Internet Addiction - Article Example

1. What is the main point of this article?  The main point in the article is that internet availability has led to internet-addiction especially among the teens. Additionally, the article lists several negative effects of internet ranging from health disorders, psychological and social. According to the article internet addiction has already been declared a disaster in countries such as China and Korea where institutions to deal with addicted persons have been set up. The author argues that internet usage can be important but compulsive internet use for activities such as playing game, socialization, and virtual reality has already shown serious negative effects. Some of the effects include increased depression, loneliness, antisocial behaviors influence into drug use and anxiety, which are exhibited by internet-addicted persons. In addition, the article claims that internet usage has grave effects on the mind of users. The article suggests that the effects on the mind are negative since internet usage requires less utilization of the brain hence reduced brain development. 2. What is the most important information in this article?  The most important fact in this article is that internet addiction is harming the users. This can be deduced from the author’s argument that “The current incarnation of the Internet--portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive--may be making us not just dumber or lonelier but more depressed and anxious, prone to obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit disorders, even outright psychotic. Our digitized minds can scan like those of drug addicts, and normal people are breaking down in sad and seemingly new ways.” 3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s argument?  One of the strengths of the article is that the author makes use of convincing evidence obtained from credible sources. Almost all the claims are supported by evidence from a published study. An extra strength is that the author rarely uses his own opinion to proof a claim. One of the weaknesses of the article is the lack of conclusion. The author puts forward several arguments on how availability and use of internet has affected human beings but never coma to a conclusion. Another weakness is the several unanswered questions that the author has posed. A good example is on what should be done on the issue of internet addiction. The author keeps arguing on the effects on internet overuse but never gives a solution to this problem. In addition, the thesis statement is not well stated. It is only after reading a large part of the article that one can tell the question under discussion. An additional weakness is the biased nature in which the author addresses the issue of internet use. The author only gives the negative impacts of internet use irrespective of the many advantages such as improved communication and contribution in global business transactions. 4. What are the main conclusions in this article?  The author’s conclusion is not very clear since the article mainly points at the impacts of internet use. However, from the arguments given availability and excessive use of internet has worked in many ways to the disadvantage of humans. If people ignore the authors claim and continue overindulging in internet use, there is likelihood of increased antisocial behaviors amongst people. Additionally, psychotic disorders arising from internet use are likely to increase. According to the author, there is need for further study on how exactly internet tampers with brain development. This is because the few existing studies only show decreased brain activity after a period of excessive internet use. (Factors: discuss consequences that would follow if people take or ignore the author’s line of reasoning seriously; consider suggestions for action; consider recommendations for further investigation)  5. Would reasonable people agree with the information presented in the article? Is there enough detail to completely understand?  Reasonable people will agree with only part of the information particularly on the fact that internet has affected humans socially and health wise. This is because the author has used adequate and credible evidence to proof these arguments. However, some argument like the one that internet addiction leads to altered cell growth would pose many questions. This is because the author gives only two examples of studies that have shown such an effect. Additionally, the two studies have shown differing alterations of internet addiction on brain cell. This raises many questions on the truthfulness of the claim. Another factor that would make reasonable people doubt the author’s arguments is the inconclusive way the article has dealt with some issues. It would have been judicious for the author to explain both sides of the argument. This would have made it easier for him to convince readers that internet addiction is disadvantageous. However, the fact that the author has only dealt with the negative effects of internet use makes the article less credible and appears prejudiced. A reasonable reader would be justified to argue that the positive consequences outweigh the negative ones. 6. Consider your attitudes or opinions pertaining to this article. Have they changed as a result of what you have learned?  Before reading the article, I had some basic understanding of the possible effects of excessive use of internet or addiction. However, the health impacts were a great surprise to me. I had once an article that suggested that internet use for activities such as playing games increases brain activity hence ability to think and decide fast. However, I was surprised to learn on the long-term effect that internet might have, particularly on the internet addicts. Another, aspect that surprised me was the statistics on the average number of hours that people spend on the internet. It is astonishing to learn that schoolchildren spend so much time on internet. It is more alarming to think of the possible impacts that internet might have on the future generation as more complex and cheaper devices continue being invented. Read More