Computer Addiction Essay Research Paper March 2

Computer Addiction Essay, Research Paper

March 2, 2000 There once was a time when the only computers known to the average

person were those the military possessed. Eventually, large corporations found

many different uses for computers in the business world, and today, computers

are as common in numerous households around the globe. People from all age

groups are learning to operate computers and anyone who has worked with

computers for long periods of time knows that computers can be just as addicting

as smoking. Computer addiction can have a number of physical, social, and

psychological effects on a person and it is to be taken as seriously as any

other addiction that a person is battling. One common physical effect computer

addiction can have on a person are back problems. Sitting for so long can take a

toll on a person’s muscles and can result in poor posture. Poor posture can

result in chronic back problems that require the services of a chiropractor. Dry

eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, and vision complications are some eye problems

caused by over use of a computer. Migraine headaches are quite common in

computer addiction and are linked to the straining of the eyes. Because of the

long hours spent engrossed in a computer, addicts often have eating

irregularities, such as skipping meals and binge eating. Computer addicts

experience sleep disturbances, or changes in sleeping patterns, which are most

likely due to late hours on the computer and low blood sugar from eating

irregularities. One last effect is the failure to attend to personal hygiene,

such as bathing, combing hair and brushing teeth. All of these physical effects

can be linked to computer addiction. Social effects of computer addiction

include reduced time spent socializing with others. People may begin to feel

that their computer is the only relationship that they have the time to focus

on. They lose the desire for human contact and communication and in a way they

are breaking away from reality. Lacking the desire to make contact with others,

means lacking the desire to create new relationships or to build on already

existing ones. After a certain amount of time, they lose their conversation

skills completely. Within the lives of computer addicts it is their friends and

family that suffer the most from this form of alienation. They are often moved

to the very bottom of the computer addict’s list of priorities. Computer

addiction has the power to cause serious social effects and cannot be left

untreated. Along with the physical and social effects of computer addiction

there are also psychological effects. Some psychological symptoms experienced by

computer addicts when they are not at the computer are feelings of depression,

emptiness, irritability, distraction and withdrawal. Feelings that are common

when addicts are at the computer are a sense of euphoria or well-being. These

senses of complete ecstasy and pleasure also causes and inability for people who

are addicted to computers to stop the activity. They end up having a constant

craving for more time at the computer, and this is where one can identify an

addiction. Along with addiction comes a need to cover up their secret and

computer addicts often lie to those around them. For example lying to employers,

and family members about their hours spent at the computer and also denying they

have a problem. This lying a sneaking around eventually results in problems

either at school or at work. The psychological effects of computer addiction may

not only lead to distraction and emptiness but may also lead to critical

depression. When people think of addictions, no one ever thinks of computer

addiction to actually be common. In this age of computers, computer addiction

will only increase as time passes. More and more people will experience the

physical, social, and psychological effects of computer addiction but,

thankfully, like other addictions, this condition is treatable.