Like many of you, I spend entirely too much time online. Managing email, surfing the web, and writing for three blogs easily consumes several hours per day. I justify my Internet usage by the fact that I’m doing something productive, not harming anyone in the process, making a few extra dollars, and darn it - I’m just having fun! But when does “fun” cross the line and become an addiction?
I recently read an article about Internet addiction in HR Magazine, a publication of the Society of Human Resource Management. As an HR professional, I am quite aware of the growing concern of Internet abuse in the workplace, but I had never really thought of Internet use as being a legitimate addiction that can severely disrupt both professional and personal lives. When I read about Renae, a state government analyst who spends six of her eight daily work hours surfing the net, I decided to do some further research on the topic.
According to a 2006 study by Stanford University School of Medicine, one in eight Americans exhibits signs of Internet addiction. The typical affected individual is a single, college-educated white male in his 30s. He spends approximately 30 hours per week on “nonessential computer use.” Elias Aboujaoude, Clinical Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of Stanford’s Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, believes that Internet addiction is not unlike substance abuse or other impulse-control disorders. Sufferers experience “a repetitive, intrusive and irresistible urge to perform an act that may be pleasurable in the moment but that can lead to significant problems on the personal and professional levels.”
The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery defines the warning signs of Internet addiction as:
- compulsive use of the Internet
- preoccupation with being online
- lying or hiding the extent or nature of online behavior
- inability to control or curb online behavior
Forms of Internet abuse include cybersex and cyberporn, online affairs, eBay, online gambling, compulsive surfing, and multi-user role playing games. I find it interesting that blogging wasn’t mentioned.
National surveys indicate that more than 50% of Internet addicts also suffer from some other form of addiction - usually drugs, alcohol, smoking, or sex. Many of them also battle emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. Female internet addicts focus their online efforts on chatting and shopping, whereas men participate in games, porn, and gambling.
The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery offers a number of services and resources, including a Recovery Blog and a podcast, to help those suffering from problematic Internet use. If excessive Internet use is creating problems in your daily life, please take a moment to check out the links I have provided.
As for me, I have no time for that. I still have several hours of blogging left to do!
There are currently 51 comments on that post, with the majority of them being personal attacks on Garry. It has gone far beyond expressing opposing viewpoints. Readers apparently have nothing better to do than to scrutinize Garry’s blog and point out spelling and grammatical errors. Frankly, I am disappointed and ashamed at the level of immaturity displayed.
