Psychological Impact of the Internet - Research Paper Example

Impact of Internet on Us and Solutions Introduction Internet is a very essential part of every human’s life and due to the various numbers of benefits offered by internet; the number of internet users are elevating at a very astonishing rate. According to PEW research, as of 2009, the number of teenagers (individuals aging from 12 to 17) who used internet accounted for 93% of the total population and the number of young adults (individuals aging from 18 to 29) who used internet accounted for 74% of the total population (PEW, 2013). Internet is used by people of all ages and internet happens to positively as well as negatively impact all its users. Whether an individual is being impacted in a positive or a negative manner by internet is dependent on how they use it. This writing will focus upon the various negative effects associated with the use of internet and the various solutions that can either completely diminish or restrict those negative effects. Body Psychological Impact of Internet The youth as well as the adults of the society have become too much involved in internet usage. They happen to use internet at all times. They have gained internet access on the Smartphone, computers, schools and universities. In simpler terms youth have become addicted to internet and their addiction towards internet is similar to the addiction towards drugs and alcohol. According to Young, internet addiction has been recognized as a psychological issue and this addiction is causing similar problems that are caused due to substance abuse and drug abuse (Young 240). These problems include: issues with family relations, issues at work and others. One of the major concerns of internet use is the violent content that is available over the internet for free. Online internet games, movies, songs and videos are all examples of mediums that offer violent content. This content is directly in the access of children who have a habit to imitate what they observe over the internet and due to this content child tend to behave in aggressive manner in the real world. According to Anderson, when children are exposed to violent content they tend to acquire what they see and tend to behave in the same manner in the real world (Anderson 354). Social Development Impacted by Internet Internet does not only impact the psychological development of individuals, it even negatively impacts the social development of people of all ages. Excessive use of computers and internet has the ability to ruin an individual’s social relationships in the real world, although their relationships in the virtual world may strengthen. For example: children and especially the teenage population tend to create and maintain relationships in the virtual world, tend to ignore their relationships in the actual physical world and due to this their relationship with their significant others (parents and friends) tend to deteriorate (Subrahmanyam 135). Secondly, there are children and individuals who perceive that their computers are better friends to them as compared to human friends and they tend to spend more time with computers rather than peers and this deteriorates their interpersonal skills. As stated earlier in the section of psychological impact of internet of this paper, online internet games and content makes children behave in a violent manner in the real world. Due to this violent behavior their relationships with their significant others is damaged and they are seen as anti-social individuals by members of their society. According to Murphy, the youth that conducted the event recognized as Columbine High School Shooting Massacres were addicted to violent video games and that had promoted them to get involved in the shootings (Murphy 1). Internet and Academic Performance Computer usage and academic performance has been perceived to be positively linked with each other, but this is not always the case in all instances. Children do not only use internet for the advancement of their knowledge. They even use computers for several other purposes including online computer games, dating, generating relationships through chatting and other similar activities. These children tend to spend heavy amount of time in front of computers performing activities that do not enhance their academic performance and rather leads to the degradation of their academic performance. The problem is that students are so involved in performing nonacademic activities on computers that they end up ignoring academic activities that can help them in their education. As a result of this students end up lacking behind on their studies and they experience degradation of their scores in educational institutes. Subrahmanyam states that although those internet users who used computers and internet heavily performed better at academics but they devoted more time to educational use of computers. On the other hand those who devoted more time to non-educational internet activities failed to perform well in the academic sphere (Subrahmanyam 130). The impact of internet on student academic performance is mainly dependant on the purpose for which the internet is being used. Internet and Physical Health Children and adults who are continuously involved in the use of internet for several hours end up experiencing several health issues. Adults tend to use internet for several purposes including education in the form of distance learning and work. On one end they benefit from such internet use as they end up gaining higher level education and this helps them in attaining better careers and high paying jobs. But too much time spend on such activities can result in decline in physical activities such as exercise and this decline in physical activity leads to various issues such as obesity and muscular pain. Similar pattern of internet usage is experienced among the younger generation and such activities can lead to loss of eye sight and obesity (Strasburger 756). Secondly children as well as adult have become quite accustomed to accepting whatever information they find over the internet and they deem that information as credible. There are several health related articles over the internet that promises individuals with a better physical looks. These articles and regimes for weight loss may not necessarily be true and this information lacks credibility. If individuals experiment these methods on themselves they may end up experiencing several health issues. Solutions to Harmful Effects of Internet There is countless number of ways in which individuals may be negatively impacted due to use of internet. The population that is at a higher risk of being negatively impacted by internet use is the youth population and this is a area of great concern. Several ways to restrict these harmful effects as well as completely write off these effects can be implemented. These solutions include higher amount of control over children and adult usage of internet, counseling services, education and regulations. One of the key players who can really save children from being negatively impacted due to the internet is the parents of children. Parents have become quite busy in their competitive professional lives and have little time to control and monitor the activities of their children. This means that while parents are not monitoring the content that is being accessed over the internet by children, their offspring have the freedom to perform whatever activities they wish to over the internet. One solution to this problem is that parents need to take off time from their competitive professional lives and need to manage their work/life balance (Lee 642). They need to spend time with their children and be with them while they are using internet. If parents start spending time with children while children use internet, they can control the content that is being accessed by children and at the same time educate them regarding what quality and quantity of content is appropriate for them. If parents give time to their children they can even control the amount of time children spend over the internet. Parents can manage the amount of time children spend on academics and internet in order to maintain a balance between both essential elements of life and due to this children academic performance will even get better as they will be giving equal attention to their education. If parents will spend time with their children, children will have someone to talk to while they are at home and this in turn will decrease the time they spend with friends and relations they have made in the virtual world. Parents are socializing agents for children and they are the ones who help them get acceptance within the society by informing them about activities that are deemed as antisocial by the society and the activities that are pro social. Parents can educate children regarding the violent content children access over the internet and teach them that acting in violent ways is not acceptable to the society (Knesz 2). Other than parents public health professionals can play a key role in addressing the issues of harmful effects of internet on the society. They themselves can use media along with internet to spread the world and counter the negative effect of internet on all stakeholders. While dealing with issues experienced by children, especially those who treat children for psychological issues such as aggressive behavior need to include use of internet related information patient history. Physicians can even play a role of providing education to children and their care takers regarding healthy media use. Similarly, physicians and psychologists working in organizations such as schools can come in handy in avoiding risks that are associated with children who have become aggressive due to violent internet content. By taking history from students regarding their internet use patterns, they can identify whether children are exposed to violent video games and can identify whether these children are at a risk of committing same behavior in the real world. Once they are able to identify students that are at higher risks, they can deal with the psychological issues experienced by children. If individuals are already experiencing the issue of internet addiction disorder, then they can seek assistance from psychological interventionists. Psychological interventionist may not be able to cut down internet addict’s internet usage to zero level; still they can restrict the amount of internet use through intervention strategy. Chou conducted a literature research for how to treat the disorder of internet addiction and figured out that two methods including Cognitive Behavior and Motivational Enhancement Therapies can be used to help patients who are suffering from internet addiction (Chou 387). Another major stakeholder that can assist students with the issue and harmful impacts of internet usage are the educational institutes such as schools as well as universities. Schools need to realize that internet can cause heavy damages not only to the users; the damage can be extended to socializing areas and stakeholders where internet users exist or visits such as schools. Educational institutes throughout the world need to add educational programs regarding appropriate internet use in the curriculum. These programs can be used to educate students regarding appropriate usage of internet. According to Block, measures to prevent internet addiction and internet related issues are being introduced to schools that are located in South Korea (Block 307). Government has been a key factor in adoption of use of technological advancements in educational sphere in the region of US. They have enacted legislations that have promoted the acceptance of internet use in the educational sphere. Similarly, the government even needs to interfere in order to restrict and safeguard different individuals from being negatively impacted by internet use. The government can use its resources to limit the access of certain content that is being accessed by children over the internet. For example: The government can pass regulation against the children’s access to violent games and pornographic material. Conclusion Internet has been a very positive addition to the lives of every individual of the society, but internet use has even negatively impacted the society. Internet use has caused psychological issues such as aggressive behavior and internet addiction disorders, social issues including damaging interpersonal relationship and family times, educational issues including lack of academic performance and physical health issues. These issues can either be completely written off or restricted if different stakeholders including government, public health workers, government, media and educationists take preventive measures. References Anderson, Craig A, and Brad J. Bushman. "General Article: Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: a Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature." Psychological Science. 12.5 (2001): 353-359. Print. Block, J. Jerald. "Issues for Dsm-V: Internet Addiction." The American Journal of Psychiatry. 165.3 (2008): 306-7. Print. Chou, Chien, Linda Condron, and John Belland. "A Review of the Research on Internet Addiction." Educational Psychology Review. 17.4 (2005): 363-388. Print. Knesz-Greulich, Faith. How Young Children Learn About Gender: The Influence of Parents and Peers. , 2007. Print. Lee, Sook-Jung, and Young-Gil Chae. "Children's Internet Use in a Family Context: Influence on Family Relationships and Parental Mediation." Cyberpsychology & Behavior. 10.5 (2007): 640-644. Print. Murphy, Kim . "Warning Signs of Massacre Were Hidden in Plain Sight - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. N.p., 9 May 1999. Web. 13 July 2013. . Strasburger, Victor C, Amy B. Jordan, and Ed Donnerstein. "Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents." Pediatrics. 125.4 (2010): 756. Print. Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, Robert E. Kraut, Patricia M. Greenfield, and Elisheva F. Gross. "The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children's Activities and Development." The Future of Children. 10.2 (2000): 123-144. Print. Teen Internet Use Graphic | Pew Research Center." Pew Research Center | Nonpartisan, non-advocacy public opinion polling and demographic research. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2013. . Young, Kimberly S. "Internet Addiction: the Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder." Cyberpsychology and Behavior. 1.3 (1998): 237-244. Print. Read More