Essay Sample on Digital Revolution: Impact of Technology on Teenagers Worldwide

Introduction

Technology has advanced significantly in recent decades. With the transformation of internet networking, many people can spend time online and this has created a digital revolution. Furthermore, there have been changes in terms of communication, entertainment, and education as well as an individual's behavior. Young children, teenagers, and even adults are affected by digital technology. However, statistics indicated that many people who use the internet are teenagers in countries such as the United States and elsewhere (Kurniasanti et al., 2019). The behavior has underlying similarities to substance abuse in that many people are addicted to the internet in their daily lives (Kurniasanti et al., 2019). Widespread online usage facilitates networking on social media, communication with friends, and entertainment among others. The paper will discuss in detail and demonstrate the types and effects of online addiction.

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Types of Online Addiction

Online addiction is broad because it covers a range of behavior and impulse-control problems that involve the internet. While many platforms fuel it, personal computers and mobile phones are the major contributors. According to statistics, there are always more than 3.52 billion people online; the majority of people spend their time online every day (Hoeg, 2019). There are four categories of online addiction.

Cyber (Relationship) Addiction

Cyber or relationship addition involves the majority of teenagers and young adults who spend their time online because they want to find and maintain relationships. This type of addiction makes them forget and neglect their real friends and families. According to Hoeg (2019), this type of online addiction involves interaction through chatting or face-timing through different networking sites; this can also lead to cyber-sex addiction. Individuals turn to pornographic websites to seek sexual fantasies; they aim to make their relationship intimate and romantic.

Gaming Addiction

This type of addiction involves the use of computers to do gaming activities online (Hoeg, 2019). As computers have become available, teenagers can access games such as Tetris, Minesweeper to mention but a few and this has become obsessive to them. Even at the workplace, employees spend an excessive amount of time playing games online. Computers have programmed soft wares, which motivate teenagers and young adults to spend most of their time online.

Net Compulsions

Hoeg (2019) asserted that this type of online addiction comprises of interactive activities such as online shopping, trading stocks, gambling, and auctions. The millennial generations, for instance, spend excessive amounts of money to gamble and engage in trading stocks, something that has made it addictive. At the same time, it is easy for many people to access online stores and casinos in that youths get hooked online when browsing.

Compulsory Information Seeking

Individuals particularly students believe that they can get data or information online (Hoeg, 2019). Every time they need information even when in school, they uncontrollably turn to the internet to search for data. To them, information seeking has become a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. They rarely use textbooks or reading materials to search for vital data, which is needed for their course, the severity of this behavior has become addictive.

Effects of Online Addiction

In the 21st century, the habit of seeking information online through the internet has been on an upward trajectory. The Internet has become a crucial communication instrument that has altered the ordinary life at home, educational context, and even at the workplace (Boss & Sebastine, 2017). The beneficial impacts of internet addiction, particularly for students is that it helps to enhance their communication skills, improve their relationships with other colleagues, and in a way it contributes to their CGPA, and the majortiy of other positive aspects (Boss & Sebastine, 2017).

However, anything that has a positive side, it cannot lack its demerits, and the use of the internet is a concrete example. Internet addiction for long periods can affect them health-wise since it will instill make students feel more depressed, moody, the propensity of going to porn websites, which even affects them psychologically by making them participate in behaviors that are not recommended to them at that particular age. Boss & Sebastine (2017).conducted a cross-sectional study that encompassed 90 undergraduate students. There were two groups; one had addictive online users, and the other group, non-addictive internet users (Boss & Sebastine, 2017). The outcomes revealed that the addictive online user group had a greater complaint of impairment of sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness, and had a lot of negative environmental stressors as opposed to the lads in the other group (Boss & Sebastine, 2017).

To properly understand the adverse effects of internet addiction to the mind, or why individuals who suffer from the psychological disorder have a propensity to the internet or online use, several theories will be explored. The cognitive-behavioral concept states that biases in personal perception and memory processes connected with the uses of the internet are the main causes of online addiction (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014). This aspect does not describe problematic internet use merely as a behavioral addiction, but also a cognitive-behavioral condition with an adverse impact on an individual's life. Among several cognitive-behavioral models, the one that has a significant effect on increasing internet addiction is the cognitive-behavioral concept of pathological (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014). According to this idea, individuals suffering from fanatical thoughts begin to acknowledge the internet as a friend, and in turn results in addiction (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014).

Conversely, there are several positive impacts of the internet on the mental health of the users. One of them is life satisfaction, which refers to cognitive, judgemental processes that encompass a comparative process between the person's current life situation, and internalized standards consenting respondents to use the data they subjectively deem relevant when assessing their lives (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014). Life satisfaction can also be explained as an entire evaluation of feelings, and attitudes about an individual's life at a specific point in time diverging dimensions. Shahnaz & Karim (2014) have contended that augmented use of the internet through smartphones has been associated with feelings of isolation, which were mutually underpinning. A study done on USA kids outlines that children spending most of their time online have a restricted form of friendship (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014). This is because they also spend less time conversing with their families, friends, experience more daily stress, and have a greater probability of becoming depressed (Shahnaz & Karim, 2014).

In a nutshell, internet addiction can have adverse effects on an individual, both physically, and emotionally. Some of the physical effects include; body aches, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, insomnia, vision problems, weight gain/loss (Hoeg, 2019). On the other hand, psychological impacts as mentioned throughout the essay include; depression, dishonesty, anxiety, social isolation, aggression, and mood swings (Hoeg, 2019). In the workplace, computer or gaming addiction can notably plummet the level of productivity in the majority of the Millennials. Online addiction has also a negative effect on couples since there will limited interactions or conversations on problems affecting their marriage, and also unrealistic expectations start to emerge, especially, when one of the couples want the relationship to be similar to the celebrity he or she follows (Hoeg, 2019).Conclusion

Online addition is a phenomenon that touches almost all generations and people are unaware of its effects. It has seductive powers that make it difficult to understand its negative effects since it introduces psychological problems among students and young adults. At the same time, online addiction has an excessive impact on interpersonal and communication behavior. With computers and mobile technology being the main causes of online addiction, it is possible to suggest possible solutions for the behavior.

References

Boss, G.S., & Sebastine, J. A. (2017). Problems of Internet Addiction and its effects on the lifestyle of university students. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/38537-41626-1-PB.pdf

Hoeg, N. (2019). Internet Addiction. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/internet-addiction/

Kurniasanti, K. S., Assandi, P., Ismail, R. I., Nasrun, M. W. S., & Wiguna, T. (2019). Internet addiction: a new addiction?. Medical Journal of Indonesia, 28(1), 82-91. http://mji.ui.ac.id/journal/index.php/mji/article/download/2752/1318

Shahnaz, I., & Karim, A. K. M. R. (2014). The impact of Internet addiction on life satisfaction and life engagement in young adults. Universal Journal of Psychology, 2(9), 273-284. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/UJP2-19403029.pdf