Are You Powerless Over Social Networking?
by Laura Barcella
"My friend Allie knew her Internet stalking habit had gotten out of control when she had to install parental control software. Not for her kids (30 and based in San Francisco, Allie is single with no children), but for herself, to forcibly prevent her from peeking at her ex-boyfriend’s social networking profiles. “At times it felt incredibly compulsive,” she recalls. “Very much like the compulsion to drink and do drugs, before I got sober. I was thinking, ‘Don't do this; it won't end well,’ but I went ahead and did it anyway.”"Allie’s case may be extreme, but she’s far from alone. Millions of people regularly use social networking hubs like Facebook and Twitter. Many of us, too, turn to everyday mood-alterers like alcohol, drugs, food, sex, or caffeine to numb out. But just like Pinot Grigio isn’t the cause of alcoholism, the Internet itself isn’t to blame for our overreliance on it. It’s how—and how often— websites are used that can become problematic. Some people innocently rely on social media to keep family, friends, and friendly strangers informed about their everyday lives. But in recent years, as American culture has Facebooked, Tweeted and Spotified its way into full-blown online overload, an unlucky few—some who are cross-addicted to other substances, like Allie—have become outright Internet junkies."
But is it truly possible for social media hounds’ harmless web surfing habit to turn into a full-fledged addiction? Yes, according to many psychologists. Though it’s not currently recognized by the psych bible DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), “Internet addiction disorder” is being considered for inclusion in the 2013 edition. And according to Hilarie Cash, executive director of the reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Washington state, Internet addiction is actively growing. Cash says that, according to recent stats, between six and 13% of the general population meets the criteria for Internet addiction, and among college-aged people, that number leaps from 13 to 18.5%.
Read the full article at the Fix
