We've gone on a diet!
Actually, we just changed the way the site looks and smells.
You just so happen to be looking at an old page.
A really, really, really old page.
Older than Jesus himself, in fact.
Click here to view the new site
The Geekery Article Archives
All content within these archives belongs to Gotthegeek.com and the content's author. If you would like to use something from these archives, ask the author, or contact the Webmaster for permission.
Even older articles and news can be found here and an older version of The Geekery can be found here.
 Internet addiction -- TheJudge || Post in the forum
Well folks, the more I get involved with various forums and chats, the more I realise just how addictive the Internet can become. I’ve been asking myself some serious questions lately. And a recent event got my hamster wheel spinning even more. Initially, I started to ask myself a few questions about this topic because I find the Internet addiction to be quite unique compared to other typical addictions such as gambling or smoking or drinking.
Take a look at gambling for example. Let’s look at video lottery terminals. You start with a couple of quarters and if you manage to cash in five bucks you’re happy. But after some point, you want more. And in order to get more you have to wager more. So you may put in a few bills in the machine instead of quarters. And when you win $50, you’re happy. And after a while, you always want more money, more winnings so you take more risk and go for the improbable royal flush or straight flush. You increase the wager as much as you can. You spend hours in front of the machine every time you play. And it provides you satisfaction when you win big. But you always want to top it… You want to walk out and be bale to say “I’ve won $700 from that machine in one sitting”. Believe me, I’ve done it. Then comes guilt. Every time the machine doesn’t give you the satisfaction and you walk away because you have nothing left to put in, you feel guilty. You are pissed off at the machine and at yourself. You say never again! And the next morning, your ass is sitting on a stool right in front of those suckers. You have a severe gambling problem.
OK, so gambling provides me with potential wealth, so I can see the motivation and I can see what drives me to the addiction problem. But the Internet addiction is totally different. What drives us to spend time on the Internet? Talking to complete strangers? I can’t speak for everyone, but in my case, my Internet addiction comes from the comfort it provides me. You see, on-line, I can be myself without fear of being judge because if I am judge, I can ignore it and not have to deal with it. Ironic that my user name is TheJudge isn’t it? You may ask why I cannot be myself in real life. Well I can, but I’m afraid of what will happen if I do. You see, I’m a very unconventional person confined in a very conventional environment. I purposely do things differently than others. However, I also have some responsibilities. I have a family to take care of. I have bills to pay and I have career objectives. That requires that I be conventional most of the time even if it is against my nature. I have too much to loose. So I come on-line to set my mind free. To share my unconventional thoughts with a bunch of strangers. And I really don’t care how people react to me on-line, I just need to get some stuff out of my system. For example, I can’t tell my family that I think the bible is crap. Because they are religious. But on-line, I can bash God as much as I want. It doesn’t mean everyone will agree or like it, but I don’t have to pick up the broken glass on-line. That’s the difference.
I also like the fact that I can meet other unconventional people on the Internet. I like the fact that there is such a pool of souls on-line that I can pick and choose whom I want to associate with. I like the fact that I can totally ignore those I want to, without having any remorse or obligations. The Internet is a very different place than the real world. Take the morans out of the chat rooms and forums and the Internet becomes a better place to live in than the real world.
Is this sad? Am I a sad sad person? Well, I am sometimes. I am when I feel powerless in real life. And it probably is sad to have to go online to vent and be yourself sometimes. But it’s also healthy: you need to get things out of your system. And you have to acknowledge that not everyone in your real life environment can handle it. In a sense, they are the ones with a problem. You don’t. The Internet becomes a place to relax and to be free. But when the Internet life becomes more real than your real life, then you have a problem. I sometimes ask myself what the hell is a 27 year old grown man doing wasting his time talking to an 11 year old boy on-line? It is pretty sad when you think about it. Why do we do these things?. If we take the time to look at our on-line selves, we may find that we are indeed sad people.
My personal conclusion is that we become Internet addicts because there is something missing in our lives. We have major unresolved issues in our lives and the Internet simply becomes a substitute. I know I’m spending way too much time on-line. It is affecting my life and my work. That doesn’t mean I have to slow down on my Internet usage. It means I have to figure out what the Internet is substituting for. I need to clarify what is missing in my life. And I need to address the problem. Then I won’t have this need or this addiction. The Internet is a good place to be, as long as it doesn’t become a mean to avoid you real life issues, which in my case is something I’ll have to reflect upon further.
(Comments (11) | Post in the forum | Join the Forums )
|
