The
Digital Plague
Do
you have a smart phone? A tablet? A gaming console? And, have you ever felt
consumed by it? That feeling of I have to watch it, I have to play on it, I
have to use it? If the answer is yes,
you aren’t alone. It’s absurd that 1 in 8 Americans suffer from a Digital
Addiction, and in the countries of Taiwan and Korea, the percentage is up to
almost 30% of the population, and it’s growing at an alarming exponential rate
(Internet Addiction Disorder). How do we right this global epidemic? Are we
ready for what’s to come? Or do we have what it takes to cure this Digital
Plague?
History
and Examples
The
Digital Plague started back in 1990 when Computer Scientist Tim Berners implemented
the use of the World Wide Web. This is the action that kick started the
epidemic of Digital Addiction. With the use of the internet, anything
everything became easier and also more accessible. Businesses and families
slowly started to place computers and more advanced technology into their
lives, thus the dependence that we have with these objects rapidly increased
into the epidemic that is present today. The use of the internet became so
popular and wide spread that first serious proposal for diagnosed criteria for
Digital Addiction was advanced in 1996 by Kimberly Young, PhD, modifying the
DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling (Cash et al). Since the DSM-IV is the
world’s most renowned disease manual that encompasses every mental disease that
exists, the official Digital Plague had begun (Cash et al). Today, the United
States and Europe have about 1.5%-8.2% of their population impacted by Digital
Addiction, while other countries such as Taiwan and Korea have almost 30% of
their population impacted by Digital Addiction (Internet Addiction Disorder).
Even
though Digital Addiction is a relatively new epidemic, there are still quite a
few small, moderate, and excessive cases of this epidemic. One example of a
small addiction includes a teenager. The teenager has a smart phone, computer
with internet access, a TV, and a Gaming console. The teen doesn’t show
excessive signs of addiction, but he/she day dreams of leaving school to go
home and surf the web or play on his/her gaming console. The teen also
prioritizes the use of technology over grades or family, to the point where the
use of technology starts to affect his social life, family life, and school
life. This is an example of an acute case of Digital Addiction.
A
moderate case includes a 25 year old female. She works at a business as a
secretary, who works eight hour days, five days a week. She is always on her
computer, and fantasizes of going home to play on the internet even more than
she does at her work. And some days she even decides to miss work to play on
the internet. This is a case of moderate Digital Addiction.
Finally,
a severe case of digital addiction includes a 30 year old male who lives, eats,
breathes, and sleeps digital technology. He has no social life outside of his
virtual world, has no job, no chores, no bills. The digital aspect of his life
has consumed him to the point that surfing the web and playing his game console
is all that matters to him.
Solutions
When
an epidemic encroaches upon us the first thing we as humans do is question
whether we can terminate the threat. Can we kill the virus? Can we stop it? Can
we change it to make it harmless? These are the questions we ask when an
epidemic shows its self to our world. But a digital plague is a whole new type
of battle, which will need totally new and revised ways of combating this
epidemic.
To
begin, Internet addiction and Digital Plague is a very new and rapidly growing
epidemic. This is both good and bad. The good about this is that it is new and
we have time to find a cure or treatment before it gets out of hand. The bad
though out ways the good, the negatives include the disease is also new, nobody
really has a firm understanding of it and its causes, making it very difficult
to treat. Internet addiction was just added to the DSM-IV back in 1996, and not
even under its own category, it was forged through a revision of pathological
gambling (Internet Addiction Disorder). 20 years might seem like a long time to
us but in the time span of disease, 20 years is nothing. Also, this epidemic is
not constant over every case. Every instance has its own special circumstances
which make it highly individualist, much like HIV, except it is not genetic
(Pies). HIV happens on a cellular level, where existing cells are used as HIV
harbors and then divide as an infected cell. Internet addiction doesn’t happen
like this, but it is very individual. No pills or antibiotics can fix the
problem. This leads in to another key problem on treating Internet addiction,
the fact it is seen as a mental disorder, an addiction, not a virus or
infection (Pies).
How
exactly do you know when you are suffering from Internet Addiction? And how
severely are you suffering? To start you need to know what exactly Internet
Addiction is, it is defined as a maladaptive pattern of Internet use,
characterized by psychological dependence, compulsive behavior, and clinically
significant impairment of normal social interactions or distress(1). There are
a few symptoms that almost always appear in internet addicts. The more physical
attributes of internet addiction include dry eyes, back aches, neck aches, and
severe headaches. Dry eyes arise from constant staring at a bright screen with
little to no blinking, back and neck aches come from poor posture, while
someone is hunched over a screen for 6 hours it takes a great toll on the
individual. Finally, the most telling physical symptom is a massive headache.
With sleep deprivation, dehydration and starvation right around the corner for
internet addicts, a severe headache is a very important symptom, letting you
know you’ve had enough, sadly not everyone listens to their body’s warning
system, leading to more long term problems(Pies). 
Now
to the more mental symptoms internet addiction gives way to. As stated
previously, internet addiction is seen as mental disorder, and has mental
symptoms to prove it. Some of the key symptoms include losing track of time
online, having trouble completing tasks, isolation from family and friends,
feeling guilty or defensive, and or feeling a sense of euphoria while on the
internet (1). Time management is usually the first to go with internet
addiction. People tend to stay on longer than intended because they get wrapped
up with what is happening with in the screen, instead of what is happening
outside it. This isolation will then lead to straining relationships with
family and friends, since they are the ones trying to help. This isolation and
evading help then leads to a sense of guilt, making the addict believe they are
a lost cause, no reason to fight the addiction. Finally, the last feeling an
internet addict might feel is the sense of euphoria. Addicts will use the internet
to escape reality and feel a sense of purpose. This feeling is what fuels their
addiction. They strive for that sense of euphoria and release of dopamine, the
feel good chemical (2).
So
how do you treat Internet Addiction? There is no set subscription to cure
Internet Addiction, you must treat it as you would any other addiction, but
with even more caution. The other caveat with internet addiction, as stated
before, it is a mental illness. So we must use ways of defeating mental
illnesses in order to fight off internet addiction. A few personal ways to stop
the addiction, home remedies one might say include; building your coping
skills, strengthening your support network, and modifying your Internet use.
You as the individual have the power to build up your own coping skills; it all
depends on how bad you want the end result. An easy way to start this part of
the process is to try your hardest to stay away, to see how far your own will power
will carry you to your goal. It is okay if you don’t succeed on this aspect at
first, but at least it is a start (Internet and Computer). Another way to help
you is to get a very nice support group that might include friends, family,
etc.. Having a support group is extremely important to success on beating the
addiction. Times can be rough when fighting an addiction and with a support
group you have people who want you to succeed and will help you through those
difficult times (2). The final “home remedy” is modifying your internet use.
This is easier to do than what it seems. A very popular way is to modify your
router at home to only work at certain times, allowing you to still use the
internet but after a certain time period it will cut you off. This is a great
way to help lean you off the internet, little by little (3).
The
other spectrum of fighting addiction is professional help with programs much
like AAA, but for internet addiction. The equivalent to this program is called
“reSTART”. They specialize in internet addiction therapy and help those who are
dependent on it become clean. They have a multitude of programs and activities
that help with Internet addiction; they vary from Psychoeducational groups all
the way to 12 step programs to outside recreational activities (reSTART). A cheaper way of doing the same sort of idea
is to find a new activity that can replace the act of surfing the web, such as
working out, playing sports, different clubs and groups, anything that can help
separate you and the internet.
Internet
Addiction is very new disease but rapidly increasing in severity and cases. The
top minds of addiction treatment are working hard to find a “cure” for it but
as of now, we must fight it like the mental illness it is. This epidemic will
consume your life if not spotted and treated correctly. So it is critical that
you know the symptoms of internet addiction, so you can act quickly and
effectively before it gets out of hand. The digital plague is on the rise and
we as a nation, and as a population, must be ready because ready or not, here
it comes.
Works Cited
Cash, Hilarie, Cosette D. Rae, Ann H.
Steel, and Alexander Winkler. "Internet Addiction: A
Brief Summary of
Research and Practice." Current Psychiatry Reviews. Bentham Science
Publishers. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480687/>.
"Internet and Computer Addiction
Treatment Program Options." Internet Addiction, Computer
Addiction and
Online Dependencies. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016. <http://www.psychguides.com/guides/internet-and-computer-addiction-treatment-program-options/>.
"Internet Addiction Disorder."
NetAddiction. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
<http://netaddiction.com/faqs/>.
Pies, Ronald. "Should DSM-V
Designate “Internet Addiction” a Mental Disorder?" Psychiatry
(Edgmont).
Matrix Medical Communications, n.d. Web. 04 May 2016.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719452/>.
"ReSTART a Sustainable Digital
Lifestyle." ReSTART Center for Digital Technology
Sustainability.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
<http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/programs/treatment-program.html>.
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