Throughout the past decade, the surge in communication innovation has created new social standards.
Cell phone usage, for instance, has become second nature to us when we want to connect with others.
Many people see those who do not own a cell phone as disconnected, solitary and strange. We quickly forget that there was a time when we did not have the commodity of cell phones.
For one reason or another, the use of cell phones has created an urgency to maintain instant connections with people like never before.
When our calls go unanswered or our texts go unread, we can feel offended or ignored at times; our urge to be connected is not satisfied. This urge or anxiety is also known as addiction.
All addictions are similar because they require repetitive actions with an expected outcome of a good feeling, according to Dr. Marc Kern of Addiction Alternatives.
Texting and social network usage certainly fall under these categories.
The gratification of getting a text back goes to the brain's pleasure center with the mood-enhancing chemical dopamine. Essentially, a texting addiction can compare to a heroin addiction, according to neurologist Michael Seyffert.
When cell phone users check text messages repeatedly, the act relieves the urge of wanting to know if someone is trying to contact them.
Have you ever noticed yourself checking your phone without thinking, sometimes two or three times in a minute?
This goes the same for Internet usage. Those who use the Internet every day may not see it as an addiction because it is a normal part of daily life.
But this may be a common problem for students.
A study from Nottingham Trent University that correlated self-esteem and Internet use found that “18 percent of British students were considered to be pathological Internet users, whose excessive use of the Internet was causing academic, social and interpersonal problems. Students addicted to the Internet were found to have lower self-esteem than other students.”
Someone that often uses the Internet can develop psychological issues such as depression and anxiety when they are away from their computer.
These outcomes can affect work, school and relationships, according to Jonathan Kandell, the assistant director of University of Maryland’s Counseling Center.
Today people are joining the Internet more than ever. In 2005, a Perspectives in Psychiatric Care article declared an estimated 9 to 15 million people use the Internet everyday with an increase of 25 percent every three months.
It is understandable why cell phones and Internet can be so addictive.
The Internet is an informative tool that has changed all of our lives for the better. It is because of communication technology that we are able to exchange information at speeds that had never been thought possible.
Maybe we are addicted to knowledge and not the connection. To avoid addiction, limit Internet usage and the number of texts you send per day. It may help to remember that people survived without Internet and cell phones 20 years ago. Why can’t you?
Express your ideas at jrgarci8@asu.edu
