Tune into any highly-rated sitcom or television series, such as “Scandal,” and watch the hashtag magically appear in the corner of the screen encouraging the audience to engage in the social media gossip. Halt at a traffic light and notice the driver next to you bury their face into their cell phone; or read someone’s heartfelt Facebook post and watch comments flood your timeline within hours.
Technology has become embedded within society and has transformed the way people think, feel and share emotions. The everyday person now has access to language software that can help one learn or perfect any foreign language, they have the ability to secure their homes with the push of a button through smartphone applications and are alerted by authorities if severe weather is in their area.
While these actions can be convenient, they also can have negative effects as stated by the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Researchers surveyed over 2,500 adults and found some 68 percent were regular Internet users and more than 1 in 8 of participants found it difficult to stay away from the Internet for several days.
Since the mid 90s’, the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction has provided treatment and counseling to those who fear they may be addicted to the Internet. The founder, Dr. David Greenfield is an assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on Internet, computer, and digital media behavior. He said technology addiction has increased over the years and shows no sign of slowing down.
“It’s demanding more attention because the digital drug you get from the time you search for something to the time you actually receive the information is faster and faster. It’s similar to drugs, the faster the drug is absorbed into the blood stream, the more addictive it becomes,” he said.
Greenfield compares the Internet to a slot machine in that every time a person goes online, they never know what to expect. One can guess, but they never truly know because it’s unpredictable. Every now and then the person will stumble upon something desirable in the mix of other items and when something desirable is discovered, their endorphin levels increase. These are the items that create addiction because one may continue to pull the slot machine handle (or use technology), hoping to get something good.
“It’s the desire and expectation that you never know when you’re going to get something good,” commented Greenfield.
He said on average only 6 percent of people are addicts and the rest of society qualifies as over users or abusers. It is perceived that the younger generation is the only age group to intensely use technology, which Greenfield said isn’t true, all age groups use technology excessively.
Amanda Doman of the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery said there is definitely an emotional attachment behind technology addiction and many may use it as a way to escape from reality.
“In this day in age where we rely on technology heavily, it seems normal to get on Facebook daily but some may not realize the damage it is doing,” said Doman. “It becomes a problem when another area of one’s life is suffering such as their relationships, school or work performance.”
Both Doman and Greenfield agree that technology doesn’t cause an issue for every person but it is always helpful to remove one’s self from technology every now and then.
“We recommend people take a digital detox often. If a person has a day or a few hours where they aren’t checking their emails, text messages or social media that could help,” said Greenfield. “People should take control of the technology instead of letting the technology take control of them.”
For more information on technology addiction, visit virtual-addiction.com.
