Digital dependence

On Tuesday, the Washington Post published an extensive piece on the debate about the existence of Internet addiction. It placed particular emphasis on a recent study published in the neuropsychiatric journal CNS Spectrums that, having employed a telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults, is being touted as "the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use." According to this study, "Potential markers of problematic Internet use seem present in a sizeable proportion of adults," but it remained agnostic on whether the Internet is inherently addictive or whether "Internet addiction" is, instead, merely a compulsive behavior.\nSadly, I can't really give you a definitive answer on whether the Internet is addictive (I'm inclined to suspect it isn't, but the research is still embryonic and I'm not a neuropsychiatrist). However, as nearly all of us in the university community are Web geeks to some extent, I think it's worthwhile to highlight the study's findings on what it classifies as "problematic Internet use," especially since the Washington Post implies that this issue could be particularly important for college campuses. \nA director at the University of Maryland's counseling center, one of the first places to treat these problems, told the Post that "surveys of students who seek counseling show an increase in those reporting that 'they either always or often had trouble controlling themselves on the Internet,'" from about 2 percent to 3 percent in the late 1990s to about 13 percent in 2005-06.\nSo what should students watch out for? According to the CNS Spectrums study, among its respondents: "5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use; 8.7 percent attempted to conceal nonessential Internet use, 3.7 percent felt preoccupied by the Internet when offline; 13.7 percent found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time; 8.2 percent utilized the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood; 12.3 percent had tried to cut back on Internet use, of whom 93.8 percent were successful; and 12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or often." (Note: Percentages are adjusted to make the sample more reflective of the general population). \nIU Counseling and Psychological Services says answering yes to any two of the following questions could be grounds for concern: "Are you spending three or more hours a day online? Are you online when you would normally sleep? Do you skip or delay eating so you can be online? Are you choosing to go online rather than spend time with friends face to face? Are you skipping class to go online? Do you ever spend more time online than you first intended to? Do you ever tell yourself, 'I'll just check my e-mail,' and then stay online? Are your grades slipping? Have you tried to stop and find you can't?"\nIf you're having problems, you may want to call CAPS at 855-5711 or visit its Web ... Scratch that. Just call them.