The internet has become an integral part of our lives, providing us with essential information, communication, and entertainment.
Internet addiction or Compulsive Internet Use is the pressing need to always use the internet at the expense of one’s health, work, and relationships. With these signs, you can identify an individual addicted to the internet:
- The most obvious of signs is spending too much time – all the time – on the internet. Even on days when nothing interesting is on the net, an addicted person would keep going from site to site, in search of satisfaction.
- One thing common to addictions of all kinds is the difficulty to stop and internet addiction is not left out. A person addicted to the internet would find it hard to leave it to do other things.
If the person manages to go off for some time, all thoughts would be on the internet and going back to it. This may make the addict restless, irritable, moody, and uncomfortable.
- You can also identify an internet addict through body signs. These signs include back pain, headache, insomnia, fatigue, dry eyes, and vision problems due to prolonged internet use.
- Another sign is if such a person has risked or lost something significant because of the internet. It could be a relationship, career, job opportunity, family, or friends. Addicts voluntarily, or involuntarily choose the internet over any other thing.
- Finally, when a person always turns to the internet as a means of escapism, it is a sign of addiction. This means such a person resorts to internet use always to deal with pain, grief, or any negative feeling. The internet has become a safe space and the person finds solace in surfing through it.
We all indeed use the internet excessively from time to time, spending hours on it daily. However, a much deeper problem than excessive use is being addicted to the internet.