To add to the discussion:

Another reason we are spending more and more time on the web is that we are
being forced, sometimes against our will.  by Increasing numbers of
retailers, financial services, utilities and businesses who are shutting
down, or reducing their telephone based and storefront customer services.
Just in the past couple of months I've been told by one service that I could
only change my customer profile with them or end my association with them
on-line; I've tried to buy something from a bricks and mortar office supply
house just to be told that I can't buy much of their stock that way anymore,
they actually ordered it for me on-line though I was standing right there in
the store.  Vendors are doing this to transfer the cost in time and
personnel spent in traditional face to face or live telephone customer
support to us by forcing us to use the on-line systems and support
ourselves.  So it is a bit unfair to on the one hand, force us to use the
web in ever increasing amounts, and then turn around and say, "people are
becoming addicted to the web".

One other point:  There seems to be a tendency to label obsessive compulsive
disorder by the obsession or compulsion.  That is, instead of being called
obsessive/compulsive, a person is labeled "addicted to TV" or "addicted to
the web."  Any behavior taken to extreme excess which begins to interfere
with normal human interactions is obsessive/compulsion.  That said, I really
get tired of hearing that "gambling" or "chat rooms" or what ever my tastes
might lead me to is inherently bad.  Only obsession about these things is
bad, other than that, it is just moralizing which we as a nation have become
awfully willing to do.  I think perhaps there may be soon coined an illness
called "addiction to moralizing."   how about that eh?

Bill
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Pietruk
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 3:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] Study: Some Internet addicts cover up habit

Nelson

You make some valid points.  The key to the value of this survey -- and we
don't what what I am about to say -- is how the questions were
written/phrased and how the recipients took them .
Having to hide internet use certainly would suggest a problem much as your
teenage kids telling you not where they were last night.
Using the net for gambling and porn certainly is a problem.
Spending hours in a chat room, in lieu of spending quality time with a
spouse or family, certainly isn't a good thing.
But, however, spending more time on line in and of itself isn't a bad thing
if you are doing legitimate research, listening or watching audio/video
instead of the tv, reading books and magazines/newspapers, shopping for
items you would be purchasing otherwise from a bricks and mortar retailer,
or taking classes.
More and more of us are spending more and more hours online; it is how we're
spending those hours rather than the hours we spend.
And why are we spending more and more hours online; because there are more
and more things we can do online.


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