People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet

People Are Becoming Addicted to the Internet Computers have been around for quite a long time, and now they are in most homes in the United States. The most popular activity on the computer is the Internet. The Internet can be used to gain information, chat, watch videos, listen to music, and play games. In today’s society, many people are becoming addicted to the Internet. This has become a problem because people spend most of their time on the Internet instead of investing their time in productive activities. People are also using the Internet as their main source of communication and information. This causes problems because it affects social lives. The Internet also causes people to become lazy. They can find information on any topic so they do not have to think as much as they would if they did not have access to the Internet. People spend too much time on the Internet. This leads to the detriment of their studies, careers, and social and community participation (Davidson 1). Maria from Matawan, New Jersey spends an average of five hours on the computer everyday. One psychiatrist states, “You may be ‘addicted’ to the Internet if you need to spend more time online to achieve the same level of satisfaction. You may even be experiencing sleep deprivation, facing marital difficulties, losing friendships, and neglecting your job or school work to the point of risking being fired or flunking out” (Goldsborough 1). Maria feels that she loses control over the time when she is on the Internet. She stays up late every night chatting with her friends, watching videos, and playing online games. One author explains how addictive and sinister the Internet really is: “It’s easy to get hooked on the Web. A page leads to a link, to a page, to a link, to a page, and before you know it, two hours have flown by” (Walker 2). Maria plans on staying on the Internet for a few minutes. Before she knows it, those minutes turn into hours. Another author explains how the

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