Save me, I'm an Internet addict

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 24 October 2006 18:20

Opinion and Analysis

According to a new Stanford School of Medicine study, at least one out eight Americans could be Internet addicts. They find it hard to stay away from the Internet for days at a time. Given that I spend most of my long working days on the net, I must be an Internet addict too.

For the record, the results of the study are based on a nationwide household survey and involved interviews with 2513 adults.

The researchers found that 68.9% were regular Internet users, which is consistent with previous studies, and that:

* 13.7% (more than one out of eight respondents) found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time

* 12.4% stayed online longer than intended very often or often

* 12.3% had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some point

* 8.7% attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers

* 8.2% used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood

* 5.9% felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use

Let's go through the above findings one by one:

13.7% find it hard to stay away from the net for several days at a time. Yep, the net sure is entertaining and a great source of information on just about any subject you want to know about. It's also a great way to network and get views from people anywhere in the world who may have similar interests to yourself. For entertainment and educational value, it kills TV, magazines and reference books.

12.4% often stayed online longer than intended. Well that's difficult to deny. When you get on to an interesting site packed with content like YouTube and start looking at some of those bizarre videos or you're researching a topic like global warming, you sometimes find time has flown by. As I said above, the Internet is a great source of entertainment and information.

12.3% had seen the need to cut back on Internet use at some point. This is true. We need to get exercise, play with the kids, see a movie or go to dinner with our spouses and friends. We can't let sedentary pastimes like the surfing the net, watching TV or reading Harry Potter novels all day long keep us from leading a full and active life.

8.2% used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood. Sure thing. Everyone needs a release from the pressures of modern living. Some people hit the bottle, some take prescription tranquillisers, some become gym junkies, some become TV watching lounge lizards, some meditate in yoga classes, some surf the net, and some do a combination of many of these things.

8.7% attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers. As far as employers are concerned, no-one wants to pay people to goof-off at work, whether surfing the net or reading a magazine for an hour in the men's room. Irresponsible, lazy employees have been around much longer than the net. As far as those who conceal their Internet use from friends and family, you have to wonder what sort of sites they're visiting that they're so ashamed of.

5.9% felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use. Perhaps. Or perhaps their relationships weren't good to begin with and the net was an escape. Who knows? 

Apparently because no generally accepted screening instrument exists for problematic Internet use, the researchers developed their questions by extrapolating from "other compulsive and addictive conditions".

What this study proves is that you can just about prove anything you set out to prove if you really want to. I've spent too much time on this article, if I'm not careful I might miss tonight's episode of Jericho.