Addicted to the net

[indigobusiness]

Addicted to the net
By Stephanie Wong
Hong Kong
January 13, 2005


Anthony Chan betrays the tell-tale signs of his addiction: his skin is pallid and covered in spots, he sits nervously hunched, peering to correct his blighted vision and he has trouble communicating with friends and family.

At just 16 he is emotionally fragile, physically ill and his future has been compromised by the addition which has him in its grip.

But when the lights are switched off he gets online, he could not care less about the problems it brings. His drug is the internet and, when connected, it makes the lonely Hong Kong schoolboy feel on top of the world.

"The computer is my friend, it's my life, my social life," says Chan, shifting in his chair and squinting in the glare of the brightly-lit office where we talk. It is one of the few times this week he has left the confines of his bedroom where he spends hours and hours every day logged onto the internet and he is missing it already, he says.

snip

For many, of course, the internet is just what it was meant to be: a source of information and means of communication, helping them keep in touch with family and friends around the world.

But for some of the net-generation, like Anthony, who have grown up surrounded by home computers, video games and the internet, this strange new world has its dangers. A basic function the net was invented to assist has been lost: the art of human communication.

http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/12/1105423546863.html?oneclick=true

[poe]

1. Thank you the toxicity of computers is underreported and underestimated

spiritually and ecologically.

[bliss_eternal]

2. I wonder about this a lot if technology in general

is 'doing in' some of today's youth. It seems they lack basic social and communication skills.

At a local store recently, my husband was frustrated by the young men working there due to their lack of appropriate communication skills. It seems a trend among some of the youth working today. Anyone else notice this?

Seriously, I wonder if the boy mentioned in this article is as alone in his addiction as one may think?

While they do have interaction via the internet, that is very different from one on one, 'social' interaction. It seems sorely lacking in some youth today--I seriously wonder if the computer, internet, and modern technology has eroded their ability to communicate or interact socially?

I just wonder sometimes...

[indigobusiness]

3. yes...

yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...

[bliss_eternal]

4. LOL!

[KissMeKate]

5. you could say the internet is only finishing the job TV did long ago

At least the internet facilitates communication and connection for those who wish to reach out that way.

[indigobusiness]

6. That's the problem with destructively addictive things:

the attractive aspects.