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Computer or Internet Additction
Computer or internet addiction, I don't think its officially termed yet in the medical journals. However it may be the next addiction of sorts. Since it seems anything can become an addiction. Personally I like spending lollllllllll. What would you consider too much time on the internet? I know some people who actually have withdrawal systoms if they can't get on line. When is it a pleasant passtime, a search for information and news or an addiction? Any comment?
P :-\Purple98Lady
Answer:
Computer or Internet Addiction
It's already in the medical lexicon. A lot of folks are spending huge amounts of time on the Net, playing games, participating in forums, researching interesting topics and so on. While this is not in itself a bad thing - in my opinion it's good to have an alternative to watching all that TV - it does have some risks: some are even addicted to the extent that it's hard to spend even an hour offline.
One can get addicted to just about anything. When is an addiction harmful, then? One way to determine harmfulness is to evaluate whether the addiction has a negative impact on one's everyday life, causing deterioration in one's work performance, social relationships, health and physical condition, and family life.
On the other hand, I guess you could say that Einstein was addicted to theoretical physics to the extent that he was at times barely able to function as a social human being, but most of us don't consider that a bad thing - it was his destiny, and he changed the world as we know it.
So, if the addiction is productive, and benefits the person and those around him, you could say that it is more of a dedication. But if it's just for games and entertainment, it would be good to try to control the amount of time spent.
Check out the entry in Wikipedia, the encyclopedia for our time:
Personally, I don't spend much time on the Internet during the day, because surgery is one of those professions where you spend you working hours laboring away in the shop.. but in the evening, I pound away on the keyboard, updating this site, checking my mail, answering questions, tweaking the website features, researching new ways of publishing on the Internet, researching neurosurgery related articles, participating in forum discussions and so on. I think once you have your own web project going, it's very hard to be offline for more than a few days - you want to check that everything is running smoothly, the server is up, and keep track of e-mail communications.
Answer:
Computer or Internet Additction
:D I also think many people don't like to consider how much time they actually spend on the internet, and many can justify in many creative ways. It really is a nice alternative to tv, not really much on tv. I do enjoy the history, discover, medical channels and chef shows though.
Agreed one must round it out and not let it push its way to the point you neglect living, life, family etc..
Purple98Lady
Answer:
Computer or Internet Additction
That's an interesting question.
I think finding a passion is what makes life meaningful and interesting. Being passionate about computers and the internet is not a bad thing and in fact has the potential to bring about many positives. I think the line between passion and addiction, is that addiction is inherently irrational. While we can't always explain why we are passionate about something, if we become addicted to it, the irrationality comes in in that we act against our best interests. Edgar Allan Poe wrote an essay titled the "The Imp of the Perverse" that talks about people's instincts to commit actions that are peverse--that people are impelled to act a certain way percisely because it is the wrong thing to do at that time. It is that split second impulse we get to jump when looking out the window of a very tall builiding. I think perhaps addiction works the same way. Our actions are perverse because we know what we're doing is against the human instincts for self-protection and survival, but yet we still feel impelled to partake in them anyway. Being on the internet is not in itself an irrational act, especially if we find it enjoyable, but being on the internet instead of say, eating, is perverse and against human rationality to survive, and therefore I would classify it as addictive behavior.
I think it is difficult to catergorize most behaviors as simply either addiction or not, and that most behaviors are a combination of both elements. A wine connoisseur is not neccesarily simply passionate, nor is a chronic pain patient who is dependent on medications neccesarily an addict. As for me, my passion/addiction is the New York Yankees. In many ways my passion is perfectly rational: it is a logical extension of my love of baseball, watching a game is an enjoyable way to relax, Derek Jeter is aesthetically pleasing, and caring deeply about something gives meaning to my life. In other ways, my passion for the Yankees could be described as addictive behavior. For example, it is irrational to believe that a Yankee loss is due to something I did or did not do. It was not in my best interest to feel guilty about a Yankees' loss to the Tigers due to the fact that I could not watch the entire game. Perhaps my turning off the TV and going to my organic chemistry lab was an example of me overcoming the imp of the perverse, but it certainly didn't make me feel any better about the result of the series.
Answer:
Computer or Internet Additction
Sometimes I find it hard to stop using the computer at 2am in the morning on a school night. I dont really think it affects my health, but it does give me less sleep. Yet, I do only sleep about 6 hours a night. There are also problems with my vision that I believe are caused by the constant staring at the LCD screen for extended periods at a time. But... I dont know. I love using the computer lol. What can I say? Im still a teen.
Answer:
Computer or Internet Additction
azn, I know what you mean, I had that tendency also, to read books or use the computer (they were much simpler machines then, in the 80's, though) until late at night, resulting often in lack of sleep. Turn the 'puter off earlier now and then in the evening and go to bed to read, that's often a good way to catch up on lost sleep, also it's good to read books as well as do stuff on the computer. I think 2am is way too late on school nights, though, you've got to pay some attention to that - and it's not fun being in school all tired. But I know, I know, the day is too short for all the interesting things to do, especially when you're in your teens..
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Computer or Internet Additction
I'll bet our parents' generation had the same problem, too.
I mean, I bet it was so hard to put down those slide rules at night and finally get some sleep.
Are we more distracted today?
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Computer or Internet Additction
:tongue: slide rules hahaha YankeeBeckham
No computer for you tonight. lolllllllllllllllll
Purple98Lady
Answer:
Computer or Internet Additction
When I was living at home with my Dad and brothers I couldn't stand a computer cause I didn't know anything about it but now you can barely get me off of it.As soon as i get up I turn it on it, and I pretty much stay on it all day.I try to get off some through out the day, but as soon as i do I will get mail and then jump right back on it.My husband thinks I'm exspecting something important cause I'm constantly running to the computer every time it beeps to let me know that I have mail.
So your not the only one who is addicted to the computer.There is a lot of people out there tht feels the same way.I just try really hard not to let it run my life.And believe me its hard.