Internet addiction Blog

Internet addiction Blog 

April 19, 2021

 We always knew that one day technology would have taken over the world and our lives. This generation is the demonstration that our devices have become one of the most important parts of our daily life. The internet addiction is statistically proved to be the addiction that influences the biggest part of the population, even more than drugs, alcohol and games. The most influenced by the internet addiction are the teens that found themselves completely under the control of the internet, and because of this they lost their ability of interacting with other people without the need of social media, their concentration and all the side effects that are both physical and mental. 

Now the young people of this generation have lost the ability to interact with each other without using social media. It is no coincidence that as soon as we meet a person, the first thing we do to then stay in touch is to start following each other on social networks. Very often, however, it happens that certain friendships are born from social networks, perhaps thanks to groups with mutual friends, a post with a comment from a friend, or simply by starting to follow random people. Unfortunately this has led to an even greater attachment to electronic devices, as they have now become the best way to interact with people close to us ( Johnson ).

In this last few years the use of social media and the phone in general has increased dramatically, especially considering that most people spend their day attached to a phone: whether it is for work, study, friends or even just to spend time on  social media. This has influenced our lives; for example many of us become multitasking.  Multitasking is dealing with more than one task at the same time. It sounds like it is a useful thing, but this is not valid for the internet. However, in the end, the quality of their work is very low. Therefore, neither can they pay attention in class, nor finish their homework quickly. Not for nothing this generation is called the 30 second generation, due to the fact that our concentration is very limited and we tend to get away very easily.

Finally, social media and mobile devices may lead to psychological and physical issues, such as eyestrain, bad headache and lack of sleep. They may also contribute to more serious health conditions; in fact there is a strong link between heavy social media use and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts (Robinson). Social media may promote negative experiences such as Inadequacy about your life or appearance. They can as well negatively affect body image because users are typically exposed to thin, fit, and "idealized" body types and will often compare themselves to peers and celebrities.When a person posts a picture and gets positive social feedback, it stimulates the brain to release dopamine, which again rewards that behavior and perpetuates the social media habit. (Insider.com.)

In the end we can say that how much we like them, if not used wisely and in any case in a moderate way, social media can then lead to harmful and unhealthy effects. This is why we should all learn how to use them in a conscious way. 

• Johnson, Jon. “Negative Effects of Technology: What to Know”. MedicalNewsToday. Medicalnewstoday.com. 25 Feb. 2020. Web. 23 Mar. 2021

• Robinson, Lawrence. Smith, Melinda. “Social Media and Mental Health”. Helpguide.org. Sep. 2020. Web. 23 Mar. 2021. 

• “Why Social Media can Make you Feel Bad About Your Body — and 3 easy tips to use social media to boost self-esteem”.  Insider.com. Insider Inc. 5 Nov. 2020. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.