Is internet addiction a diagnosable disorder? Or is it just how our society is evolving? All images used are from the Creative Commons on Flickr.

1. by Michelle O’Halloranphoto: liewcf - Flickr
to Being Connected
Addicted
Friday, 17 May, 13

2. photo: .evenwestvang - Flickr
There are
now more
ways than
ever to be
connected to
the internet.
Friday, 17 May, 13

3. ...no matter where you are.
photo: Night Owl City - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

4. But what are the consequences
of being constantly plugged in?
photo: MelissaVenable - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

5. Are internet users becoming reliant on
connectivity in order to function?
photo: Aaron Jacobs - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

6. “Internet Use Disorder” was a new entry in the
recently released fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS).
photo:TimmyGUNZ - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

7. According to DMS-5, those suffering from IUD, or
internet addiction, build a “tolerance” to the internet,
needing to spend more and more time online to achieve
the same “high”.
photo: Katie@! - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

8. “Recent studies suggest the
problem is widespread, with as
much as 18.5 per cent of the
U.S. population addicted to the
web. One Stanford University
survey found a staggering one
in eight American adults
showed signs of ‘problematic
internet use.’”
- Josh Tapper,The Toronto Star
photo: Katie@! - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

9. Thanks to smartphones, people can get their
internet fixes wherever they are.
photo:Yutaka Tsutano - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

10. According to Pew research, a quarter of
young people primarily use their
cellphones to access the internet.
photo: JesperYu - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

11. “78 per cent of young people,
ages 12 to 17, now have
cellphones. Nearly half of
those are smartphones, a share
that's increasing steadily — and
that's having a big effect on
how, and where, many young
people are accessing the Web.”
photo: Candace Nast - Flickr
- Martha Irvine,The Associated Press
Friday, 17 May, 13

12. The uprising of smartphones allows young people in
low-income families with no home internet to be able
to access the web.
photo: ebayink - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

13. Many consider addiction to mobile
devices to be a problem as well as
internet addiction.
photo: University of Maryland Press Releases - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

14. “The
addiction
has even
been given
a name —
Nomophobia is the term created by British researchers in
2008 to identify people who experience anxiety when they
have no access to mobile technology.”
photo:Wesley Fryer - Flickr
- Richard Alleyne,TheTelegraph
Friday, 17 May, 13

15. One reason why society
loves the internet and
mobile interactions is
because people are now
able to be in control of how
much, how little, and in what
ways they communicate
with others.
photo: everdred - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

16. “In

17. the

18. SILENCE

19. of

20.
connection,

21. people

22. are

23.
comforted

24. by

25. being

26. IN

27. TOUCH

28.
with

29. a

30. lot

31. of

32. people,

33. carefully

34.
kept

35. at

36. bay.

37. We

38. can’t

39. get

40.
enough

41. of

42. one

43. another

44. if

45. we

46.
can

47. use

48. technology

49. to

50. keep

51. one

52.
another

53. at

54. distances

55. we

56. can

57.
CONTROL:
not

58. too

59. CLOSE,
not

60. too

61. FAR,
just

62. RIGHT.”
- Sherry Turkle,The NewYork Times
photo: EdYourdon - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

63. But can we truly be addicted
to the internet and mobile
devices like one can be to
drugs or gambling?
photo: Håkan Dahlström - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

64. In the world of mental health research, a lot of
controversy surrounds the decision to add
Internet Use Disorder to the DSM.
photo: aether_bunny - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

65. Skeptics argue that
there is no clear-cut
definition for internet
addiction, and that
there is little biological
difference between the
average brain and the
brain of an internet
addict.
photo: QIAGEN_PR - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

66. “Many researchers contend internet addiction cannot
exist on its own. They say it is most likely a symptom of
depression, social anxiety or obsessive-compulsiveness.”
- Josh Tapper,The Toronto Star
photo: Sander van der Wel - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

67. However,

68. perhaps

69.
it

70. is

71. not

72. the

73.
individual

74. who

75. is

76.
addicted

77. to

78. being

79.
connected...
photo: lanier67 - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

80. ...or society as a whole.
photo: Steve Rhode - Flickr
Friday, 17 May, 13

81. Sources:
• Richard Alleyne,“Mobile Phone Addiction Ruining Relationships”.
The Telegraph
• Martha Irvine,“MoreYouth Use Smartphones to Log Online: U.S.
Reports”.The Associated Press
• Josh Tapper,“Internet Addicts Face Constant Temptation, Non-
Believers”.The Toronto Star
• Sherry Turkle,“The Flight from Conversation”.The NewYork
Times
Friday, 17 May, 13