{"id":473,"date":"2009-08-21T17:09:51","date_gmt":"2009-08-21T22:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.adam-jackson.net\/?p=473"},"modified":"2009-08-21T17:09:51","modified_gmt":"2009-08-21T22:09:51","slug":"the-case-on-internet-addiction-is-lame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/08\/21\/the-case-on-internet-addiction-is-lame\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2605 The Case on Internet Addiction is Lame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gizmodo, a popular gadget site just ran a piece<\/a> on Internet addiction. Their post was merely a re-print of an addiction exam from a website called Net Addiction Recovery<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Gizmodo asked their readers to take this self test and weigh in on their level of Internet Addiction. The test is below:<\/p>\n


\nHere is what to look for (3-4 yes responses suggest abuse; 5 or more suggest addiction)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Increasing amounts of time spent on computer and internet activities<\/p>\n

\u2022 Failed attempts to control behavior<\/p>\n

\u2022 Heightened sense of euphoria while involved in computer and internet activities<\/p>\n

\u2022 Craving more time on the computer and internet<\/p>\n

\u2022 Neglecting friends and family<\/p>\n

\u2022 Feeling restless when not engaged in the activity<\/p>\n

\u2022 Being dishonest with others<\/p>\n

\u2022 Computer use interfering with job\/school performance<\/p>\n

\u2022 Feeling guilty, ashamed, anxious, or depressed as a result of behavior<\/p>\n

\u2022 Changes in sleep patterns<\/p>\n

\u2022 Physical changes such as weight gain or loss, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome<\/p>\n

\u2022 Withdrawing from other pleasurable activities<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Honestly, these kind of tests have been around since early 2001 when I became heavily involved in the web and yes, according to those tests, even at the age of 15, I was addicted to The Internet. I took this test and learned that I wasn’t addicted because the addition ceased to exist and Internet activities suddenly became a part of my life, work and play including how I engage and interact with others. It’s not an “addiction” anymore, it’s normal. I’m not going to argue whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing but in my line of work and among my peers, everyone I interact with is exactly like me. None of us our addicted because we’ve positioned our life around the web. I’d like to take this exam and break it down. I’m sure you’ll see my point and reason behind my case that I’m not addicted to The Internet.
\n
\nIncreasing amounts of time spent on computer and internet activities<\/strong>
\nI haven’t seen increasing amounts of time because my time online has been exactly the same for 6 years. According to Wakoopa stats, I spend 8-12 hours a day typing and moving my mouse. You can view the graph here<\/a>.
\n
\nFailed attempts to control behavior<\/strong>
\nBehavior toward The Internet? I haven’t tried to control it and I don’t want to. In fact, If I unplug for too long I’ll lose my job and i won’t know what my friends are doing tonight because they’re sending me emails and Twitter messages. If I’m offline for a whole day, life goes on but it goes on without me and that’s not any fun at all.<\/p>\n

Heightened sense of euphoria while involved in computer and internet activities<\/strong>
\nNope. I may have had this at first but not anymore. I only feel that when I drink Red Bull. (very rarely I might add)<\/p>\n

Craving more time on the computer and internet<\/strong>
\nActually no. I enjoy my downtime and enjoy being off the computer.<\/p>\n

Neglecting friends and family<\/strong>
\nNot at all. All of my friends are online all day so we chat, interact and share things. Then I unplug and hang out with them if I’m not working.
\n
\nFeeling restless when not engaged in the activity<\/strong>
\nNah but I’ve never felt restless about anything at all so this might be challenging to answer.<\/p>\n

Being dishonest with others<\/strong>
\nNot more than usual. I’m an honest guy. I do remember lying to my Dad about my Internet usage back in 1999-2001. these days everyone knows I do all of my work online so it’s just normal.<\/p>\n

Computer use interfering with job\/school performance<\/strong>
\nHa! My computer usage actually helped me at school and continues to help me at my job. Without a computer I wouldn’t have a job. <\/p>\n

Feeling guilty, ashamed, anxious, or depressed as a result of behavior<\/strong>
\nNot at all. In fact, the Internet helped me find jobs, find apartments and find friends. <\/p>\n

Changes in sleep patterns<\/strong>
\nNot lately. I work pretty late and get up early but my pattern is constant.<\/p>\n

Physical changes such as weight gain or loss, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome<\/strong>
\nI have had some weight gain lately but it’s just me getting older and my metabolism slowing down. I’m dieting and have already lost weight. It wasn’t related to the computer.<\/p>\n

Withdrawing from other pleasurable activities<\/strong>
\nYeah but I’ve never really been an active person but the Internet and my work is pleasurable. I enjoy and love what I’m doing. Most things people find pleasure in don’t interest me so this is a good thing.<\/p>\n

———–<\/p>\n

See. The ultimate issue here is not that I’m addicted to The Internet which was probably common back in the late 90s among a demographic that is now 15 years older than I am. The issue is that The Internet is in my computer, my DVR, iPhone, iPod Touch, television and even picture frames. The Internet powers my refrigerator and warns me with a text message when I let the coffee pot on. The Internet is so integrated into our lives that a self-help seminar on freeing ourselves from Net Addiction is pointless. Like I said, I’m not here to say whether or not The Internet is good or bad and that our current situation is a good thing. My point is that this course is doomed because we’re on The Internet every moment of the day.<\/p>\n

I can see how this course was valuable back then because a wife would see her 32 year old husband literally addicted to The Internet as she’d hear AOL 4.0 signing on every hour so he could check mail, buy socks and chat on anonymous chat rooms. These days, he can do that on his phone and from his television. The novelty is no longer there and we know the Internet will be there when we need it. How do you rank on this scale and do you feel the same as I do regarding your “addiction” to The Internet?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gizmodo, a popular gadget site just ran a piece on Internet addiction. Their post was merely a re-print…\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-life","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-7D","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":913,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2010\/07\/30\/why-i-no-longer-read-gawker-blogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":473,"position":0},"title":"\u2605 Why I No Longer Read Gawker Blogs [Updated]","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"July 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Before you read this post, please note the comment below from Brian Lam who is the Editorial Director for Gizmodo. 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