What's Computer Addiction

Lots of times I wonder about how fast is our society changing. It changes at an exponential rate. Thing are different from what they used to be. We all heard this from our parents or grandparents. We didn't notice because we were young and thought that it's the way of things. But as we get older, we learn to observe more and understand more.

I think technology had the major role in this change. Technology evolves to make our lives easier. 15-20 years ago not everybody had a computer. The concept of computers was futuristic. Everyone said that computers are the future, so, I've learned computing.

Today you barely survive without one thus bringing a lot of changes in our lifestyles. If I would not have a computer and internet connection how could I tell you about what I think? Writing on a paper is almost obsolete. In the future we will forget how to write with a pen :). I would have a different job if there were no computers. Indeed computers help, they help a lot. Almost everything we want to do or to buy, we browse the internet for information.

For children, computers take away valuable time. They use messengers, play games making their life dependent on computers, making it harder for them to interact with other children. Lots of children come home from school and go directly to the computer. It's easy to create your own world with a computer, but it's not the real one. A lot of parents don't pay too much attention to the activities of their children, they are just happy that "something" is keeping them occupied. There are also people who push their children to the limit with studying making them computer addicted. I think that time spent by children at the computer must be limited.

When I was a child, I played outside most of the time with other children. It was fun, I had a lot of friends, in other words I was happy. I've consumed a lot of physical energy making me healthier. Someone said just the other day on tv : "where are the groups of children who used to play outside?"

In my opinion nowadays it's hard to find the balance between computers and other activities especially for those who use computers all day.
There are so many who don't even know how was the life before the "digitalization of everything".

What's addiction? The definition I've found on Wikipedia is this:

The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, video game addiction, crime, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, pornography addiction, etc.

Addiction is "something" that makes us obsessed by an activity or substance. It makes us want it and think of it most of the time. Being addicted means that our body or mind is depending on it. Computer addiction is more like an overuse of computers, being unable to stop at a given time. They still debate about the existence of "computer addiction".

Can people really become addicted to computers? The subject is quite complex. "Computers" are a very large field, encompassing many subdomains and programs, each of which tends to reflect or magnify various aspects of reality. Many people seem capable of developing addictive types of computing behavior. They feel the compulsion to spend so much of their time computing that it causes problems with their health, finances, relationships, etc. -- the same kinds of problems caused by other addictions with which we are more familiar.

I think that the first sign is when you give more importance to your "addiction" than anything else . Than someone is telling you that you have a problem and you deny it. I think realization comes when a bad thing happens and it's caused by behaviors related to overuse - like lack of interest at your job, missing exams at school, etc. Sometimes, there are those who don't care even if something bad happens and continue with the overuse.

I think the most overuse is caused by video games. Why? Playing a game can make you feel better, makes you think that you accomplish something when you finish that game. The good feeling doesn't last because it does not reflect in your life (except when you win at a world contest - but for that you have to be a master which implies overuse :) ). There are also the online multiplayer games which are even more time consuming because the game does not end. Simulated worlds that make us feel better about ourselves. A game that does not end can make you hooked up for a long time.

I do not condemn games, they are very useful. Games are good for entertainment, I get relaxed too if I play a game after work. The issue is not the time you spend if you can stop at any time you want. A lot of people blame others for their problems. They blame game developers or even scientists. We must seek the problems within ourselves.

Having access to so much content makes everyone of us find our "computer addiction". Different people have different needs, so, while some get addicted to games, others get addicted to internet and so on.

How can we achieve balance when almost every activity depends on computers or computing? Well... it's hard most of the time. Many of us have a lot of boredom in our lives, we try to kill time by doing something that's entertaining and easy. Computers help because they offer a wide variety of entertainment but can also make us dependent on what they offer.

After a long period of overuse - especially teenagers who do not have many friends - find it difficult to stop at a given moment. It's important for parents to notice the overuse and help them limit their time spent on the computer. It's very important to offer support and understanding.

It's hard to achieve balance alone, having someone close to you is what you need first. Someone to make you realize that there are other things you can do with your spare time. I've found my balance when I realized that I have time to do other things too, the games I play will be there tomorrow. I can just leave and return when I want. Before that I was eager to continue playing like there was no time. I could not find the power to get up and do something else. Anything else seemed not as entertaining.

We should not give so much importance to things, we should try to keep it real, go out more often with friends, communicate more verbally. Sitting inside and immersing ourselves into a cyber-world will make us become less human.

We can take for example "The Matrix" as a metaphor. In the movie all humans were connected to machines - the machines were feeding on them. So machines can make us dependent on them. They can drain our energy, They can almost control our lives. It's an extreme view but who knows the future?

Nature functions so perfectly because it's in balance. Without balance nothing would exist. Everyone must find it's own balance because it's different for each of us. We must discover the "counterweight" ourselves. There were many factors which contributed to finding my balance. First, I think, I grew up a little. I realized that it's just entertainment, nothing more. Second, I discovered other activities by making new friends.

The greatest computer of all time is the HUMAN BRAIN :). As long as we know our brain is more powerful we can overcome computer addiction or any other addiction.

I am not against evolution of technology and science. I am just concerned about the involution of humans. We must learn to use new technologies but at the same time learn not to lose ourselves.

My parents bought my first computer in 1992 - it was a commodore 64 or C64. I discovered computer games. From that moment on - with the evolution of technology - games changed and with that my overuse increased.

I was addicted to games. I've spent entire days just playing, I didn't even eat regularly, didn't go out, my only goal was to see what's next in the game.
Friends used to come over, spend nights at my home just playing. I could not get some of them to go home :). At that time it wasn't so easy to get new games, so, periods of overuse alternated with periods of no use :).

When I received my first PC in 1997 I started to get more addicted. Being a new tool, I've spent entire days just discovering it. My girlfriend always said that I spend too much time playing but I did not listen because my friends were doing the same. After some time the situation got worse, I started skipping classes, missing exams. I was very close to being expelled from the university.

So, I've learned to control the time spent playing games. I'm choosing carefully the games I play. I still get hooked on a game or two occasionally. What I know is that I am in control now. I still find games which make me overuse the computer but at a much lower level. I've learned to stop when I want.

I can thank the games for teaching me English, helping me learn some history, develop some skills. I can't thank them for skipping a lot of classes, fatigue, tons of coffee and cigarettes :). Usually any new thing we like can make us addicted, with games it's easier to stay hooked, thousands of games are released every year.

The computer is an object, it will be there all the time, you can use it later. Spend time doing other things too, there are a lot of fun things to do with your friends and family.

PEOPLE are better than machines.
Anything can be controlled especially when the problem is known. Maybe "computer addiction" is an extreme term to use but we all know that this problem exists. We could call it overuse, obsession, etc. It affects almost all of us and we have to be prepared to let go when we have to.