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The internet has taken over our lives and made us into addicts. Here's how

The internet has taken over our lives and made us into addicts. Here's how

The over-reliance on smartphones can cause a chemical imbalance in the brain which leads to mental disorder
24 Sep, 2018

How many times do you use your smartphone in a day? Are you constantly checking your Instagram or Facebook on your phone, say every 10 minutes? If your answer to these questions is YES, you are officially a digital addict.

Addiction, literally, is a strong and harmful need which gradually becomes your daily habit which you do not want to quit at any cost. Digital addiction is a global phenomenon and a grave problem. Be it parties, functions, educational institutions, offices, or at dinner tables, you see people glued to their mobile screens.

Samina Ahmed, a student counsellor and educationist, notes that most adults spend hours scrolling through social media feeds or websites like zombies, because according to them, this is the best way to kill boredom. It is also an escape from embarrassing or awkward social moments and conversations.

While there are benefits to living in a digital world, there are also risks. The over-reliance on smartphones can cause a chemical imbalance in the brain which leads to mental disorder.

Amber Kazmi, a clinical psychologist, points out some of the key symptoms of addiction, such as insomnia, detachment from the real world, isolation even from friends and family physically present, relationship issues and lack of human interaction. In addition, the constant beep of your smartphone can distract you from important tasks, slow your work and interrupt those quiet moments that are so crucial to creativity and problem-solving.

Wahaj Siddiqui, a 31-year-old assistant manager at a private company, has been addicted to the internet for last five years. Explaining his addiction, he says that “Initially I used to spend only two to three hours on internet after coming back from work, either playing video games or browsing websites. Gradually, the time duration kept increasing and now I spend approximately 10 to 12 hours on the internet every day after work, so much so that even I cannot sleep properly at night due to which I have started feeling lethargic most of the time.”

Also read: Model Anam Tanoli's tragic death sparks conversation about depression

Health experts report that majority of the teenagers in Pakistan are spending more time than is healthy on Instagram and Snapchat. Naila Anees, an entrepreneur and a mother of a 16-year-old daughter, recounted that she usually sees her daughter hooked to the smartphone, either chatting to friends on social networks or putting up selfies. What makes Anees anxious is that her daughter has become irritable, rude and belligerent in her behaviour; and her grades are falling at school, which is alarming.

It is not only adults and teens. Children below three years of age can also be seen fiddling with smartphones. “Parents are mostly responsible in this case,” says Ahmed. “Most of the times, parents are tired and they don’t want to play with their children, so they have found the easiest babysitting hack to pacify a fussy baby. Take a smartphone, find a game or cartoon, and put it in the child’s hands. Voila! The magic trick works,” adds Ahmed.

Research further suggests that if you are constantly checking your phone, you are more likely to get stressed out by what’s happening on social media. Political arguments or body shaming on Facebook and Twitter have a negative emotional effect on most, so much so that people may even have suicidal thoughts. There are many teens and adults who having succumbed to cyberbullying.

The suicide of 26-year-old aspiring model and designer Anam Tanoli is a prime example. The reports disclose that cyber-bullying and trolling encouraged her to take her life.

Moreover, earlier this year, 14-year-old Amy Everett, known as Dolly, also killed herself after constant virtual harassment.

Smartphones have brought the world to our fingertips but this has also increased a sense of anxiety and depression among individuals. According to a recent study, published in NeuroRegulation, digital addiction is real and smartphones are causing it in a growing number of people. Furthermore, the symptoms and behaviours of the digital addicts are similar to users of actual substance abuse. This has resulted in “phoneliness” — a state of increased loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Also read: Anam Tanoli's death proves we still don't know how to talk about depression

People hooked to their smartphones are still not aware of exactly how digital technology is designed to give them a sense of belonging and participation. Also, there is an argument that the usage of smartphones is essential these days to keep you updated with what is happening. One can watch the news or professionals can check their emails if they are not in the office. More importantly, this is also a good way to keep you connected with your family.

Discussing the benefits of smartphone usage, Mehreen Farooq, an employee at a private bank, says, “I have a tough schedule and I don’t get time to go to the gym. However, this is not a problem because I can easily do workouts at home by watching zumba exercise videos on YouTube. Moreover, I can check my emails from home whenever I’m on leave. And also, I can talk to my friends or family members abroad through WhatsApp.”

The question arises that if it’s not good for your health, why are people addicted to it? Kazmi shares that one of the primary reasons is the achievement of pleasure or contentment quite similar to when you eat chocolate or win a game. “Whenever you post your photo on social media, you want people to appreciate you,” says

Ahmed. “Therefore, when you receive a message or notification from your friends, colleagues or family members, you feel good. But then there are people who love to degrade or harass others. For these individuals, it’s easier to make statements on a screen that would otherwise be difficult to verbalise face to face.”

Another reason, Kazmi points out, is public recognition. In the digital world, most of the individuals join online forums because they want to feel accepted and recognised by a large number of people and smartphones provide that opportunity. Moreover, people are also hooked to smartphones to overcome their loneliness. Kazmi says that this is extremely dangerous for a person who is already suffering from depression.

So what can be done to overcome digital addiction? Kazmi advises adopting small measures such as turning off your phone when you are eating dinner with your family. Engage in activities or pursue a hobby such as painting, writing or crafts. Try to go for a morning walk in a park or in your own garden and don’t take your smartphone with you. Kazmi believes that it’s also incumbent for families and friends to help individuals with digital addiction to sort things through. Talk to them but don’t be judgmental and stick with them and lend your support in their difficult times.


Originally published in Dawn, EOS, September 23rd, 2018

Comments

Orakzai Sep 24, 2018 10:10am
I am addict of mobile, I can forget everything even lunch and dinner but can't mobile. When i wake up in the morning my hand first goes to mobile phone
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HonorBright Sep 24, 2018 10:45am
Haven't humans remained addicted to one thing or another especially in last 3 centuries? For my part, i am not addicted to smartphone because i have no smartphone :D
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Faisal Ahmed Sep 24, 2018 10:46am
Yes I do check my mob many times in an hour, and the biggest drawback I am feeling of getting closer to internet is I am getting away to my real relations, I do compromise my family time I know this, what should I do to overcome this problem??
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HonorBright Sep 24, 2018 10:47am
Why i keep on checking my nokia 1202 again and again puzzles me too. I expect messages and calls even when i am nearly certain i have not got any. Sometimes it amounts to physical battle with your hand to stop it from grabbing your phone..
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Ahsan Chaudhry Sep 24, 2018 12:11pm
besides this addiction issue there is also some social and cultural impacts of internet on our society. cultural lag is the major issue. what is being appreciated on social media apps is not accepted even taken as deviance in a large faction of society. like the incident of two girls who posted dance video on social media and had to face severe consequences. on the other hand two girls known as beiber girls became famous on internet and their lives are changed. in many family it is a reason that led to divorce and parting of ways on the other hand it is responsible for many weddings and long distance relationships. so internet is not good or bad it is how it is used where it is used. we need to educate people about it.
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Umair Sep 24, 2018 12:36pm
This is nothing but techphobia. Would you worry about someone getting addicted to books? I saw the unbelievable scene of my aunt scolding my 8 year old niece to stop reading and play instead. A decade ago I knew a 15 year old who read a lot of books, just not the school books, which affected her grade. Internet / smartphone / computer is not a single thing. It encompasses a dozen different activities - reading books, watching TV, doing homework, or research of ANY kind, communicating with distant relatives and friends, listening to music, reading newspaper, doing puzzles and playing games, paying bills, etc. In the 80s and most of the 90s, kids could play cricket outside a lot and ruin their grades, skip proper lunch. They could go to video game places and spend too much time there. Social butterflies spent a lot of time socialising pre-internet. There is a problem with some just as there was earlier. But for the most part, it is techphobia.
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Jalal Khan Sep 24, 2018 12:40pm
I was having these type of things for the past couple of months. I was very depressed so I decided to cut off from Social Media. Last week, I deactivated my accounts (incl. FB, Instagram and Twitter). I am feeling quite relax nowadays. I hope I will remain like that.
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Mahboob Sep 24, 2018 01:23pm
We people are prone to propogate rather to be meaningful to the issue. Here we to quote the merits or demerits in actual we are sideline the subject. That's good to read and ignore because we are ashamed to make the sense of any matter. Really if we are true to do best than we must come forward of its impact.
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Ephemeral Sep 24, 2018 01:25pm
We want to be and remain happy, humor, fun, liking, fame and attention, attracts to the virtual world.
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studentsindhi Sep 24, 2018 02:39pm
A cursory look of the comments here would clearly establish one fact : Folks commenting here are cell phone addicts(including myslef) & that this addiction has certainly taken a toll on our grammer usage
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Anil Sep 24, 2018 04:55pm
@Ahsan Chaudhry Ahsan, you explain it so well. To know is one thing, and to do what you know is another! That is why society is facing this issue. All members in so many homes are looking at their phones (tablets) simultaneously, and not talking to one another Family members must help one another to overcome this addiction.
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Anil Sep 24, 2018 04:57pm
@Jalal Khan well done Jalal, this Internet detox is indeed necessary
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Muneer Ahmed Sep 24, 2018 04:59pm
The article is overall info-alarming, but the real condition is worst than what is depicted. Moreover, there are a few research articles on the subject, hence, the factors discussed are personal driven or from once experiences.... The major issue with the Digital Addiction is that when someone pick his smartphone to check email, message, a particular video on Youtube, or to make a call, why does he end up realizing after hours that he has been deviated... Furthermore, the bio-psychological consequences have still not been discovered, perhaps the addiction has more damaging effect on learning, memory, vision, attitude and social relations which may result in physical inactivity, compromising educational outcomes, brain & immune disease, frustration etc.
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M. Saeed Sep 24, 2018 09:37pm
In your relations, you can only be closer to one thing at a time. Be it family, or smartphone.
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Dan Sep 24, 2018 10:31pm
@Umair > A decade ago I knew a 15 year old who read a lot of books, just not the school books, which affected her grade. I was such a kid and I am glad I was. The rest of my class vomited text books for the exam and had little interest in them otherwise. I, on the other hand, actually was interested in the books I read and thought about what was said in them a lot. Just because I was not tested on them did not mean I was a bad student. There is more to learning than simply assigned work.
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Shakeel Ahmad Sep 24, 2018 10:36pm
That's the reason I don't use smartphone. Alas! through out our history we humans have been constantly creating creative, yet destructive things.
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King Akbar Sep 24, 2018 11:01pm
A lot of the social media these days, encourages social competition.
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ARK Sep 25, 2018 03:46am
The problem is not the Internet, it is social media.
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Dk Sep 25, 2018 07:52pm
You’re posting in it and I am reading from it. #irony
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