Tweeting, poking, mailing, posting, chatting, surfing, liking….from morning to night. No physical contact with another human being. Locked indoors, bathed in the glow of the light from the laptop screen……

Is this your typical day? Well, it’s probably an exaggeration of course, but could it be that we are letting our computers and use of the Internet cause us to become a nation of hideaway hermits? Are we losing our capacity to interact socially with other people outside in the real world? Is life itself becoming virtual?

What is Internet Addiction?

The idea of a nation of people all unable to tear their eyes away from their computer screens is not a new one and studies have often pointed out the dangers of overuse of the Internet, although you can also find many other studies showing the opposite.

Back in 1998 one such study demonstrated that ‘heavy’ Internet users risked falling victim to depression, as they spent so little time interacting with other people and were more prone to stress. Can you remember back to the 90′s, when the social networking sites we are so familiar with today didn’t exist? ‘Heavy use’ is pretty much a polite way of describing users addicted to the Internet.

The notion of the dangers of becoming an Internet junkie is evident in several studies from the 1990′s. It is known as Internet Addiction Disorder and the symptoms of this disorder include the following: using online services daily, losing all sense of time when on the Internet, going out less frequently, along with the killer – checking email several times a day! We may smile now as these actions have become second nature, but back then they amounted to a mental disorder.

At the time some Internet users displayed behavior patterns, which are symptomatic of other addictions such as gambling and drug abuse. Lying about the time spent on the addiction and withdrawal from society are just two examples or addictive behavior, while the destructive effects on relationships with family, friends and co-workers are the price addicts pay.

Are We Losing Our Kids to Internet?

There is a real and constant fear among parents about the amount of time their children spend online, whether it is on social media sites, playing online video games or simply surfing the web. When you start communicating with your children via instant messaging when they are physically in the next room, it could well be time to worry!

Young people with self-confidence issues can take refuge in the world online where socializing is so much easier that in the real world and where concerns about physical appearance are no longer relevant. The danger is that they will not develop real-life social skills which will make it harder for them when they grow older and may even lead to a long-term pattern of social isolation.

Escape from Real Social Problems

Then Internet allows for a degree of control over situations, which is practically impossible elsewhere. It allows people to reinvent themselves with new persona and the kind of physical attributes they may not have been blessed with in real life.

There must be a clear line, however, between the fantasy persona, which is created online, and the real you who still has to go into the world every day and confront those issues of social anxiety and real or perceived prejudice about physical appearance.

Pros and cons – Online or Physical Communication

We are told that communication is what Internet is all about. Whether it is chatting online with friends who recommend the Lego Hogwarts board game or a how-to guide to tying knots, we can now talk to anybody in the world, no matter who or where they are.

Communication online, however, is not really comparable to communicating with somebody in person. Body language and facial expressions cannot be seen in a written message, however cute the smiley face!

What’s more, scientific studies have also demonstrated that physical contact with other people is beneficial to health. By itself, the Internet is not going to turn you into an anxiety-riddled recluse, but abandoning it in favor of real human contact from time to time is good for you.

The friends we make on Facebook may not be any more than superficial relationships and those who are critical of the social networking media believe that we can lose our ability to interact physically with other people by simple lack of practice. It’s not like riding a bike.

Making New Friends Around the World

Let’s not dismiss the use of computers totally. The danger is not from the computer itself, but from our use of it. There are so many ways to waste time on the web, seeking out useless information or visiting dozens of sites trying to find information that could have been found in minutes in the dust-covered encyclopedia on your bookshelf.

But think of all the ways in which the Internet is useful and helpful. From parents racking their brains looking for gift ideas before typing ‘top toy Christmas 2011′ to get some solutions to a patient suffering from a rare illness who finds other people online in similar circumstances. The Internet has given us so many answers to questions we ask ranging from health issues to parenting to philosophy.

Internet users who are active socially online are shown to have more diverse friendships than before. Internet friends are of far more diverse backgrounds that those we meet in person in our town, city, school or workplace. Superficial as these relationships may be, they are an opportunity to connect with many people we would otherwise have no contact with, for geographical or social reasons.

How to Improve the Internet Experience

If you fear that you can recognize yourself in the description of the ‘heavy’ Internet user, then maybe it is time to do something about it. There are a number of ways in which you can limit yourself.

• When you ask yourself a question such as how to spell a word, or the date of birth of J.F.K., why not open a dictionary or encyclopedia before powering up your laptop to find the answer. You’ll save on electricity, too!
• Take a look at your Internet habits. How many times a day do you check your email? How many times to you catch up on Facebook? Is it really necessary to do these things so often? What about once or twice per day rather than every hour?
• Turn off your computer! When you are not using it, don’t leave your computer running, but instead power it off completely.
• Take a good look at your reasons for using the Internet so much. Are you trying to compensate for something else which may be missing from your life? Are you using your time online to avoid facing up to other issues? Is there something else you can do to address these issues?
• Go out to see a movie instead of watching one online. You’ll appreciate the size of the screen and if you go with friends you’ll be able to discuss the movie after.
• Take the time to make phone calls to your friends instead of chatting with them online. You will get much more out of it.

Once you get back into the habit of interacting physically with friends, you’ll remember that we did have social lives before the Internet and we can still have them, both on and off-line.

About the Author:

As a senior Pat Tate started to explore Internet Marketing. She uses her blog as a journal to keep track of the people and programs that she has met along the way. She is an avid golfer and invites women to join her to talk golf at Women’s Golf Center.   She has always loved toys and as the proud Grandmother of five beautiful Grandchildren she gets to play with new ones. See  Grandma’s Toy Review.

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