Continued from Part 1
In the technological era where everyone is always connected, how is the internet affecting us and our brains? Are there slight dangers to being constantly online, or are there some deep, dark things that we’re just unaware about? Follow our three-part article to get some exclusive information.
- The Internet makes you an addict. Well, you brain at least. According to a research study done in London, people who are regularly on the internet have a harder time controlling their needing a “fix” of internet time being plugged-in to a computer. In the study, the researchers noted that the participants who have been cut off from internet for even just a day showed withdrawal symptoms that were similar to those seen in addicts. Those symptoms were not just physical, but included mental addictions as well.This might tie in with the fact that a majority of the people that develop internet addictions are gamers, but the researchers claim that this applies to those who spend at least an hour or more on social media websites as well. On gamers, they found that they exhibit behaviors similar to addicts as well due to the fact that they spend very long hours in MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online roleplaying games) usually creating a whole new alternate life based on that. Still, though, chronic social media users are affected with this sort of effects as well.
- The internet makes increases loneliness and jealousy. We’re met again here by the green-eyed monster, when we say that the use of social media makes you more jealous. Think about it – how many times in the past few days have you looked up your ex’s profile online. Scratch that – how many times have you done so in the past hour?In Berlin’s Humboldt University, German scientists claim that constant viewing friends’ pictures, statuses, and other things related to them can bring up strong emotions, one of which being jealousy, and sometimes sadness. Ironically, they’ve described this as “Facebook depression.”
This makes sense, though. When have you gone on Facebook and felt jealous on the amount of people in love on Valentine’s Day? Or Christmas? When your friend’s been travelling the world with his girlfriend or wife, and you’re sitting on your computer at home – bitter – with your bag of Cheetos and cans of Monster by your side, you’ve got to admit you feel a bit jealous. Maybe just a little bit.
To be Continued …
