Internet Addiction and Depression?
Have you ever heard the term ‘Internet Junkies’? Are you one of them? Well, internet junkie is another term refer people who addicted to internet. According to the Urban Dictionary (n.d), internet junkie is people who addicted to internet and they will suffer from withdrawel symptoms when they could not connect to internet. Moreover, internet junkie also is a person who is lack socialising in the ‘real world’, they only live in their virtual world.
So, are you one of the internet junkies?
Photo credits: The Odyssey Online
According to the short survey our group has made, most of our respondents are quite addicted to the internet. Total respondents of our survey are 80 respondents, female is 57 people and male is 23 people. The age range of the respondents is between 10 to 30 years old.
Time Spent Online Longer Than Originally Planned
|
Number of respondents
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Yes
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66
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No
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14
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In our survey, we found out that 76.3% of respondents spend more than 3 hours online, while there is only 1 person who spends less than 1 hour. In 61 respondents who spend more than 3 hours online, 47 of them consume internet to check their social media and for entertainment purpose, while only 13 of them use it for assignment or work purpose. From the finding, we can see the pattern of the internet users which most of them spend it for entertainment purpose. Moreover, the pattern of time spent for internet usually is longer than they original planned.
Question is, how does internet addiction can link to depression?
Photo credits: What Doctors don't Tell You
The research conducted by Lawrence Law, psychologist at Sydney’s University of Notre Dame’s School of Medicine found out that the teenagers who spend excessive amount of the time on internet have potential to develop depression compare to teenagers that spend moderate time on internet. Internet junkie feel irritate when they are not using internet besides lose desire for normal interaction with people surrounding them. In Law’s study, he pointed out lack of sleep and stress from online games is one of the reason teenagers develop depression. His study also said that the teenagers with internet addiction problem is more to be depressed which 2.5 times higher than other teenagers.
In our study, we also found out that people often feel insecure when they are unable to connect to internet. 43.7% of the people feel insecure when they cannot connect to the internet. 30% of them feel very moody, depressed and irritable when they decrease their internet consumption. The factors of their insecurities is due to they feel they will miss out important things from internet and outdated when they are unable to connect to internet. Internet has become part of their everyday life. It is a tools for 60% of the respondents to escape from their problem.
In a nutshell, most of the respondents are very depend on the internet. Most of us cannot survive without internet. To close this topic, here is the documentary about the ‘Web Junkie’.
Reference
Urban Dictionary. (n.d.). Internet junkie. Retrieved from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=internet%20junkie
Elements Behavioral Health. (n.d.). Internet addiction linked to depression. Retrieved from https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/mental-health/internet-addiction-linked-to-depression/
Wow, thank you for your interesting sharing. I believe in today's society most of us is too much to depend on internet and social media. This is because internet and social media is part of our life for most of people. For me, I highly depend on the internet too.
ReplyDeleteYes. Totally agree with it. Me, myself also depend too much on internet. However, we should control ourselves not too depends on internet.
DeleteThanks for your sharing. This topic is very interesting and this is my first time heard the term ‘Internet Junkies’. Yes, actually i am one of the Internet Junkies. I very depend on the internet and social media.I will feel irritate when not using internet.
ReplyDeleteWow! Maybe it's time for you to control yourself not too depend on the internet. Go hang out with your friends sometimes.
DeleteThanks for effort for the research done. We are living in a fast pace world and because of that we cannot leave the Internet. For me, I am actually okay to not connected to the Internet in a whole day if I am having other outdoor activities. But,if not, I am possibly spending my whole day with the Internet for entertainment purposes. I would get really irritated if the internet speed is slower than usual or getting disconnected for a long period while I need it.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe term 'Internet Junkie' is new to me. Thank you for your sharing! As for myself, I think I would not label myself as one of the junkie, but I definitely will feel irritated or feeling down when I could not be connected to the Internet. I use Internet most of the time for entertainment, watching YouTube, surfing social media whether on my phone or laptop. I feel uncomfortable when the Internet is not working or the line is slow or not stable.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I spend my time with the people I care or being involved in activity that does not requires me to use the Internet, I probably won't feel the same.
Am I the 'internet junkie'? I think it depends on the circumstance where people are in as now is the technology era, we depend on technology to work, to learn, and also to make in contact with others. In my opinion, we might be insecure to the disconnected internet when we are alert about important things that might happen in our expectation. But, in other time that we can assure we are free from tasks and works, we might not feel that way, instead.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! As being an "internet junkie" is kind of scary to me, I sort of keep myself busy with some other stuff to stay away from internet, maybe because of my phone battery dies easily too, haha. If possible, i definitely go unplugged for a few days to recharge myself. :)
ReplyDeletehaha~Thanks for your sharing, Maria by letting me know the new term "Internet Junkie".
ReplyDeleteAnd, I am quite lucky and proud of myself that I am not that kind of person. haha..
And it wont be happened in the future. I will tell people around about this new term so that they can jump out of this circumstance.
Yea. Being an internet junkies can be quiet creepy as some of them barely can survive without internet.
DeleteInternet junkie definitely is not me. I believe I depend much on Internet, but I am not that kind of person who cannot live without Internet. I like Internet but I like reality much more than it.
ReplyDeleteUniversity students spend their time in using Internet more than time planned. Sometimes, I believed that it is not their faults as we need to being connected with others all the time to finish our group projects.