Internet Dependency The newest addiction on campus
... For most college students Internet addiction has become the new “drug” of choice for those late nights. Why are we so addicted to the internet and is it really an addiction? ... First, we must find out what defines an addiction. Most definitions of internet addiction are adapted from existing DSM-IV criteria which is mainly used for gambling and substance dependence (Hall & Parsons 1). From this, researchers were able to come up with six “core components” of Internet addiction. ... These are the steps that an internet addict would encounter if they were to become aware of their problem and attempted to fix it on their own. However some other researchers have claimed that internet addiction is more of an impulse control disorder than a substance dependency (Hall & Parsons 2). Since there has been no clear definition drawn from any of the studies so far it is hard to determine who is a true “addict” and who simply spends a little too much free time on the internet. There are some researchers however who claim the internet is like a substance dependency. In Mitchell’s essay one researcher claims: People who lack self-esteem are more likely to become internet addicts, just as they are more likely to use drugs like speed or alcohol. ... Mitchell continues to point out the obvious fact that we cannot be sure how deep the dependency really goes until further analysis is done. Why are we as college students so prone to this addictive internet use? Most researchers agree that “…Internet use is a way to adapt or cope to overwhelming developmental stressors” (Hall & Parsons 4). ... With all this change many college students look to the internet as a place of comfort. ... ” As we try to fit in everyday at school we use the Internet to find the identity that seems to work the best or that we like the most. College students are not the only people prone to Internet Addiction. As Orzack, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School explains in Mitchell’s essay, there are many different people who are addicted to the internet for many different reasons. ... Most Internet addicts want to have a feeling of acceptance. There is no easier place to feel accepted than on the internet. Without the worry of criticism of their age, gender or race, people find it very easy to be accepted by many people over the internet. Some people claim that there are true interactions over the internet, but is that really true? ... It seems that as a society we have become so accustomed to having technology that an addiction to it should not come as a surprise.