Internet Addiction Made this Man Homeless
October 14, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Lifestyle
Andrew Ross, the depressing brother of Newsweek writer Winston Ross, is the star attraction of the magazine’s feature on how Internet addiction can destroy lives. In Andrew’s case, he’s homeless, subsisting on food stamps and free usage of a computer at a nearby university.
Basically a more detailed discussion of how people get addicted to the internet, the article’s point is scary and interesting at the same time, presenting internet addiction as similar to other “traditional” life-destroying vices like alcohol and drug use. Like those, suddenly cutting off access to a computer may cause more harm than good:
It’s a difficult problem …read more
Getting Addicted to Time-Wasting on the Internet is Easier Than You Think
August 17, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Lifestyle
Uh-oh, looks like wasting time on the Internet is easy for us to get into, at least biologically. Worse, our biology also chemically rewards such behavior.
To make a long story short, dopamine—the same neurotransmitting checmical linked to feelings of happiness and fulfillment—also rewards us when we successfully make “intellectual connections” and divine “meaning”. In other words, that’s why you feel so compelled to follow links in Wikipedia, or Google for new terms as they enter your consciousness. Dopamine makes you feel good whenever you discover the history of your favorite TV show, or the scientific processes that drive a microprocessor.
There’s …read more
