I was going to do a video about Internet addiction, but I spent all my time on Facebook instead
of writing it.
Anthony here for DNews and the INTERNET.
I've never had a more complicated love/hate relationship with anything.
YouTube holes, Tumblr holes, I go to check myFacebook messages for a second and come
out two hours later.
What makes the Internet so addictive?
There's a theory that Internet Addiction comes from the same bit of our brains that loves
gambling- pull a slot machine's handle and most of the time you lose.
But every once in a while, you hit the jackpot.
Our brains look for patterns and register every tiny difference.
It's a survival instinct.
And when the unexpected thing we experience is some sort of win, we get positive chemical
feedback from our brain.
The Internet is the same way.
Most of the stuff scrolling by in your feed is terrible- but that makes
every amazing corgi video that comes by so much more exciting..
Over time, your brain starts to associate the internet as a whole with that tiny feeling
of victory- it's like pavlov's dogs.
We begin to drool at the possibility of good internet.
That's why you can't help but look when you hear the IM bell or the new mail noise.
And if you share a great video and people like it or reblog it, you get addicted to
the positive social reinforcement.
We talked about that social aspect a bit in that video we did about Fear of Missing Out.
Another problem is that the Internet doesn't really have boundaries- multitasking is awesome,
but when everything is happening at once it becomes hard to draw a line at where to stop
using your computer or looking at your phone.
You're in the middle of checking Facebook and you get an email, and you're finishing
that email when you get a Twitter reply.
Studies show that willpower can be exhausted- sort of like a muscle.
And cognitive tasks can be really exhausting.
So here you are, sitting in front of a screen that's giving you endless things to think
about and emotionally react to- and your willpower just wears out and you keep clicking around.
If your internet addiction is particularly bad, hi, hello, that's me- its recommended
that you make strict boundaries on your time.
I use this pomodoro timer that makes me work in 20 minute intervals, then gives me 5 minutes
off to bum around the internet doing whatever I want.
I don't... follow it.
But I should.
Internet Addiction is so prevalent that it's actually mentioned in the newly released DSM-5-
the manual for the mental health professionals.
It's not classified as a disorder YET, but it's 'recommended for further research."
I say get on it, science, because it feels crazy real to me.
How bad is your internet addiction?
Be honest, this is a safe place.
And not to make things worse if your addiction's bad, but I'd love it if you subscribed here
for more DNews.
And not to make things worse if your addiction's bad, but I'd love it if you followed us on
Twitter or liked us on Facebook.