Digital Addiction

10 Key excerpts on "Digital Addiction"

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  Digital Identities

  Creating and Communicating the Online Self

  • Rob Cover(Author)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Academic Press

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 7

  Online Selves: Digital Addiction

  Abstract

  Much discourse about the personal – as opposed to professional – use of digital media is framed by concepts of overuse and addiction. This chapter examines the ways in which a concept of “Digital Addiction” is produced in academic discourse, news media, and contemporary popular culture. Digital Addiction is used here as a collective term for the phenomena of Internet/online addiction and addiction to electronic games. By showing how these are produced individually and together in the popular imaginary, we explore several of the ways in which the digital is likened to chemical, illicit, or hallucinogenic drugs. It is shown that this association is made through normative discourses that work through a reductive and oversimplified representation of a real/virtual dichotomy that favors the real as physical and local over the virtual which is represented as dangerous, false, and addictive. If we approach digital media and identities from the perspective of networked technologies as ubiquitous, the idea of addiction becomes not only outdated but illogical.

  Keywords

  addiction Internet addiction gaming drugs metaphor real/virtual ubiquitous use

  Moral panics around compulsive and addictive use of digital media have emerged every few years since the mid-1990s, building on older discourses around obsessive television viewing (and the social problem of the identifiable figure of the couch potato). Increasingly, public sphere issues reporting focuses on the imagination of Internet and gaming addiction, as well as crossing into various newer platforms of digital communication, most recently addiction to mobile devices. The release of Kimberly Young’s pop psychology text Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction – and a Winning Strategy for Recovery in 1998 caused a considerable media flurry about overuse of the Internet and a number of public confessions of Internet addiction. Popular and news media representations of Digital Addiction draw significantly on media releases regarding academic research which, for the most part, is conducted in certain narrow formations within the fields of psychology, information technology, and educational pedagogy departments. Several writers have supported or extended Young’s initial work, although others have used psychodynamic research methods to suggest that there is nothing specifically addictive about digital gaming as an activity (Egli & Meyers, 1984 ). Some behaviorist research has sought to show a link between Internet or video-gaming addiction and problems of self-esteem or multiply addictive personalities (Greenberg, Lewis, & Dodd, 1999

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  Self-Care All-in-One For Dummies

  • (Author)
  • 2022(Publication Date)
  • For Dummies

    (Publisher)

  At the low -est level of impact, you might be overusing your technology and screens to a point where you’re eating up too much time and energy that might be better spent on other tasks and activities. At the most extreme level, there are people whose lives have been severely impacted and limited by their screen use. It is perhaps fair to say that most of us (at times) fall into some level of overuse, abuse, or addiction to Internet technology. The American Society of Addiction Medicine gives the following more complete definition of addiction: Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social, and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Defining and Overcoming Internet Addiction in a Nutshell CHAPTER 1 Defining and Overcoming Internet Addiction in a Nutshell 491 Digging into Digital Devices and the Internet Today, digital screen devices reflect a wide range of technologies and include iPhones and Android smartphones; iPads, Kindles, and other tablets; laptop and desktop computers; and streaming devices and smart TVs. These days, it’s very difficult to find something that isn’t directly or wirelessly linked to the Internet.

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  Cybercognition

  Brain, behaviour and the digital world

  • Lee Hadlington, Author(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  11 Technology Addictions and Cognition

  Learning Objectives

  • To explore the concept of technology addiction and present an overview of the literature in the area;
  • to introduce some key addictions to technology and examine how they can impact on human cognition;
  • to highlight some of the key issues inherent in using broad labels for technology addictions.

  Digital Addictions and the Impact on Human Cognition

  One key area of research that is featured heavily in the cyberpsychology literature is the potential for individuals to become addicted to digital technology. The important question we need to start to ask ourselves is if we do become addicted, how does this addiction start to affect our capacity to focus on normal daily activities? There has been some discussion of aspects of technology addiction in other chapters of this book, with some links to the residual impact these behaviours may have on cognition. However, research that specifically focuses on evidence for addiction to digital technology and how such disorders could have an impact on our daily functioning is limited (Hadlington, 2015). In this chapter the aim is to present a very broad overview of the current state of research in the area of technology addiction. Throughout the chapter the links between these behavioural addictions and the potential impact on cognition will be established, reviewing some of the material that has already been discussed in other chapters of the book. Hopefully, you will see that there is a distinct gap in the literature in this area, and it presents great potential for further research.

  The Emergency of Behavioural Addictions

  Previous conceptualisations of addictions have focused, for the most part, on substance abuse for things such as drugs and alcohol (Griffiths, 1998). These addictions involve the direct action of ingesting something that alters our experiences via a chemical process. However, in the 1990s a growing area of research suggested that individuals could equally become addicted to activities without the direct need to ingest drugs (Brown, 1993; Griffiths, 1996, 1998). Previous research has highlighted a number of these behavioural addictions including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), compulsive spending and gambling, overeating and kleptomania to name just a few (Marks, 1990). What is apparent from the earlier work on behavioural addiction is that there is some considerable overlap to that of substance addiction. For example a ‘repeated urge to engage in a particular behaviour sequence that is counterproductive’ and ‘mounting tension until the sequence is completed’ could easily fit into any number of behavioural addictions, but which are included in the World Health Organization’s definition of substance addiction (Marks, 1990).

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  Internet Addiction

  A Critical Psychology of Users

  • Emaline Friedman(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  The way psychology handles IA is symptomatic of its own venture: Creating the abstraction, “the average net user,” it was about ten years after its initial formulation that researchers began to insist that studies on the matter would do well to focus on specific Internet activities rather than taking the entirety of Internet use for granted (e.g. LaRose et al., 2011; Starcevic & Aboujaoude, 2017). Yet, it is certain that those who use the Internet excessively and perhaps suffer in doing so increasingly have a life entwined with the Internet – and that this applies to more and more of us. Beyond the pleasure-and-peril model of the Internet implied by its addictification by psychology and related disciplines, however, we might consider “Internet Addiction” an expression of concern over a feature of society that becomes increasingly structural with every passing year. This is most evident amid social distancing requirements of the novel coronavirus pandemic when Internet use represents the most important opportunities for social life. If indeed, we cannot quit being online, we must consider why this is the case without the baggage of psychology’s specific, Western hegemonic notions and requirements about what it is to be human.

  During an era of profound technological development and dependence, “Internet Addiction” is also a discursive object, or a signifier pointing to the social struggle for control over technology writ large. The framing of digital technologies as objects of addiction parallels the way conservative politicians blame smartphones and social media platforms for uprisings caused by social inequality, poverty, and systemic racism, such as the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Fuchs (2014)

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  The Age of Addiction

  How Bad Habits Became Big Business

  • David T. Courtwright(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Belknap Press

    (Publisher)

  argentina: I realized that, out of every 24 hours, I’m connected to a machine 15 hours a day. Digital Addictions 199 mexico: It was quite late and the only thing going through my mind was (voice of a psychopath): “I want Facebook.” “I want Twitter.” “I want YouTube.” “I want TV.” united kingdom: As soon as my 24 hours were up, I grabbed my beloved Blackberry and turned on my laptop. I felt almost like a drug addict getting a fix after a long stint of going cold turkey.14 As with alcohol, drugs, processed food, and gambling, electronic media consumption is subject to the principle of hormesis. Consumption runs along a spectrum from occasional, beneficial use to relieve boredom and boost morale—the digital equivalent of a coffee break—to heavy, escapist use that harms self and others. Clinicians differ over whether to call the latter condition internet addiction, internet addiction disorder, internet use dis- order, pathological internet use disorder, or something else entirely. They do, however, discern a common denominator. The heaviest users are those who have come to strongly prefer recreational life online as a way of tuning out IRL (in real life) hassles. They behave much like machine gamblers slipping into the zone, save that most of their activities, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), have a social aspect that reinforces the virtual seduction. No self-respecting World of Warcraft DPS (a character who inflicts a large amount of damage per second) would want to miss their guild’s next big raid. IRL types take a dim view of such pursuits. Teachers issue failing grades, parents threats, employers pink slips, spouses papers for divorce, and judges treatment orders for internet boot camps.15 Libertarians and medicalization skeptics think forced treatment is absurd.

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  Nurturing Children

  From Trauma to Growth Using Attachment Theory, Psychoanalysis and Neurobiology

  • Graham Music(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 12

  Addiction, tech and the web

  New dangers hijacking old systems

  Digital worlds, new challenges

  These days the Internet and digital technology confront us with challenges unknown to previous generations of professionals and parents. Few doubt that technologies are changing lives, even if the jury remains out on its proven impacts. Cyber-related issues are growing apace, nearly all children and young people being affected, especially the most vulnerable who face new risks.

  Typical was 14-year-old Mitchell. He was living with his father, his mother having tragically died of cancer three years earlier after a long illness. His father had then retreated, working long hours, unable to process the death. Mitchell’s school work deteriorated and he became increasingly withdrawn. He moved in with his paternal grandmother, his father visiting regularly. Mitchell withdrew into his bedroom, immersed in computer games, and little could entice him away. He was increasingly unconfident anyway and socialising had little allure. When he transitioned to secondary school he struggled to cope with the hurly burly of a huge school and barely feeling held in mind by any of the adults.

  It makes sense to think of Mitchell’s gaming as addictive. Such games offer multiple rewards, hooking players with never-ending prospects of ascending levels and higher scores. We have known about the brain states involved for over 60 years. When rats found that pulling a lever stimulated the nucleus accumbens, a brain area central for dopamine release, they prioritised such pleasure-seeking over everything, including sex and food (Olds and Milner, 1954). Something similar can happen with games and other forms of technology over-use.

  In my youth, bored kids, including myself, spent hours in repetitive solitary games. I, for example, played imaginary football tournaments with dice for hours. Even when friends came around I could struggle for a while to leave my game, although as soon as I did I had no regrets.

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  Cultures of Computer Game Concerns

  The Child Across Families, Law, Science and Industry

  • Estrid Sörensen(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • transcript Verlag

    (Publisher)

  Clearly, the caveat, that some addictions are a source of strength, is im-portant. Brown (1991) specifically mentions “gaming and simulation” (p. 112) as an addiction that might best be understood as a “Mixed Blessing Addiction” (p. 112). Box 4: Proposed Internet addiction diagnostic criteria a. Symptom criterion All the following must be present: Preoccupation with the internet (thinks about previous online activity or antic-ipates next online session) Withdrawal, as manifested by a dysphoric mood, anxiety, irritability and bore-dom after several days without internet activity At least one (or more) of the following: Tolerance, marked increase in internet use required to achieve satisfaction Persistent desire and/or unsuccessful attempts to control, cut back or discon-tinue internet use Continued excessive use of internet despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem likely to have been caused or exacerbated by internet use Loss of interests, previous hobbies, entertainment as a direct result of, and with the exception of, internet use Uses the internet to escape or relieve a dysphoric mood (e.g. feelings of help-lessness, guilt, anxiety) b. Exclusion criterion Excessive internet use is not better accounted for by psychotic disorders or bi-polar I disorder c. Clinically significant impairment criterion Functional impairments (reduced social, academic, working ability), including loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunities d. Course criterion Duration of internet addiction must have lasted for an excess of 3 months, with at least 6 hours of internet usage (non-business/non-academic) per day. Source: Tao et al., 2010, p. 563. 304 | R UNE K RISTIAN L UNDEDAL N IELSEN This distinction between positive and negative addictions has been lost as the concept has been picked up and elaborated upon by different researchers.

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  The Dark Side of Media and Technology

  A 21st Century Guide to Media and Technological Literacy

  • Edward Downs(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers

    (Publisher)

  Ultimately, “internet addiction” was first characterized to assist patients (Young, 1998). However, identification of, and appropriate treatment for, exces- sive, problematic online video gaming behavior is not well established. Individuals with “behavioral addiction” seeking medical or psychological assistance may find that a useful starting point with medical providers may be conversation about a co-morbid condition. The literature regarding online video gaming is expanding rapidly, particularly concerning brain and psychological correlates. However, read- ers should know that the science of this putative disorder is under-developed and consensus not yet established. Researchers need to conduct more theory-based neurobiological studies with a priori hypotheses, narrow inclusionary criteria, and sufficient sample sizes to determine if there is enough information to include IGD as the next behavioral addiction in the DSM. Additionally, empirical data fol- lowing the classification strategy employed by Brand and colleagues (2016) in describing factors influencing the “development and maintenance” of “specific In- ternet-use disorders” where researchers identify both medium (i.e., the internet) and specific content (i.e., gaming, gambling, pornography viewing, shopping, or communication) are also needed. In the meantime, it is important for society to have conversations about age-appropriate game play and use in this media satu- rated age. References Aarseth, E., Bean, A. M., Boonen, H., Colder Carras, M., Coulson, M., Das, D., … Van Rooij, A. J. (2017). Scholars’ open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(3), 267–270. doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.088 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Brand, M., Young, K. S., Laier, C., Wölfling, K., & Potenza, M. N. (2016).

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  Understanding Addiction Behaviours

  Theoretical and Clinical Practice in Health and Social Care

  • G.Hussein Rassool(Author)
  • 2011(Publication Date)
  • Bloomsbury Academic

    (Publisher)

  Addiction and Society 15 people is the rise of online gambling. Gambling can be seen as a form of escape from stress and the everyday pressures of life. However, this pastime may become an obsession and people may be unable to stop gambling online. This form of addiction can have serious personal consequences resulting in increasing debt and can spiral out of control. Increased use of the Internet has corresponded with the increasing avail-ability of online pornography and cybersex addiction. Cybersex addiction is a type of sexual addiction where individuals can spend hours on the net in the privacy of their own home, and engage in fantasies. An addict spends a lot of time either engaging in or planning their next cybersex encounter and this may lead to the erosion of genuine intimate relationships. If you persistently act out in ways that go against your underlying values and beliefs, yet you continue to engage in those sexual behaviours anyway, then you are likely to have a problem. Mobile phones have become a social network tool rather than a business tool. Some people have severe problems with their phone in terms of psy-chological and financial relationships (James, 2007). Addiction danger signs include running huge mobile phone bills and having irrational reactions to being without a phone. In the twentieth century, there is no lack of interest in the use of psycho-active substances and plants and new synthetic drugs. In Europe, one of the recent concerns regarding the use of psychoactive herbal mixtures is, for example, the use of ‘Spice’. Spice refers to a blend of plant or herbal ingredients, includ-ing Indian Warrior and Lion’s Tail (EMCDDA, 2009a). Different blends and flavours are marketed under a variety of names including: Spice silver, Spice gold, Spice diamond, Spice tropical synergy and Spice Yucatan fire.

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  Safeguarding Children and Young People Online

  A Guide for Practitioners

  • Megele, Claudia, Claudia Megele(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Policy Press

    (Publisher)

  Furthermore, the notion of IA is unhelpful and confusing as it seems to suggest that somehow the individual is ‘addicted’ to the internet, while in practice individuals do not access the internet for sake of access to the internet itself; instead, they use the internet as a medium to access specific SNSs, apps, games, websites, etc, each of which represent a different consumption risk and can therefore be considered as a different behavioural ‘addiction’ (for example, online gambling; see Griffiths, 1996b). Young (1999) tried to address this problem by distinguishing several types of IA, such as ‘cybersexual addition’ (excessive and obsessive use of online pornography or obsessive engagement in cybersex often accompanied by the use of adult chatrooms); ‘cyber-relationship addiction’ (obsessive engagement in online relationships often at the expense of face-to-face relationships); ‘net compulsion’ (this includes a range of behavioural patterns such as obsessive online gambling, compulsive engagement in online social networks or online communities, obsessive online shopping, online stock trading, etc); ‘information overload’ (obsessive search and surfing of online databases and online information; Young suggests that those affected spend an increasing amount of time searching and organising data to the extent that this forms an obsessive compulsive tendency); and ‘computer addiction’ (obsessive use of technology, computers and other devices, including obsessive computer game playing in a work setting). The APA’s (2013) adoption of the term ‘internet gaming disorder’ instead of ‘internet addiction’ is an implicit recognition that, from APA’s perspective, this phenomenon is about specific behavioural patterns (‘addictions’) rather than ‘addiction’ to the internet itself.

  ‘Internet addiction’: some safeguarding considerations and mindlines

  There is currently no general consensus regarding the conceptualisation and diagnosis of internet-related ‘addictions’ or difficulties (King et al, 2013). Hence, from a safeguarding perspective it is important to distinguish the specific pattern of excessive and problematic internet use based on a spectrum of related but independent patterns of behaviour. Therefore we can summarise the debate around IA as follows:

  • The APA only included ‘internet gaming addiction’ in Section 3 of DSM-5 as an emerging phenomenon requiring further research and evidence (APA, 2013). Therefore, as of this writing, there is no official evidence-based ‘diagnostic’ consensus about IA.

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