Running head: THE INTERNETS EFFECTS ON EVERY DAY LIFE

The Internets Effects on Every Day Life Natalie Pena University of Texas at El Paso

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The Internets Effects on Everyday Life Social communication is hindered by the Internet. People become more and more reliant on social websites to do the work for them every day, such as solving easy math computation problems or having a meeting. The Internet does have its advantages, of course, but at what expense? Social barriers are continuously collapsing due to individuals being Internet addicted. If the rate of use for the Internet keeps evolving as it is today, face-to-face personal communication will continue decreasing, elements that make up a society will continue to be left behind and forgotten, and health issues will keep increasing. A unique detail about the past was that people would interact as an ordinary, everyday activity. At the present moment, however, Internet usage has done so much to harm our human nature that it may now seem somewhat awkward to even converse with someone at a caf. For reference, The Free Dictionary by Farlex (2000) defines Internet addiction as A maladaptive pattern of Internet use, characterized by psychological dependence, withdrawal symptoms when off-line for prolonged periods, loss of control, compulsive behavior, and clinically significant impairment of normal social interactions or distress. Face-to-face communication was easy in the past but may now appear impossible to accomplish due to excessive cell phone or computer use. An observation that can be made from being deprived of this kind of communication is that Internet usage does not compensate for the same experience one would have by talking to someone face-to-face. A society is made up of various kinds of people. In addition to that, every person in a society has his or her own interests, whether it is music, religion, or extracurricular activities, which make that individual who they are. An ongoing conflict that society battles today is that

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too much time is spent on a computer whereas less time is dedicated to improving personal aspects such as the ones already listed. The Future of the Internet, an article extract written by Morris Jones (1997) explains the problems with Internet addiction when stating, students would spend up to 80 hours a week plugged into the Internet (p. 90). This growing trend of spending time online for long periods of time could conclude with someone completely leaving behind what defines them. Distractions exist in numerous locations, especially on the Internet. With every technological advance that is created, there is usually a downside to that advance. An example of this is Internet social sites such as Facebook that diminish our involvement of other areas in life. Facebook is one of the biggest contributing factors that has led to the steadily decline of todays society. It is a huge distraction because people, teenagers for the most part, spend a vast amount of hours wasting time instead of doing something productive. According to Douglas Groothuis, The Internet does not build meaningful connections between people (p. 23). Probably the greatest downside to technological advances is the socially awkward barrier that is placed within humanity. Whether people notice it or not, social media and social networking are two very powerful problematic distractions that can lead to elements that make up a society to be replaced. Health issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, and sedentary lifestyles, are caused by Internet addiction. The website Helpguide.org (n.d.) states that the reason individuals spend such vast amounts of time online is because losing yourself online can temporarily make feelings such as loneliness, stress, anxiety, depression, and boredom evaporate into thin air. It is a shame that people have to go to such extremes as to look for an outlet to distract themselves from their medical condition. Instead of trying to improve their condition, some individuals resort to the cause of their condition as a safe haven. One of the many ways in which one could

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get rid, or at least reduce, Internet addiction are by going outside at least once a day and try making new friends and meeting new people. Due to the creation of social networks, people require less of a need to get out of home and socialize with their friends in person. They also do not feel the need to go outside and play because they have games they can play for hours and hours, thus doing nothing in the day. A Time magazine poll (2003) showed that 23% of people said that they felt worse about their life after using social media over extended periods of time. This only justifies the issue that if people have no face to face interactions with one another, they may end up living unsatisfying lives. Not only will people feel worse about their lives after an extended period online, but they will later become antisocial. People will not find any good enough reasons to go outside and interact with others because they can do that from the safety of their bed while chatting. A negative aspect from this kind of thinking is that when an individual finally does decide to go outside and interact with others, it will seem somewhat awkward to that person because it will have been so long since they had some sort of face-to-face communication. Another problem that could arise is that the aforementioned health issues could end up being fatal or detrimental to an individuals life. Figure 1 below exemplifies how face-to-face communication has been harshly diminished within our community.

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Figure 1. A picture of a typical American couple too distracted with Internet-based tablets and phones to interact with one another. Internet addiction is such a big problem in todays society that it is recognized by a unique set of physical symptoms. These symptoms include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (pain and numbness in hands and wrists)dry eyes or strained visionback aches and neck aches; severe headachesSleep disturbancesPronounced weight gain or weight loss (HelpGuide.org, n.d.). These physical symptoms can be noticed immediately in a person who is Internet addicted. What is interesting about Internet addiction is that it can be easily avoided with the right advice and knowing the proper steps to follow. Conclusion Communities should find it rather shameful that they have let Internet distractions take over the majority of our lives. These communities should find alternatives in order to diminish this social barrier that has been placed within us. Despite the fact that the Internet has many advantages, it is not worth the risk of losing human interaction. Human interaction is one of the few aspects that set us apart from other animals, and if we were to lose that gift, who knows where humanity would end up. People should enjoy the fact that they have been blessed with wonderful gifts and they should be able to know how to make the most of them. If the Internet keeps evolving, there will be a decrease of face-to-face personal communication, elements that make up a society will be left behind and forgotten, and health issues will arise. If technology were to be put aside one day, the majority of people could thrive once again and the slow gradual process of human degrading would come to a halt. Humankind is the originator of technology, and as the creators, individuals have the power to stop it from overwhelming them. With just the right amount of usage, technology can allow these individuals

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to thrive and evolve into much greater human beings. Technology such as the Internet is a great tool to use; however, there is a certain limit as to how far we should allow it to control ones everyday life.

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References Cozic, C. P. (1997). The Future of the Internet. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven Press. Daley, E. (2013, November 4). Brick-and-mortar clinics treat Internet addicts-. .NY DailyNews. Retrieved from: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/brick-and-mortarclinics-treat-internet-addicts-article-1.1445677 Gallo, C. (2013). 2013 Extended Essays.Sturgis Soundings Magazine. Retrieved from: http://sturgissoundings.wordpress.com/feature-articles/2013-extended-essays/ Help Guide. (n.d.). Internet and Computer Addiction. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/internet_ Internet addiction disorder (redirected from Internet addiction). (n.d.).TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved from: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Internet+ People Communicating. (2013). Technology as an enabler of communication. People Communicating.com. Retrieved from: http://www.peoplecommunicating.com/technology-and-human-communication-enabler.html Torr, J. D. (2005). The Internet: opposing viewpoints. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Zakaria, F. (2013, June 8). Big Data, Meet Big Brother. TIME.com. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2146453-2,00.html

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