"Best of the Net" Advice on How to Cope with and
Prevent Internet Addiction
by Douglas Goldstein and Joyce Flory, PhD
If you're spending more than five hours a day on the Internet
by choice, can't seem to talk about anything else, have
difficulty relating to people in the non-virtual or real world,
and feel restless, confused or worthless when you're not online,
you might be a candidate for low-grade Internet addiction. In the
final analysis, coping or preventing Internet addiction is really
about balance--balance between work and family, between making
money and having fun, between intellectual exercises and
emotional fulfillment. Following are several ways you can avoid
becoming a technoaddict:
- Look at the big picture. If you suspect the Net has
become the centerpiece of your existence, your reason for
being, or an extension of your arm, stop and ask yourself
life's three big questions: Purpose: Why am I here?
What's my personal mission or purpose in work and in
life? Vision: Where is my life going? Where do I want to
be? Values: What do I believe in? What do I want my life
to stand for? Then, ask yourself how the Internet fits
into each of these questions. Is it a means for you to
fulfill your personal mission, or just a fun-filled
detour and detraction? Exploring and choosing a role for
the Internet will help you set limits in terms of a time
and financial investment.
- Look at your life as a series of five interlocking rings
or boxes: work and career, family, spiritual, physical
health, community, and personal interests and hobbies.
Decide how much you want the Internet to be a part of
each area of your life and then allocate time
accordingly. You may decide that you want to keep the
Internet at work, and shut the door on it when you leave
for home. Or you may decide the Internet--especially when
experienced through new technologies such as WebTV--is
something you want to share with your family. Just make
sure that it's a conscious decision.
- Take frequent breaks. Spend at least five minutes out of
every hour or 15-20 minutes every three hours involved in
some unwired activity. Take some time to stretch out your
body. Treat yourself to a healthy snack like an apple.
Play with your dog. Cut some flowers from the garden.
Listen to some music. Meet a friend for lunch. Make a
conscious decision not to talk or think about the
Internet.
- Visit the Net with a purpose and an online strategy.
Decide in advance how much time you will spend on the Net
per visit, per day, or per week. To make your searches or
cruising more efficient, jot down an online strategy
before you log on. Read through the reviews in Best of
the Net Online Consumer Guide to Health and Wellness book
and develop a list of Web sites that meet your health
needs. When you log on you can go directly to that Web
site and avoid wasting time with long lists of potential
searches from one of the search engines. On the other
hand, don't forget to have fun by checking out at least
one fun, intriguing, or frivolous site such as The Site's
"Site of the Night"
(http://www.thesite.msnbc.com/)
- Interact with people in a non-wired world. No matter how
much you're online, make a commitment to interact for at
least five minutes a day with one person in the non-wired
world. Plan your non-wired leisure and professional
pursuits first. Schedule events such as going to live
concert, dining out with friends, or attending a live
face-to-face seminar or professional meeting.
- Regularly re-establish your connections with nature. No
matter what the season, vow to spend some time each day
reconnecting with nature. Go outside where you can feel
and hear autumn leaves rustling under your feet and the
splash of rain on your face. This kind of break will make
your online time more fun and productive.
- Seek out friends and acquaintances who couldn't care less
about the Internet. It's hard to believe, but there are
still millions of people out there who think that
Internet is a foreign counter-intelligence organization
in Mission Impossible. Instead of trying to convert them
to the power and magic of the Net, take time to
appreciate the reality that all life is not yet online.
Give yourself permission to talk about topics as diverse
as pesto sauce, bowling, parrots, the best sunglasses,
mountain biking, and running shorts--without recommending
your favorite Web site.
- Stay connected to non-wired media. Spend time cruising
through book and music stores, and newsstands, and
participating in non-virtual entertainment forms such as
dance, museums, music, and live theater. Remember, the
virtual world isn't hospitable to story-telling, long
narratives, and poetry. That's why you'll want to pay
special attention to novels, short stories, and long
non-fiction works that might never make it in the online
world. And don't forget to allow yourself the luxury of
curling up on the coach with a novel, afghan, and a cut
of hot tea or sitting on a beach with a collection of
short stories.
- Turn conversation and speaking into a fine art by forcing
yourself to "go live." Do everything you can to
participate in situations where you have the opportunity
to interact on a personal, face-to-face level with
another individual or a group of people. Spend at least
one hour a week in live conversation with another human
being who knows you by something other than your e-mail
address. Invite a group of people over for an evening of
conversation or "parlor games" such as
charades. Join a book discussion group at a local
bookstore such as Borders. Seize every opportunity to
speak in front of live groups of people.
- Give back what you've got. If you're genuinely excited
about the Internet and want to share the magic with
others, then find a way to make it happen. Organize a
project that provides used computers and Internet access
and training to residents of housing projects, low-income
school districts, senior centers, people with
disabilities, or women's shelters. Make the Internet a
dominant theme and refrain in your life, always focusing
on its power to transform peoples' lives.
Material for this Knowledge Hit Tip Sheet was adapted from:
"Best of the Net" Online Guide Book Series by
Douglas Goldstein and Joyce Flory PhD, published by Irwin
Professional Publishing, Inc. 1996.
Copyright © 1998, Alliances Interactive. All Rights
Reserved.
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04 May, 1998