Could You Have an Internet Addiction?

Source: geralt/Pixabay Commons

The Internet is a marvelous tool that allows us to connect to others, access a world of information, and order pizza at all hours of the day or night. However, excessive use of the Internet can lead to a form of compulsive behavior that can significantly interfere with your daily life.

Internet addiction (IA) is not a diagnosable disorder as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) — not yet, at least — but compulsive behavior centered on one's online activity can have damaging effects on their life. Compulsive Internet use can take many forms, such as trolling TikTok, Reddit, or other social networks, or excessive texting, surfing, online shopping, or cybersex. (A related form of compulsive online behavior — Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) — is classified as a proposed diagnosis requiring further study.)

Compulsive Internet use (we will use the shorthand "IA" in this post) is more often found in adolescents and young adults, the population groups showing the greatest use of the Internet. Researchers estimate that IA may affect as much as 2% of the world’s adult population, but as many as 10% of college students (Lozano-Blasco, Robres, & Sánchez, 2022; Starcevic & Aboujaoude, 2017).

Common Signs of Compulsive Internet Use

Might you be showing signs of becoming a screen addict? Here are some common signs of IA:

• Do you feel compelled to check the Internet every chance you get?
• Do you check email, Facebook or Instagram, or other social media sites every few minutes?
• Do you keep your desktop or laptop computer on 24/7 so that you are always online?
• Do you obsess about what you might be missing on social media when you are offline?
• Do you use social media or surf the Web while dining with others, dating, using the bathroom, or even while having sex?
• Are you spending three, four, or more hours a day in chat rooms or virtual communities?
• Is your use of the Internet creating distance between yourself and others in the real world?
• Are you neglecting other areas of life because you are always online?
• Have others pointed out that you seem to be always online? Have they been complaining about it?
• Have you made unsuccessful efforts to cut back on your Internet use?
• Does being away from the Internet for a length of time make you feel moody, irritable, anxious, or agitated?

A compulsive pattern of Internet use may lead to problems at work or home or in social relationships. By their nature, compulsive behaviors are acts or rituals a person feels compelled to perform. Typically, the behavior is preceded by an urge accompanied by a state of tension that may be relieved, however temporarily, by performing the compulsive act. The person with IA has impaired control over the compulsive behavior, even if they realize that it is doing them harm and want to curtail it. All such compulsive behavior patterns (including compulsive shopping and compulsive gambling) have features in common with substance use disorders and may actually represent nonchemical forms of addiction.

What Might Be Lurking Behind IA?

In some cases, IA may be motivated by the desire to avoid or escape social interactions in the real world: The Internet becomes a safe harbor from threats posed by direct human contact. The computer becomes a kind of buffer that keeps one at a safe distance from others, mitigating the threat of rejection, criticism, or embarrassment. As a result, use of the Internet is reinforced by relief from social anxiety, allowing a person to be selective about navigating the social world by substituting “likes” and online comments, or chat room banter, for actual person-to-person engagement. Some people take this a step further by creating online avatars that project an alternate identity for themselves. What happens to the avatar stays with the avatar, as the true self remains safely masked. For people with socially avoidant behavior patterns, it can be helpful to work with a therapist to directly target the underlying culprit: social anxiety.

Some screen addicts are compulsively drawn to virtual communities because of an underlying lack of self-esteem. They create fictional identities or avatars that become alter egos to compensate for perceived deficits in themselves, projecting an image of themselves as more attractive, assertive, or skillful than their real selves. For others, participation in social networks and chat rooms is motivated by a need to combat shyness, loneliness, depression, or social isolation, becoming a type of salve that keeps uncomfortable emotions at bay.

Internet addiction may mask an underlying psychological disorder, typically an anxiety or mood disorder. Or excessive Internet use may mask an underlying impulse control disorder such as compulsive gambling or shopping.

Whether used as a buffer against social rejection, a bulwark against lagging self-esteem, or a coping response for handling troubling emotions, the Internet offers only a temporary respite and may compound a person’s problems by keeping them detached from the real world.

As with other forms of compulsive behavior, if excessive use of the Internet persists and begins to affect your daily functioning, it would worthwhile to consult a helping professional for a more thorough evaluation and discussion of available treatment approaches. There are also behavioral tools people can use themselves to change their online habits.

Combating IA

Lacking control over impulsive behaviors may make it seem that a person is powerless to resist their urge. But at their core, these are habits that can be changed. Given the integral role of the Internet in our daily life, moderation rather than abstinence is the more reasonable goal. The first step is making a commitment to change. Then comes developing a behavior change plan and putting it in gear. Here are a few Minute Therapist tips to get started:

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1. Set strict limits on the amount of time you spend online for recreational use. The Internet is an essential tool of modern life, but it is only a tool. It is not a substitute for living life in the real world. Set a daily limit for recreational Internet use, as you might for watching TV or for your coffee intake. Reward yourself for sticking to your limit by socking away a daily monetary reward whenever you keep to your daily limits, pooling the proceeds to buy something special for yourself.
2. Schedule Internet use and stick to it. Do you schedule TV viewing hours, or reading time, for certain times of the day? There are many scheduled activities in our daily lives. Treat your use of the Internet the same way, limiting it to certain hours of the day.
3. Shut off the computer once you reach your daily limit. Don’t just let it go to sleep after you spend your allotted time online or finish an online task or assignment. Don’t make it too easy to just “wake up” the Internet. Shut it down. A basic principle of changing unwanted habits is to elongate the chain of behaviors leading to the undesired target behavior; in this case, making yourself wait (interminably as it may seem) for the computer to come to life. Use that time to think of something else you could be doing.
4. Limit cellphone use to calling (remember that?) and texting, not surfing online. While you’re at it, restrict your use of the Internet to your laptop or personal computer. This limits the stimuli linked to the targeted behavior, which can help you curtail excessive use.
5. Practice a competing activity. Use your time in other ways that directly compete with excessive use of the Internet. Read a book, go for a walk, exercise, or chat (offline) with a friend. Think of these competing activities as healthy distractions.
6. Develop new hobbies or interests and expand relationships in the real world. Participate in real-world activities such as clubs or community organizations, and expand your social network by socializing with friends rather than pursuing virtual relationships.

Modern technology has transformed our lives, often for the better, but too much of a good thing can interfere with the lives we live in the real world.

General Disclaimer: The content here and in other blog posts on the Minute Therapist is intended for informational purposes only and not for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of mental health disorders. If you are concerned about your emotional well-being or experiencing any significant mental health problems, I encourage you to consult a licensed mental health professional in your area for a thorough evaluation.

(c) 2022 Jeffrey S. Nevid.