Internet causes many addictions

By Nick Kovach
Staff Writer

Internet Addiction Disorder, like any other addictive condition, is a destructive affliction that affects all aspects of the addict's life. The vastness of the Internet allows for many types of addictions to the World Wide Web.

According to the Center for On-Line Addiction (http://www.netaddiction.com), three basic categories of Web addiction have been established: Cybersexual, Cyber-Relational and Netgaming.

College students are especially susceptible to netgaming, which includes online auction houses like Ebay, online shopping sites, gambling and stock market day trading, said Kimberly Young, head of The Center for On-Line Addiction.

Internet gambling is attractive to students because it appears to be 'low risk and high reward' and online shopping sites and auction houses offer guilt-free access. The newness of students to both independence and the Internet-not to mention credit cards-can be a dangerous combination, she said.

Ohio University junior Matt Hollar said he agrees college students are susceptible to addictive online shopping.

"Internet shopping is a great way to find just about anything you need, especially while you're here in Athens," he said. "Every freshman gets a computer in their dorm room now with an Ethernet connection. You spend most of your time as an underclassmen in the dorms, so I can see how people could get addicted."

Cybersexual addiction to the Internet is probably the most widely discussed, but accounts for only 15 percent of IAD sufferers, Young said. Cybersexual addiction includes pornographic Web sites, chat rooms where sexual behavior is discussed and interactive pornographic peep shows.

Cyber-Relational addiction is perhaps the most damaging to the addict's personal life. Cyber-Relational addiction is comprised of forming on-line relationships with other Internet users to compensate for personal unhappiness. The severity of this condition is tied to social aspects of the Internet, which are vital to its structure and use, Young said.

Unlike other addictions, such as substance abuse and Cybersexual addiction, Cyber-Relational addiction is directly tied to other people.

People who are lonely or have low self-esteem can search for companionship on the Internet nearly free of anxiety, thus neglecting reality, she said.

Freshman Samantha Schnell said she knows the dangers of Cyber-Relational Internet addiction.

"I know other students that gather in chat rooms and on-line game rooms for hours to socialize. They talk to their friends from home online and don't bother to make new friends here," she said.

Schnell said she can't walk through a computer lab or dorm hallway without hearing the ceaseless pinging sounds of an instant messenger conversation, often between two students in the same building.

"It's ridiculous," Schnell said. "I hear it at all hours of the night in my dorm. Some people are just addicted to talking over the computer, rather than face-to-face or even on the phone."