Digital Digressions: Blog Addiction Disorder (BAD)

April 28, 2006

Blog Addiction Disorder (BAD)

Yesterday something terrible happened. I got home early thinking I might try this 'working from home' thing, which means you can sit in the garden, stroke the cat AND pretend to be thinking about work at the same time. A nice concept, but rudely thwarted when I tried to turn on my computer. It all started when trying to log into Messenger - no success, Wireless network is showing full reception so I start scratching my head and wonder whether Airport Base Station is having hiccups. Go downstairs, plug laptop straight into router, router blinking happily showing what is known in IT circles as 'activity', to me I just know the thing isn't bust yet - but no, nada, niente - plenty of blinking but NO INTERNET. Panic grabs hold of me - this can't be...surely. Reset Router, faff around with ports and cables, unplug from phone filter, replug, phone works, router still OK, but Internet? No way, Jose. What to do?

Want to ring Internet service provider, discover I don't know the number - no problemo, just look it up on their website - ah, forgot NO INTERNET. Panic second time, feel isolated, ring partner ask him to look up their number and then ring 'Broadband Service Update' hotline only to get recording of chirpy chap saying something about them experiencing problems with L. O. U. network, causing intermittent break in service connections... INTERMITTENT - how about being on the dark side of the moon and getting NO CONTACT WHATSOEVER for the whole NIGHT. What's wrong with saying - 'there is a problem, in these areas, we are working on it - and this is the time we expect to have fixed it?

Anyway, this all got me thinking. The Internet is such an all pervasive thing in my life and particularly after beginning to blog, I felt truly divorced from the world yesterday. A New York Times article called "Hooked on the Web" says some specialists believe 6 to 10% of Internet users have an unhealthy addiction to the Internet -- and they are ready to offer addiction recovery services. Some are even calling it Internet Addiction Disorder or IAD. And, of course, blogging is listed as one of the addictive Internet activies in the article. How long before some mental health professionals come up with BAD or Blog Addiction Disorder and offer recovery services to boot?" (excerpt from Bloggers Blog... see link below)

Having sat there in my communication void yesterday (tried to browse Internet with my new fancy mobile phone, but to be honest - it feels like reverting to dial-up after years of getting used to the instant access delivered by Broadband) it got me thinking though. I'm exhibiting symptoms of going 'cold turkey' - silly really, but that's the truth. Check news, weather, my favourite blogs, emails, visitor numbers to my own blog, new comments, write entries what-not, I have got so used to it I hardly notice how much time I spend every day in front of the computer, invariably with at least one window open to the Internet all day - a window into the world.

"The growth of a hardly satisfied and very innovative population has created an environment where the saturated use of the computer, and its additional benefits is an orthodox. It no longer matters where one travels or how much room for luggage one has, a computer can be brought regardless of the inconveniences. This availability opens a door to the Internet that can be accessed from almost anywhere a person whishes to render its services. Just like any other hobby however some of its users start to spend an extended amount of time in it, which can lead to an addiction of the pastime. These people who cross the line are said to be suffering from a newfound diagnosis termed by researchers as Internet Addiction Disorder or (IAD) (Dr. Grohol, 2003, par.1).

Dr. Grohol has made a model where the individual is said to go through phases in their discovery of the Internet and its resources. The first stage occurs when the individual is new to the environment, a newcomer, or is an existing user that finds a new activity, it is referred to as the stage of enchantment or obsession (Dr. Grohol, 2003, par. 20). This is the phase that is highly “addictive” to the individual until of course they reaches stage two, disillusionment (Dr. Grohol, 2003, par. 20). In this stage the individual has to become uninterested in the activity they engage in so often, once that is accomplished the individual can safely reach the third stage, Balance (Dr. Grohol, 2003, par. 20). This balance symbolized a normalized usage of the internet, it is reached at a different period by everyone and the phases can still be recycled if the individual finds another interesting new activity (Dr. Grohol, 2003, par. 20).

....Researchers who concur that the Internet is addictive have already established that the disorder develops into a dependency for the person; they experience tolerance and withdrawal affects (Ferris, par. 1). Similar to what an addict of any other substance goes through, and becomes just as isolated as them. Rejecting the real world and adopting the Internet as a route of escape to a mood altering experience (DeAngelis, 2000, par. 8). (excerpt from AIIPsyc Journal)

So there we are - I think I might be an addict? Not sure, I do have a tendency to be obsessive about things I take on.. reading, writing, music, design.. maybe I'm just an obsessive-compulsive sort of person? Perhaps it's time we bloggers started our own Blog.Addicts.Anonymous? BAA humbug I say! Hmm.. say no more - it's Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, so perhaps I should impose a Blog Ban on myself over this weekend to see how much of an addict I really am.

Links:

Blogger's Blog

Internet Addiction Disorder

Send the Blogging Bandwagon on its Way

NY Times: Hooked on the web?

You Know You are a Blog Addict When..

in Current Affairs, Web/Tech | Permalink

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