Addictions are defined as a “compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful” – Merriam Webster
The concept of internet addiction was initially proposed in 1995 as a way to mock the diagnostic fallacies of major psychiatric classificatory systems. The idea of someone becoming addicted to the internet was originally considered essentially different from addictions to substances of abuse. Coming back to 2018, the number of hours collectively lost to problematic internet use is probably much greater the amount of time lost to addictions to substances.
Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir. – They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power.
As Access to the internet has become an essential commodity in most households, comparable to electricity and running water. As the use of smartphones and other internet enabled devices have become more widespread, most people are online “perpetually.” In theory, the long term effect of immediate access to information could lead to long term reductions in learning in memory and cognition. In theory, recent research has shown that excessive internet use can indeed become very problematic. Do you think your internet use could be bordering on being excessive ?
The quiz is based on the The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) which is the first Validated measure of Internet Addiction. The test consists of 20 questions and will take around 5-10 minutes to complete. All the best !