Bright and Dark Sides of College Internet Addiction

By Melissa Burns

These days college students spend a lot of time on the Web. They like to talk with friends in social networks, they use Google instead of books. Virtual world has become a part of their daily lives as sleeping or eating. Actually there are bright and dark sides of Internet addiction but there is no distinct border which differs in healthy attitude from an illness. In this post we will try to handle the problem.

When the Web is Helpful?

The information about the diagnosis which is called Internet Addition Disorder (IAD) was published as a research and caused heated debates in the mental health community. It is hard to disagree that college students almost ‘live’ in Instagram and Facebook, and clicking links is their favorite activity, but many psychologists reject the Internet addiction as a notion. Even if a greater part of students avoids cheeting during exams they nevertheless spend a lot of time reading news about celebrities, playing online games and uploading photos into their accounts in social media. All of this distracts students from study time.

Positive reasons for constant online activity include:

 

• possibility to complete homework easily using popular applications and software, for instance on devcompanies.com;
• a chance to find the latest updates of needed applications;
• place to read any information for studies as well as download books and textbooks;
• capability to discuss up-to-date issues on forums;
• way to communicate with classmates and instructors;
• opportunity to research job opportunities.

If a young person has some problems with social interaction, he or she can communicate with people online because it is important for mental health. Moreover, the Web is a tool which provides opportunities to study and work online and get knowledge to succeed in your professional life.

How to Prevent IAD?

Here are some tips which can be helpful in healthy Web usage:

 

1. Try to notice warning signs in time. If you realize that you spend more time communicating in Facebook than making your homework, it is time to remake your schedule.
2. Spend more time away from your computer. It’s an obsession to refresh your MySpace page every minute, so if you find out that you do that, just close your laptop and make a break.
3. Give yourself a chance for a ‘face time.’ Meet people in person instead of talking to them online. It is not healthy to rely only on virtual communication. In real life you can meet good people which might play important role in your future.

Preventive measures are always better than getting rid of the consequences. If you understand that you can’t fight Internet Addiction alone and this influences your studies badly, ask your friend or relative help you solve this problem.  If you notice your addiction in time you will be able to prevent it without any bad consequences such as social isolation, depression and many other unpleasant symptoms. Of course, the Web is helpful in many situations but it should not replace real activities and must not obstruct your happiness in your real collegial, professional, and personal life.