Online addiction is an
uncontrollable impulse to use screen devices that has internet or
the impulse to stay online every minute and every hour. This online
addiction leads to lower efficiency in performance whether academic
or professional, self seclusion, increase in virtual social
relationships and decrease in actual social relationships and many
types of psychological and physiological issues directly and
indirectly. The direct effects of online addiction are:
- Over indulgence in staying online
on different social sites and gaming sites leads to poor
performance in work. As these sites consumes the valuable time of
individuals involved in online addiction ,they also take away the
concentration and focus required for accomplishment of the
professional and academic tasks , this decrease the work
efficiency.
- Due to addiction of the social
sites individuals begins to live in their own virtual world where
they may have many social connections and interactions but in real
life they ignore and avoid the relationships that need their focus
and time.
- Internet addiction leads to develop
sense of narcissism and the individual becomes vulnerable to
emotional breakdowns when their self image is hurted. It may also
create unwanted competition with others.
- Addiction leads to many
physiological issues as stiff neck, insomnia, back aches, obesity,
issues related to eyes etc.
Thus, online addiction encompasses
social, financial, psychological and physiological effects on the
addict,that is every aspect of the addict's life gets adversely
effected by the online addiction.
Indirect effects
- Strained interpersonal
relationship: As the addict begins to live in a virtual world of
hi/her own, he /she finds difficult to maintain the relationships
in real life. Hence, these relationships whether the parent-child,
relationships, friendships or the relationship between the couple
gets strained.
- The addict begins to live in own
world that creates problems in socialization.
- Due to poor performance in work the
financial condition of the addict may get deteriorated.
- Increase in the issues of emotional
breakdowns in the society that's increasing the number of suicidal
tendency among the individuals.
- Increase in the number of people
suffering from many physiological issues related to overindulgence
of online as insomnia, obesity, back bone problems etc.
- Online addiction is increasing the
number of individuals with poor self image and self concept.
- Decrease in creativity and
imagination. As online sites caters to the needs of staying
informed, people have started ignoring deep thought and creative
thinking as they are instantly gratified of their knowledge
needs.