Sean Robinson

Matthew Conrad

Cassie Williams

ENG 1101 (21688)

Dixie Highsmith

December 6, 2010

Internet addiction disorder is not listed in the mental health professional’s handbook, the

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, DSM, but has been formally recognized

by the American Psychological Association (Beard). The addicting nature of the Internet results

in various specific addictions that consumes the addict with unlimited data of his or her

choosing. While America wrestles with the words Internet Addiction Disorder, China is really

concerned about the disorder (Beard). At a recent conference, Tao Ran, PhD, Director of

Addiction Medicine at Beijing Military Region Central Hospital reported 13.7% of Chinese

adolescent Internet users met the addiction diagnostic criteria, about ten million teenagers. As a

result in 2007, China began restricting online game use (Block).

Among the different types of sub genres in the broad category of Internet addiction,

addiction to Social Networking sites such as Facebook is increasing. People who are addicted to

social media sites have developed behaviors that are compulsive and interferes with their lives.

Some examples of these compulsive behaviors are: dissociation from the real world to the

Facebook world, irregular sleeping patterns, and ignoring work and family obligations. When

behaviors like these occur, it certainly suggests that one has gone from Social Networking to

social dysfunctioning. Skeptics of the internet addiction theory may be more receptive to the
condition if they saw that these antisocial and reclusive behaviors are one in the same with other

addictions, like drug addiction.

Although it seems social media addiction is on the verge of becoming an epidemic, there

are ways of keeping Internet obsession at bay. Upon learning how prevalent social media is

today, the following tips and tools can aid in detaching users from Internet dependence. The first

step is to concentrate on what social media sites are important and then narrow them down by

choosing the one (s) users access the most. Next, users should not accept friend requests unless

they truly know the people requesting friendships. Third, users should filter what they read. If

something isn’t relevant, it should be hidden or filtered from the user’s status page. The fourth

step is to schedule use of the Internet. Browsers should not be left open for constant refreshing

because users will always be tempted to check them, thus leading to more distraction. The fifth

and final step is the most simple: users should set a timer and choose a distracting alarm that will

help them refocus on real life. While there is no cure for Internet addiction, these tips can deter

users from overuse of social media, because as this worldwide obsession keeps growing, “…

excess time online can aggravate or stimulate symptoms of depression,” leading users’ minds in a

direction they do not wish to travel (Dash).