The Internet as we know it came into being in the mid 90s. In the decade that has followed, millions of netizens have joined the online community regularly participating in message forums, gaming and other connected pursuits. But for all that is good about the Internet there is a flipside where addiction lurks in the corner.
With constant broadband high speed connections available ever more widely to the general public, the spectre of Internet addiction is becoming a worrying reality for many who cannot get by a day without their 'Internet fix'.
The Internet cuts across age, gender and ethnicity in its ability to connect people. Aside from the more obvious bugbears of online pornography and other dubious materials available online, the sheer immensity of knowledge now made accessible and the ability to communicate through such technologies as Skype and MS Messenger is a powerful draw to the public. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a world without the Internet.
The question remains, however, what is an acceptable amount of time to spend online? And when does Internet usage cross the line from entertaining and informative pastime into an addiction, which excludes normal human interaction and isolates rather than connects?
This is a question of particular importance to parents of the online generation - those children growing up with Internet availability as a de facto element of their home environment. Aside from the restriction of viewing adult or violent material, what guidelines exist to limit say the time a nine-year-old spends online to that of a fifteen-year-old? More to the point, what guidelines exist for adults who make up the majority of the online community?
In essence, there are no guidelines except those of common sense. The Internet itself is largely unregulated and this often reflects in the behaviour of netizens operating within it. In the absence of regulations, many people find themselves in a kind of online limbo where they can float for hours disconnected from the real world.
So what are the danger signs when websurfing becomes an unhealthy addiction?
There are a number of points but perhaps the first is the amount in real time that you spend each day online. Does it exclude your friends and family? More to the point, does the net fulfill your social and interpersonal needs better than 'real life'? In that connection do you find yourself in online chatrooms for extended periods of time and do you have special online friends to whom you find yourself attracted? Also, does the web form an intrinsic part of your fantasy life, whether through such pursuits as online gaming or roleplay or perhaps through the pursuit of online liaisons.
People who spend too much time often experience a sense of loneliness or depression. Others feel guilt or shame as their addiction takes over and prevents them from proper interaction with friends and family in real time. This often leads to secretive behaviour to cover up net usage..Does this describe you?
Friends and family are often the first people to notice the change from a normal relationship with the web to an obsessive one where going online offers the same kind of satisfactions that drugs do to a drug addict.
If you recognize these symptoms in yourself or in those that are close to you, take positive action. Disengage from the web, sign out of chatrooms and take a 'holiday' from the web. If teenagers are the question, discuss matters in the open and in the eventuality that you cannot come to an agreement, limit the time they spend online. The Parental Control and Time Lock features available in F-Secure Internet Security 2006 offers a variety of options for controlling excessive net usage and accessing dubious sites. For a good source of news and resources about online safety for children, teenagers, parents and teachers, please go to: www.staysafe.org
The good news about the Internet
A survey entitled 'The Strength of Internet Ties' by US-based Pew Internet think-tank to find out whether the web and e-mail strengthen social ties has found established that nearly half of all Americans turn to the web at important junctures in their lives.
The report found the Internet was especially important in times of crisis when people typically use it as an additional aid to mobilise their social networks. This is particularly so when a person's social network is wide and geographically large.
The reliance people now have on the web and their accessibility to it is creating a new social phenomenon according to sociologist Barry Wellman who co-authored the report. Wellman stated that rather than relying on a single community for social support, individuals were actively seeking out a variety of appropriate people and resources for different situations.
TURNING TO THE NET
- 21 million Americans use the net to get additional career training
- 17 million use it when dealing with major illness
- 17 million use it for choosing a school for a child
- 16 million use it to buy a car
- 16 million use it for a major financial decision
- 10 million use it for finding new place to live
- 8 million use it when changing job
- 7 million use it to cope with family illness
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project
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