Revising assignments

Technology Addiction

The wide use of technology, particularly computers and the Internet, appear to be the most effortlessly abused and addictive ______. This is attributed to the fact that this collaboration is easily available, cheap and affordable. In addition, the Internet presents exciting content, accessibility, visual stimulation, anonymity and autonomy that all adds up to a greatly psychoactive encounter. Psychoactivity refers to effects on a person’s behavior and mood changing activities. Additionally, these technologies affect the way people live, and associate with one another. It is true to assert that some of the implications are in actual sense less than constructive, and may lead to numerous negative psychological impacts (Kraut 1018). Comment by Author: A bit wordy and unclear

The latest improvements in the digital technologies including the Internet are some of the technological advancements in our time that have unpremeditated negative implications. However, the encounter of challenges with fresh and unidentified technologies is not new. There have been numerous examples of improved and newer things that have led to unanticipated harmful effects. Examples include atomic power, thalidomide, the television, fossil fuels, and other inoffensive expediencies, which may be useful, but on certain occasions have been rather deleterious. Some of these harmful implications are disastrous and quite apparent, whilst others are more delicate and stealthy.

Even outwardly inoffensive improvements such as credit card gas pumps, drive through services, remote controls, dishwashers, and elevators have all contributed towards unintentional and undesirable implications. Although they help in saving time and energy, they discourage people from physical exercise and unfortunately propagate the inactive lifestyle they bring.

Technology has become rather unprincipled; this is because it is neither evil nor inherently good, but it influences the ways people live their lives from day to day. Americans are considered the biggest technology lovers globally due to the faith and trust they have embedded in it. In addition, most people around the world love technology due to the great optimism for the future it holds. It is considered a possibility of an improved today and an extended tomorrow, which enthralls people to take part in activities that lead to an improved way of life. We are living in an age where digital technology and computers are continuously on the nib of countless possibilities with fresh and improved ways of doing things. This is attributed to the fact that the old is swiftly becoming archaic within a very short period, usually a few months to a year. People have developed the notion that newer is always superior, and although the Internet and computer gadgets are believed to make lives simpler and much easier, to some extent it may not be that fulfilling. Comment by Author: Not the right word here.

It is true to reckon that people have ended up becoming more psychologically and physically dependent on numerous substances and behaviors for many years (Shotton 222). This uncontrollable configuration does not imitate an unpremeditated awareness, but rather encompasses an obsessed configuration of utilization that can regularly intensify to harmful implications in people’s lives. The main life capacities that appear to be negatively affected include financial and legal status, relationships and marriages, health and employment. Comment by Author: Not clear

The fact that drug substances such as alcohol and additional mood changing associated drugs can develop psychological and physical addiction is widely recognized and acknowledged. Furthermore, addictions such as shopping, sex, work, eating and gambling have gained much more recognition in regards to their behavioral possibility. Nevertheless, in recent times there has been recognition that the uncontrollable and the obsessive potential of these addictions may impersonate the obsessive behavior found with drugs and alcohol. The same obsessive behaviors are also linked to various aspects of technological addictions. Technology, through the Internet and computer devices can generate vibrant mood alterations and close to 30% of Internet users acknowledge to utilizing the Internet in altering their moods to dismiss a negative state of mind. It can be suggested that for users developing such addictions, the Internet is utilized as a drug. (Greenfield 405). Comment by Author: Wrong word Comment by Author: admit Comment by Author: Period goes only after the parentheses.

Effectiveness of content is referred to as the motivating prospective of the material observed online. Sexual content appears to be the most motivating content that stimulates the greatest levels of online use. It is possible to deal with a number of subcategories of Internet addicts and abusers. In addition, there exists the possibility of some level of collective alterations between sexual addictions, obsessive shopping and obsessive gambling. Interestingly, sexual addiction is considered the highest amongst Internet addictive users (Cooper 156).

Stock trading, auctioning and shopping behavior are greatly affected through utilizing of the Internet. The stimulation possibility of the services and products appears to be closely associated with the absence of real time public cues that are apparent in old-style moneymaking exchanges. It appears that the lack of any social context to procuring eliminates any final evidence of ruling or limitation. The pick and click elements of the Internet are very alluring to many and the instant element of customer-founded e-commerce appears to amplify the possibility of making acquisitions. Regrettably, users are seen returning their previous purchases, succeeding a digital form of buyer’s penitence, whereby the inimitable element of the Internet generates an inclination towards impulse buying, followed by repentance and guilt. Another element that makes the Internet shopping so attractive in the fact that one uses virtual money, with no human interaction, in order for monetary transactions to take place.

An additional form of Internet abusers includes the technological vagrants. Vagrants refer to individuals who surf the Internet for long periods of hours without any particular objective or aim. The experience of appearing online is in itself self-appealing, as they love learning new information as it becomes available in the Internet, visiting new sites, and appreciating the multimedia recreation. These technological vagrants find the entire Internet encounter incredible and mind-altering, and feel that it is their duty to enjoy and master it. No individual can encounter online closure that makes the Internet so enchanting. People tend to go back to parts of their lives that are incomplete and it is this helplessness to complete anything on the Internet without closure that keeps people online, and keep going back for more, even lacking a coherent prerequisite to do so.

The third form of Internet addiction is one where a person becomes addicted with personals, e-mail and chat rooms. These people spend a lot of time deriving a substantial amount of social interactive fulfillment from the social associations they create. The Internet socialites often go to great lengths to maintain an attractive or interesting online presence. Virtual experiences often substitute real encounters with people, and individuals earn greater levels of virtual social ranking from the amount of time spent online.

The last form of Internet abusers is related to people who find addiction accessing online activities, which are greatly motivating. This can be gambling, shopping, pornography, stock trading, and auctioning. Numerous people have conveyed some challenges with these areas before going online, but for them, the Internet supplemented salt to an injury, by compounding the problem. Others appear to have little or no challenges until they engaged in these behaviors online. It appears that the Internet can ultimately break the final remnant of confrontation, and for some, acquaint them with these behaviors for the very first time.

Technology and particularly the Internet and computer devices appear to be the most straightforwardly abused or overused, and can therefore be attributed to be addictive. It appears that the Internet has generated a congregation of Internet-associated challenges. The collaboration of ease of access, low cost, available content, visual simulation, anonymity, visual simulation, and autonomy all lead to a life-changing encounter that affects a person’s way of life. It is true to assert that most technologies implicate the way in which people live and associate with others. It should be considered that unless technology advances people’s quality of life, it is of no value. This is because generating and availing new innovative technologies does not necessarily mean they are benevolent. In addition, there is need for future research on Internet addictions to look into the probable behaviors that exist among Internet abusers. Furthermore, the psychological contrivances of addiction and the specific elements that are most apparent among these uses must be explored. Moreover, there is need to analyze the unique association that exists between the Internet and sex as most challenges that are attributed to Internet addiction revolve around sex.

Works Cited Comment by Author: Check again how to do dates and volume/issue numbers in MLA.

Cooper, Alvin, Scherer, Coralie, Boies, Sylvain, Gordon, Barry. Sexuality on the Internet: From Sexual Exploration to Pathological Expression. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice . 1999. Vol 30(2): 154-164. Print.

Greenfield .Psychological characteristics of compulsive Internet use: a preliminary analysis. Journal of Cyber Psychology and Behavior. 1999. Vol 2(5): 403-412. Print.

Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. Internet paradox: a social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological wellbeing. Journal of American Psychologist. 199 Vol53(9): 1017-1031. Print.

Shotton, M. The costs and benefits of "computer addiction." Journal of Behaviour and Information Technology. 1991. Vol 10(3), 219 – 230. Print.

I see by your title that your topic is technology addiction, but most of what you write about is internet addiction. That is fine, because that’s what the paper should be about, not technology in general. Another problem is that the paper should be about a debate – whether the internet is addictive. Instead, what the paper is about is the different types of internet addiction. Is there some other debate I’m missing here?

This is why I was concerned about your missing so many classes. We went over this quite a bit during the classes that you missed. In any case, hopefully you can revise this paper to make it more of a debate. That should help. Also, try to write more simply. A lot of what is here is hard to follow.

Score: 52 / 75 ( D+ )

I’m sure you can do a lot better on the revision. Be sure to ask me for help during lab if you need it.