The Influence And Addiction Of Internet – Merits And Demerits

The Behavior of Human Beings and Consistent Traits

Question:

Discuss about the Impact of Internet Connectivity on Individual Behavior.

The “behavior of human beings” has been determined by the array in which each of the physical activities he has been performing is defined. The observable emotion has also been associated with these individuals considering the overall human race. Some of the temperaments and behaviors of human beings has been consistent throughout the life. While some other traits shifts with the change of ages and time (Ellison et al., 2014).

Various researches have been conducted over the influence of the Internet addiction with additional problems. The outcomes displayed “disturbed behavior” exhibited by the Internet Users over the Internet. With the increasing phenomenon of the huge browsing of Internet, researchers have been trying to figure out its impacts.

The following study firstly identifies the influence and addiction of Internet. Subsequently, the merits and demerits are explored. The ultimate aim of the study is to propose a model, explaining flaws of the existing solutions. Finally, the conclusion has been discussed on the review process and determining the limitations of the study.

Since the last couple of decades, the way human beings has been living and the process of their performing activities has faced new changes. This has been due to the developments in information and communication sectors. As said by Taddicken (2014), the large distribution of the computers has been vital reason behind this. This has lead to communication of people taking place in the virtual space better defined as the cyberspace. This has appeared as a new-fangled ambience quite different from the real world that the human beings have been living. This has built links between people throughout the world. The efficiency in learning has also increased. The cyberspace has been utilized for disseminating and acquiring for future development.

On the basis if the new information claimed by the “Internet World Stats”, two billion individuals have the access to internet. This growth of the usage of internet tremendously increased to 566.4% during the years of 2000 to 2012. The group of people in fastest growing category has been the adults aged from 55 to above. The people of age group between18 to 34 are found to be the users mostly active online. Lallmahamood, (2015) said that the Users of Internet has been increasing rapidly since the 90s.

A study done previously claimed that 83% of the users surfing frequently have been between the ages of 20 to 40 years. Moreover, 30% of them found to browse without any particular reason. Almost 67% of them were males. Further, it was seen that the young adults has been camouflaging as teens while engaging in various online forums. 72% of them have been addicted to the social networking sites all day and night.

As researched by Lu et al., (2014), mainly Asia has been found to accommodate the largest number of such users with a massive figure of 922.3 million. It has represented the forty four percent of the population of the internet users on this Earth. There have been an increasing number of concerns in Asia labeled as the “Internet addiction”. This has been also referred to as health issue. The “Chinese Ministry of Health” claimed that engaging in online activities for more than 6 hours per day is a symptom of the disorder called “Internet Disorder”. It also includes the adverse effect of unable to come online. 90% of the juvenile crime happening in Beijing city has been related to Internet. Several boot camps have been set up with the collaborative government of South Korea, Japan and China (Aguiar & Martens, 2016).

Research on Internet Addiction

The Governments of China, Japan and South Korea have set up boot camps. They have been providing therapies to do away with Internet addiction of people. China has approached a step further in banning the new cyber cafes as a part of their government campaign. Almost fifteen percent of the university students in Europe and United States have been aware of the fact that they have been devoted to Internet. However, several doubts have risen regarding the justification of the outcry.

Bhatti, (2015) claimed that as a consequence, several questions has been rising regarding the level of changes of human behavior due to the Internet surfing. The review by empirical and academic literatures has shed light on some common questions. These have been the regarding the factuality of problems caused due to internet addiction. Moreover, the personality types who have been correlating with this addiction were needed to be identified. Lastly the possible addicts and the behaviors of the users of Internet have been raising severe queries.

Hedman et al., (2014) claimed that the “Internet Addiction” has been regarded as an impulsive disorder that has not been due to the taking of intoxicating drugs. Nevertheless, it has been very much related to pathological gambling. It has been identified as the behavioral or non-chemical addiction arising due to the “Human-Machine interaction”. This has been both passive liking watch movies and active like playing of computer games. It has been the maladaptive using of internet leading to functional and social impairment. The several views for the concepts of Internet include the failure to control the internet usage. This results in psychological, tasking and social activities. The primary reasons for the dependency over Internet has been the rise in tolerance over the impact to stay online, rise in quantity of source investment on correlated activities, unpleasant mood during off-line and lastly the denial of the behaviors creating problems.

Huang et al., (2014) argued that, there have been various models suggested to categorize the kinds of the activities done online. It has been concluded that the similarity nature around the models is the key distinction between the information collecting and interactive functions. The empirical study that has been carried out early has indicated the subtypes like addiction of cyber relationship or over involvement of online relationships. There have been net compulsions like online shopping, trading and gambling. The information also gets overloaded such as the compulsive we searches or surfing. Computer addictions have been also there like the obsessive behavior on computer games.  There has been an alternative approach of 5 phases of the process of addition. This has been belonging towards the experimentation, discovery, escalation, hopelessness and compulsion. There has been also searching for irrelevant information that has not been so important and chatting for excessive time. There are the contributions of the research to the field.

Contrary to all the above, the internet has brought so many things close to the human beings. The positive aspects of it have been involving the performing of transactions of businesses with communications. There has been communication in between the social relations and access to library journals also. There have been few people who become obsessed in becoming exposed and familiarized in the Internet world that are to be changed. Various opinions have risen about the internet addiction (Park, 2013). Hence, it becomes hazardous to physical and mental health if the Internet is utilized excessively that needs changes. Hence, arguments have been lying on both the positive and negative aspects. So, the coming to a sudden conclusion through the studies only is a great limitation of the research.

Evolution of Information and Communication Sectors

Kiesler, (2014) identified that these have been compulsory since working through Internet has been productive and effective. The students also need to surf the internet. Many people have been feeling comfortable with their online friends than the friends they interact in real life. There have been various modes of entertainment like playing games and watching movies and videos that brings refreshment. The internet access has been easier in mobile phone s also. All this indicates that during the states of being online the individuals has been feeling thrilled, uninhibited, excites, desirable and more supportive. The situations offline could make them angry, depressed, anxious and worried. The strong emotions have been positively reinforcing the “compulsive behavior” referring to the addicted ones generating various effects (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014). Hence the research has been a humanitarian approach for the betterment or better living of human beings in the peaceful society.

From the previous studies various impacts to the addiction to Internet could be drawn. The negative impacts have been regarding the influence on the interpersonal relationship. Here the relation goes away further from the reality for an individual. People have been facing behavioral problems because of the Internet where they have been giving reaction much differently from their normal attitude. Various physical problems have been arising due to the addiction to Internet. This includes the disruption of sleeping pattern, headache or migraine and so on (Dale et al., 2015).

Other problems have been regarding the psychology where people have been unable to manage the emotions. Schulz, (2014) claimed that there has been further alteration in the thinking because of the long hour utility of Internet. This has tended to increase the time of net serving and eliminated set schedule. There have been interpersonal problems that recurrent difficulties related to others. There has been argument that this interpersonal problems has been those areas where individuals has been reacting differently unlike what they have been expected to be. The person who has been indulged in the social networks has been found to withdrawing from the social activities. There has been decrease in tolerance and problems of time management.

The behavior has been lying on the basis of “internal personal factors” that has been including the affective, biological and cognitive conditions and events. This situation has been generating from the external environment influencing each other from both the directions. The results have been social isolation, late evening usage of Internet, reduction of academic performances and sleeping disturbances. Heavy users of Internet has been less likely to be engaging in taking healthier diet, eating nutritional supplements, trying to rise the levels of physical activities and significantly showing overweight BI or “Body Mass Index”. They acquire hypersomnia. Sitting in front of the computer for excessive time leads to higher risks of “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” (Dombrowski et al., 2014).

Putting aside the poor influences, there has been positive aspects also in using Internet. The Internet has been providing the users with the information related to promotion of research, working overseas with foreign people effectively and connecting people worldwide. The positive features have been involving convenient, informative, and fun and resourcefulness but those who are addicts this turn into detriments. In the Pakistan study, a significant majority of respondents has reported that the activity has been helpful for communication throughout the world. About seventy four percent has experienced the development in reading and writing and skills of data processing by using Internet.

Usage of Internet and Statistics

The Internet users have been more actively indulged and engaging in Internet usage due to this interactivity. Neubauer et al., (2013) used their scales of Internet usage and searched some motivations namely the entertainment, convenience, information seeking, time passing, interpersonal utility. Carlbring et al., (2013) Found out that the users has been experiencing in large scale of exposure, leisure, relaxation, self development and lastly larger exchange of global views and information.

It is the best model for the solution. Developed from the reasons action theory, the “technology Acceptance Model” has explained the acceptance of technology on the basis of the user’s attitude. The model has seen the relationships casually as essential and unidirectional. The good thing about the model is that the environment has been influencing the cognitive beliefs influencing behavior and attitudes (Dombrowski et al., 2014).

Like the other empirical studies, the study has been consisting of various limitations:

Firstly, some online journals have been considered merely for the huge issue arising against the sustaining of the human society.

The longitudinal studies using both the qualitative and quantitative techniques were not made. These would have been required to make sense of the changes in Internet behavior Lastly, surveys on different age group could also be done. The research could be strengthened by increasing the size of sample and including university students and working people.

The empirical researches have been needed on the various patterns of the distressed users that would help in better studying. This should also include the behavioral pattern and the disorder for further research. This would help in remarking the advanced phenomenon.

Conclusion:

The study has discussed about every pieces of work. The research and the field of research is described. The valuation of research is done. The effect of Internet addiction is highlighted.  Limitations are shown with the best model proposed which is the “Technology Acceptance Model”. It has been hard to determine the causality of the addictedness towards Internet. Indeed, the impacts has been recognized a collection of dilemmas like behavioral, working, psychological and interpersonal problems. The internet addiction or abuse has lead to serious addiction over young adults particularly those who are under maturity period of their physical and mental health. The addiction to Internet has not been limited to the harming of an individual only. It has also left its impact on the performance of work of a person. The condition has been worsening as the problem of work has brought harms on people doing work together and their company The Internet has permeated the work and home environments. It has also included the social and personal phenomenon. The awful impacts have been the poor performance of work, physical problems, interpersonal relationships and psychological aspects. Moreover there have been impacts on academics and career of people also. The researches on the influence of the addiction of Internet have been in its primary stage of the development. The empirical studies have been required on the different patterns of the distressed users. This should also include the behavioral pattern or the disorder for further research in order to remark the advanced phenomenon.

References:

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Carlbring, P., Hägglund, M., Luthström, A., Dahlin, M., Kadowaki, Å., Vernmark, K., & Andersson, G. (2013). Internet-based behavioral activation and acceptance-based treatment for depression: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 148(2), 331-337.

Dale, L. P., Whittaker, R., Jiang, Y., Stewart, R., Rolleston, A., & Maddison, R. (2015). Text message and internet support for coronary heart disease self-management: results from the Text4Heart randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 17(10), e237.

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