What would you do with your time if you didn’t have the Internet to surf, an iPod to listen to, a TV to watch or a phone to let ya do ‘em all while on the go? You might have no problem saying buh-bye to modern media. But as a recent study shows, media and the technology that delivers it might already have you hooked.
A research study conducted by the University of Maryland charted the reactions of 1,000 students around the globe after they were asked to abstain from all forms of media for a day, Ars Technica reports.
The students reported signs of withdrawal from an addiction: distress, isolation, confusion and boredom. Kids from China and the U.S. presented the highest percentages of withdrawal. One girl from the U.S. said she was “itching like a crackhead.”
Physicians and psychologists remain skeptical, but the findings of the study are indisputable. The feelings and behaviors the students in the study exhibited mirror those of drug addicts. Many students said that didn’t just crave the information and the entertainment, but they actually desired the devices themselves.
Treatment centers for Internet addiction are cropping up around the nation, and they’re charging big bucks for their rehab programs. One in Washington State offers a 45-day program for $14,500.
What do you think babes? Are you addicted?
BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 4/11/2011 3:18:00 PM
POSTED IN addiction, bad habit, In the News, social media