With all the advantages that the Internet provides, he also finds his negative sides, one of which is dependence on him. It would seem that nothing terrible that the user spends a lot of time here, no, but this opinion has recently been refuted by scientific research, experiments and observations made in everyday life.
What is Internet addiction?
Not so long ago the statement that Internet addiction is a diagnosis of the disease would have caused a sarcastic smile or bewilderment, but today it has become a harsh reality. Moreover, this disease begins to acquire all the signs of an epidemic, as it spreads with great speed and threatens to swallow countries and continents, turning their inhabitants into obedient servants. Unfortunately, tragic cases connected with communication on the Internet through communities that harm psycho-emotional and physical health are not uncommon. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to the influence of the Internet community.
Types of Internet addiction
The World Wide Web has widely spread its networks, in which all the new victims of its treacherous temptations come across, while the age of the dependent ones decreases every year. "Disease by the Internet" has spread to such an extent that today, experts began to identify types of Internet addiction that have their signs and consequences for those affected by this strange disease.
Signs of Internet addiction
The person affected by the "Internet addiction virus" is very easy to learn. As a rule, these people are completely immersed in virtual reality, so they are least interested in how they look in the eyes of others. They are not interested in the opinions of others, they are indifferent to the remarks, do not react to the scandals that leave them, not paying attention to those who are next to them. Experts identified the symptoms of Internet addiction:
- constant increase of time on the Internet, up to 24 hours;
- constant mail checking;
- an increase in the funds used to pay for the Internet.
Causes of Internet addiction
If the dependence is already there, you can get rid of it only with the help of a specialist: you need to treat Internet addiction, while the relatives and the "patient" themselves should realize the importance of this process. But in order to be effective, it is necessary to identify the causes of dependence on the Internet. There are a lot of them, and most of them have deep roots:
- uncertainty in themselves, laid down by too demanding parents, who wanted to see their child "the most-most", which did not justify their hopes;
- difficulty in communication caused by personality or health;
- extreme dissatisfaction with their real life;
- lack of contact and understanding within the family;
- bad habits and attachments, condemned by relatives and friends.
Internet addiction in adolescents
One of the most common and difficult to cure is the Internet addiction of adolescents. Analysis of the causes leading to the dependence of adolescents on the Internet, most often, lies in interpersonal relationships in the family and community of peers. Often, parents themselves are pushing a small child to a "disease of the Internet." A gift in the form of a computer, a tablet, a laptop or an iPhone is the first step into a virtual reality, the doors to which close people open.
And if at first everything begins with innocuous, it seems, games that bribe their graphics and special effects, then over time the circle of interests of growing up children expands. Most often, the parents' entrance to their virtual world is closed. Internet dependence of adolescents arises in different ways:
- lack of attention and love of parents;
- fears and phobias, formed against the backdrop of low self-esteem, resulting from communication with classmates, peers living in the neighborhood;
- desire to find understanding, love, sympathy;
- the desire to get acquainted with unusual people, to fill their lives with extraordinary actions, often diverging from the generally accepted morality.
What leads to Internet addiction?
Many hours travel to different sites and communities have a detrimental effect on the physical and mental state of the dependent. The longer it is in the web, the harder it is to distinguish reality from the virtual state. The craving for another life in the network does not pass without a trace for any person, but each of the consequences of Internet addiction look different:
- slovenliness, lack of attention not only to their appearance, but even personal hygiene;
- Indifference to the opinion of relatives and friends, their problems and requests, home affairs;
- increased aggression, especially if relatives try to prohibit or shorten the time of communication with the computer;
- narrowing the circle of real friends, refusing to communicate with them.
In addition to psychological abandonment of real life, Internet addiction leads to violations of the physical health of the ill person. Most often, there is a decrease in vision, visual fatigue, eyesight, dryness, and later sharply decreases visual acuity. However, these health problems are not limited, and some others are added:
- decreased immunity;
- insomnia;
- recurring headaches;
- intensifying back pain.
Internet addiction and loneliness
Surprisingly, loneliness can be both the cause and the consequence of dependence on the Internet. In the first case, a sense of rejection, harassment, harassment by relatives or peers creates a desire to hide, to find those who understand, accept the person as he is. In this situation, the forced refusal to communicate with real people and Internet addiction is a salvation from harassment and despair caused by humiliation, dislike and inattention.
In another case, loneliness is the result of the user's departure from reality: he is engrossed in virtual life, with friends and acquaintances he becomes uninteresting - they do not understand and support his way of life and conversations that concern only the Internet. The problem of Internet addiction in both cases here becomes "full growth", because people increasingly break away from existing realities and plunge into the world of fantasy and life invented by him.
How to avoid Internet addiction?
Like a swamp, dependence on the Internet delays those who can not resist it, but it can also be avoided, without the use of special tools and techniques. Surprisingly, it is internet dependence among young people that is one of the first places. At the same time it was noticed that those who have a rich and diverse life are not affected by the computer affliction, is filled with business and meetings, interesting trips and good books.
How to get rid of Internet addiction?
Life in our high-speed century, changing daily, full of temptations, deceit, lies and pouring down on a person the flow of information, sometimes unnecessary and even harmful, for many was too difficult a test. In addition, the exact name given to the Internet: "World Wide Web" - fully justifies the actions of site owners and social networks .
They not only offer the information necessary for work and life, which can be used, if necessary. Like spiders, they drag the weak in their networks, who have not found their place in life, looking for friends, like-minded people and adventurers and thrill-seekers. It's not for nothing that experts unanimously affirm that the Internet connection is a problem - a modern society.
Ways to get rid of it largely depend on the degree of neglect of the disease, the desire to get rid of it and properly prescribed treatment. And it can contain different methods and techniques, including seemingly, at first glance, if not absurd, then - ineffective, but in a complex they will all give a positive result. You can start with the simplest and most understandable:
- daily plan your day, giving the work on the Internet a minimum of time;
- remember family and friends and give time to help them and visits if they do not live near;
- Introduce in their lives playing sports and visiting a fitness club, swimming pool, gym, work in the fresh air.
How to get rid of Internet addiction - advice of a psychologist
Psychologists who are familiar with the problem of dependence on the Internet, say that it is not fatal, and with certain efforts on the part of the afflicted with this ailment, its relatives, friends and specialists can be disposed of, or at least reduce its pernicious destructive influence . They advise how to overcome Internet addiction:
- correctly identify the cause of the disease;
- limit the time spent on the Internet;
- to refuse to use the Internet to read books that are in print;
- attend counseling to correct behavior, and then psychotherapy sessions with a specialist.
Internet addiction - interesting facts
- The Internet addiction shortens our life, the facts about which say that most of the time "eat" social networks, where they sit on average from 3 to 5 hours.
- All went around in this "competition" Australia, where users sit in networks on average 7 hours.
- They say that people with low self-esteem spend the longest time in social networks; among them - the largest number of suicides.
- The progress of schoolchildren, who spend more than two hours on the Internet, is reduced by 20%. There is something to think about!