive
applications..
Duration of online use is broken down as follows:
Clinical research classifies the most addictive online
applications:
