By: Drew Hawley
The Internet has become an all-encompassing tool that we have come to rely for everyday life. Almost anything can be done online, reading the latest news, catching up with friends, paying bills, shopping, an educational schooling system, watching videos, playing games, or just surfing the web, can all be done on the Internet in the comfort of your own home. The idea of the Internet is the electronic network that can link people and information through computers that leads to social interactions between people and the ability to get information easily. Because of the ease of use, and how vital it has become in our society, the number of people online has risen greatly over the past decade. In the year 2000, it was estimated that 400 million people had access to the Internet, and in just six years, that number reached to over 1 billion people (Christopherson, The Positive and Negative…). The Internet is vastly different than any other technology that has come before it, as it combines print, video, and audio into one large system, which many experts believe has had as much an impact on our society that alphabet has had in our world (DiMaggio, Social Implications of the Internet).
The reaction to the Internets impact on our society is split among experts in the field. Men like Marshall McLuhan predicted in 1967 that “structural features of new media induce social change by enabling new forms of communication and cultivating distinctive skills and sensibilities,” (DiMaggio, Social Implications of the Internet). A recent voice, Manuel Castells, believes that McLuhan was right all the way back in the 1960s. Castells believes that we have entered the information age due to the new technology, which creates new forms of “identity and inequality, submerging power in decentered flows, and establishing new forms of social organization,” (DiMaggio, Social Implications of the Internet). Over the past twenty years, studies have been done to track the Internet use among all kinds of people, looking at how much time people are spending online, what it is doing to their social interactions, and lastly and most importantly, the effects that the Internet is happening on people’s psyches.
One such study took place early into the history of the medium, which measured the effects that the Internet had on social activities among new users. The study was conducted in the year 1998 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and followed one-hundred and sixty-nine families who were given Internet access for the first time. Following them over a two year period, the researchers reported that the families who used the computers more than other led to a decrease in talking with family members and friends, and an increase in loneliness and depression. They concluded the study stating that internet users substituted social interactions on the Internet instead of doing it in person. This was one of the first studies that was done which tracked how the Internet correlates to loneliness and depression, and many more have been done over the years to keep track of the growing numbers.
An important aspect of the Internet is the notion of anonymity. The term for this is anonymity, and is defined as “the removal of all meaningful identifying information about others in the exchange of material. This can include the removal of one’s name or other identifying information from Internet communications. Social anonymity refers to the perception of others and/or one’s self as unidentifiable because of a lack of cues to use to attribute an identity to that individual,” (Christopherson, The Positive and Negative…). The notable aspect of anonymity is the privacy that is given online. This has, in a sense, given a voice to the voiceless. People who are affected by shyness and social anxiety now have a tool that helps them communicate with others. Social anxiety is a very serious disorder, which is defined as “a state of anxiety resulting from the prospect or presence of interpersonal evaluation in real or imagined social settings,” (Social Anxiety and Technology, Pierce). The person who has Social anxiety may have difficulty within person interactions may feel very uncomfortable with in-person interactions; the Internet serves as a useful tool for avoiding these situations, and can replace face-to-face communication for them. But even with a positive situation like this has drawbacks that are drawn from the benefits that come from anonymity. The fact that a person can be anybody online can be potentially dangerous, leading to hostile interactions that can have real damage on a person’s psyche. Two factors that are associated with anonymity are catharsis and autonomy.
Catharsis is defined as the “unhindered expression of thoughts and feelings to others,” (Social Anxiety and Technology, Pierce). This involves the person communicating personally with someone online, doing this without anybody knowing who they really are. The idea of catharsis is best exemplified in individual blog and message board posts. The other factor is autonomy. This is the idea that people can experiment with new personas and attitudes without the fear of imbarassment and potential repercussions. Without the fear of being identified online, this leads to actions that the person wouldn’t do in a face-to-face interaction. Using these methods, many relationships are formed online using false information, which “allows one to transform himself or herself mentally into a new identity on the Internet, which may compensate for what the individual lacks or can aspire to be in the real world,” (Song, Internet Gratifications and…). These factors go together to form one of the major issues facing Internet users today, as well as the growing number of reported cases of depression and suicide that have developed over the past decade.
With the rise of depression and suicide, the question of why this is has come to one the forefront. The answer would be one that isn’t too shocking, the rise of cyberbullying on the Internet. Between 10% and 35% of teens throughout the world have reported being bullied online, and 20% of Internet users have admitted to bullying others (Donnerstein, Internet Bullying), and the numbers are only growing. People mostly go online to socialize and have fun. Boundaries cease to exist, and things that are said online sting just like they would if they were spoken in person, maybe even more so. Ed Donnerstein, a communications professor at the University of Arizona, defines Cyberbullying as “any behavior performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort to others,” (Internet Bullying, Donnerstein). Some of the behaviors that are included in this definition include spreading rumors or threatening e-mails, making crude comments or harassing the target and inviting others to do the same, and sending offensive material to the person. Cyberbullying has a great effect on the bullied person, and studies have shown that being bullied online may be worse than bullying in person. There are a few reasons why experts think that it’s worse, the first being that the abuse can happen anywhere, chiefly, the safety of their own home. Another reason is that the bully is invisible (due to the anonymity of the internet), which deems the threat to be more intimidating. The last reason is that the bullying may never go away, and seems inescapable to them. The effects of cyberbullying is great, and warning signs include feelings of sadness, anger, frustration, reduced tolerance, and worry, a lack of sleep and eating, a withdrawal from the victims social circle (friends and family), avoiding using the technology that attributes to their distress, and avoiding talks about the use of the Internet.
A well-known victim of cyberbullying is the case of Megan Meier. Written about in Angela Thomas-Jones’ book The Host in the Machine, Meier committed suicide over the bullying she received from an online friend. Meier was a thirteen-year-old girl who became friends with a boy Josh Evans online and quickly made a rapport with him. The two became fast friends, responding to each other every day, although they never spoke or met in person. Over time, Evans became more hostile towards her, enough to distress Meier greatly, enough for her to eventually hang herself in her room over the harassment that she was receiving from her “friend.” It was later found out that Evans wasn’t a real person, but was the angry mother of a girl that Meier used to be friends with. While this is an extreme case of cyberbullying at its worst, it has opened the eyes of the public to know that it is a real problem that should be taken seriously.
Even though that cyberbullying is taking place and affecting many, the Internet can, and has been a great tool to communicate with one another. People use the Internet as an escape from their world, and gives a place for shy and socially awkward a place to interact with others. Studies have been done that show that lonely people use the internet way more than non-lonely individuals to interact with others for moral support when they were feeling down or anxious. The types of users who do this often begin relationships online, which are often weak and can alienate the user from the real world, and due to anonymity, the relationship can be with anyone. In extreme cases, this can lead to a complete emersion in online activity, which leads to disturbing the balance of daily activities. This emersion can lead one open to cyberbullying, depression and suicide, and the potential development of certain addiction disorders.
A study was done by HomeNet which documented the rise of loneliness that came from the use of the Internet. The group gave free computers and Internet access for two years to ninety-three families with one-hundred and sixty-nine individual people. Having their Internet use monitored and gave the researchers reports on their psychological and social levels before, during, and after the study to track if their levels of loneliness increased. What they found wasn’t that surprising. They found “decreases in family communication, social activities, happiness, and the number of individuals in one’s social network, which also were associated with increased Internet use,” (Morahan-Martin, Loneliness and social uses of the Internet).
When there is an increase in the use of the Internet, a psychological dependence can occur. The behavior of includes dependence, obsessive thoughts, tolerance, diminished impulse control, inability to cease, and withdrawal. Their internet usage will begin to take over their lives, taking them away from their job, school work, and changing personal, family, and business relationships for the worst. The gratifications that they get from the Internet are split into two different dimensions, which are gratifications that result from the pleasurable experience of media content and are realized during consumption, and gratifications that result from learning information from media content and subsequently putting it to use in practical affairs,” (Song, Internet Gratifications and Internet Addiction…). Because of this, psychologists have now come to realize that Internet addiction is as serious as other well-known addictions, such as drug and alcohol addiction. The addiction to the Internet is now considered a mental disorder, and has been given a diagnosis to people afflicted with this addiction, Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).
Internet Addiction Disorder, or IAD, is an Internet user who’s “psychological state, which includes both mental and emotional states, as well as their scholastic, occupational, and social interactions, is impaired by the overuse of the medium,” (Hou, Reduced Striatal Dopamine Transporters). Many believe that IAD is caused by a combination of typing, the communication online, the lack of face-to-face interactions, the actual content that is online and the social activities that occur. The agreed upon number of hours to spend online a week to be considered for contacting IAD is around thirty-nine hours a week, but the number is usually substantially higher than that. Studies have been done that have tested the levels of dopamine in our brain activity when those afflicted with IAD. What they found was shocking. People who have been diagnosed as having IAD have shown “altered resting-state glucose metabolism in several brain regions including the major dopamine projection areas such as the striatum and orbitofrontal region,” (Hou, Reduced Striatal Dopamine Transporters). This results in an impaired psychological well-being, academic failure, and reduced work performance, especially among the teenagers who are diagnosed.
It is not much of a surprise that teenagers are at risk for developing an addiction to the Internet. By 2005, more than twenty-one million individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 had access to and routinely used the Internet and the numbers continue to grow to this day (Pierce, Social Anxiety and Technology…). Tamyra Pierce, a Communications professor at California State University, conducted a study tracing the use of the technology on teenagers and how they use the Internet in their daily lives. Pierce gave surveys to two-hundred and eight mid-western high school students, with one-hundred and nineteen males and one-hundred and sixty-one females, asking them about how they use the Internet, and for how many hours a day. She reported that 77% of the students said that they use instant messaging, 74% use social media sites to meet friends, and 98% have at least one email account. Pierce found that females have higher levels of social anxiety from using the Internet to communicate with friends, and have become more reliant on the technology than males have to socialize with friends. Finishing her study, Pierce concluded that teens are using “socially interactive technology to communicate with others and it appears that social anxiety is influencing this use or at least may be serving as a substitute for face-to-face communication,” (Pierce, Social Anxiety and Technology…).
IAD users symptoms are just like any other addiction that a person can get. They will have a growing dependence to being online, obsessive thoughts about the Internet, a lower tolerance from staying away from going online, their impulse control will be greatly diminished, an inability to stop using it, symptoms of withdrawal when being away from the computer for long stretches of time, they will lose track of time, they will have trouble finishing tasks, they will isolate themselves from friends and family, and will get a sense of euphoria when they are online (Hou, Reduced Striatal Dopamine Transporters…). There is a long and treacherous road to recovery for addicts, just like those who recover from drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions. The first step is admitting that there is a problem and to get help, and after that is done, the recovery process can begin.
Because of the reach of the Internet and how important it has become in our daily lives, it’s next to impossible to be completely away from using the technology. It is important to set time limits on the use, leaving an hour away from the computer before a task, and abstain from using it when it is not necessary. The person should structure their time online by setting specific times throughout the day to be online, and no more than that. Another option is to find an alternate activity to being online, whatever that may be. The most important aspect of the recovery process is that the person has a support system holding his or her hand throughout the process. That includes seeing a psychologist, an addiction specialist, a support group, and/or family therapy. It is important for them to know that they are not alone, and that their loved ones are there for them when they need them the most.
While the internet can be a very dangerous, the majority of these dangers only affect a small fraction of the billions of users that are online every single day. it is important to note that while the data on the Internet may not be “real,” the effects can be damaging all the same. To stay away from these dangers, a person has to be aware of them, and respect the people that he or she may interact with, as their words can be all the more damaging than it would in person. When using the technology from this perspective, the Internet is a fantastic tool that our society uses every day for all aspects of our lives.