[Week IX]-Editing-Net Addiction

A lot of people enjoy surfing the Net because they look for interesting Web sites and chat with people all over the world. However, some people spend such many hours online that they are internet addicts. Although an average person spends about eight to twelve hours per week, an addict spends eight to twelve hours per day online. Since addicts spend so much time interacting with the computer, their lives are negatively affected and they become social recluses because they stop going out and talking to people face-to-face. They avoid real-life social situations, preferring instead to be in a dimly lit room with only the glowing screen to light up their lives.

Internet addiction affects not only the addicts themselves but also the people around them. For example John’s marriage to Marta broke up until he insisted on spending so many hours on the Net. As soon as he arrived home from work he was at his computer. While he finished dinner, he would disappear into his computer room again. He paid so little attention to her that she finally divorced him.

Since college students are especially technologically skilled they can easily become nonstop Net-surfers. Most colleges provide computers at several locations around campus so that students can use them at any time day or night. As a result students can spend too much time surfing the Net instead of “surfing” their books. Last semester nine freshmen at Berkshire College flunked out, although they became Internet addicts. In short even though the Internet is an excellent source of information and entertainment, we must not let it take over our lives.