An
addict becomes reliant upon the internet and
loses self control to the internet. Discontinued
usage of the internet results in withdrawal
symptoms such as disturbances in mood and
behavior.
The addict can acquire techno-stress after
habituating to the accelerated sense of time
on the computer. It’s symptoms are "internalizing
the standards by which the computer works:
accelerated time, a desire for perfection,
yes-no patterns of thinking"
Studies reveal a strong link between excessive
Internet use and serious mental disorders.
For a study in the March 2000 issue of the
Journal of Affective Disorders, researchers
interviewed 20
people
like Moore (not his real name) whose lives had
been disrupted by the Internet. Nearly all of
them were diagnosed with
serious
mental illness, such as bipolar disorder. Many
were sacrificing sleep to spend an average of
30 hours a week online outside work. Since
the Internet is such a powerful multimedia experience,
one may become desensitized to less stimulating
modalities, like reading. Attention and concentration-span
can decrease as a result of depression --- excessive
Internet use can increase depression.
The
luxury of creating a false identity online
does play a major role when looking at the
psychological effects of the Internet. They
may freely modify their identity, work position,
marital status, or any other of a number of
characteristics that affect their role in
life with a very chance of being exposed.
Identity is a key factor in everyone’s
life. Without a sense of identity, or with
a confused identity, it eventuates to an identity
crisis and socializing becomes a difficulty.
