In the article Miss G.: A Case of Internet Addiction, the author Virginia Heffernan, explained that the development of modern technology such as watching television, playing video games, browsing the internet became activities that people started to use often. People ended up hating themselves for loving them. Then there are duties that people thought of as respectful duties to citizenship such as newspaper, talk-radio, and sports. These activities are thought of as normal habits. As television, video games, and internet technologies became more advanced, particularly the internet, the popularity also increased by users. The author’s main claim is “It is Internet use that’s been styled as potentially sick, and “Internet addiction” a new reason for self-hatred”. In recent years, the internets usage has increased by most people, but how does a person draw a line between normal and ‘sick behavior’. If a person is categorized as internet addict, it could add to their self-hatred. The author adds an expert’s opinion, Dr. Kimberly Young, a professor of business at St. Bonaventure University. She developed a questionnaire that evaluated a person’s internet addiction. According to Dr. Young, she believes that internet addictions occur because people can create multiple personalities that satisfy their psychological needs. Dr. Young asked questions that are directed toward real life not fantasy. The author also points out that virtually all non-work addictions have been considered an addiction at one point or another. Saying that something worth living for is an addiction is just absurd. The second part of the article, the author talked about her encounter with a self-professed internet addict. The person was female and like most people at an interview, they wanted to be called a different name. Gabriela was her ‘name’. Gabriela will wire into the internet for many hours and often sleeps with her laptop. She stated that she uses her laptop because her sleep playlist helps her fall asleep. The author mentioned that Gabriela has a late bedtime because she often stays up late surfing the web. She will jump from different webpages throughout the night. She surfs the web not for a regimen but as “a state of being”. During the Sabbath, Gabriela refrained from internet use but constantly thought and talked about it. Internet addiction attracts certain kinds of people with young, dreamlike minds that would probably be interested in novels and movies in earlier eras.
I do believe that people can become addicted to the internet just like other substances. There is a show on A&E called Intervention that documents a person that is usually addicted to drugs and alcohol. I know those substances change a person state of mind but the symptoms described in the reading are similar addictions that I observed in the show. The person cannot go a day without their addiction. I also took the test featured on the website and my results came out to what I expected them to be. They were average. I might spend more time online than needed but I keep a balance between technology and personal life.
Internet addictions is similar to an alcohol compulsion. A person constantly has to use the item to have a peaceful state of mind.
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