The Effects of Computer Addiction

Technology has developed so much that it is almost crucial to have electronic devices particularly the personal computers at home, school, internet café, etc. Teenagers have gotten soused to have technology around them. However, while having these computers that make life easier, comfortable, and handy at most of the times, it could also have negative effects on their lives particularly in their studies when used too much. When these computers are used too much by these teenagers, they will develop a kind of addiction which is now commonly called computer addiction. Computer addiction is defined as such a strong involvement with a machine or what can be displayed on it that the usual criteria for impairment through addiction are met. Computer games, cyber sex, cyber relationship, internet gambling and information overload are the causes why students are being addicted to computer. These are the most common things that they do when they are in front of a computer. These causes can affect the academic performance of the students. There are high rate of failure and drop out rate of the students. The nearby computer shops trigger the students to be easily hooked in computer use.

It is very evident that people specially students nowadays are now attached to computer the addictive computer programs and not with books in making reports and academic works. For example: students tend to play games first, browse websites and make friends with new people by the use of the internet rather than studying. For these reasons, the researchers conducted this paper to give an overview for the readers to fully understand the causes of computer addiction. The researchers performed surveys and interview to completely accomplish this paper. The researchers performed surveys and interview to completely accomplish this paper. There are lots of students that develop bad habits in their computer use that cause so many problems in their study. They spend large amount of time in front of the computer doing unnecessary things like: visiting porn sites, watching pornographic videos/images, involving in a cyber relationship, involving in information overload, addiction to computer games and doing net compulsions instead of studying.

Students nowadays were getting involved with internet pornography. According to the survey conducted by the researchers, two out of 16 students admitted that one of the most common things they did was viewing a sexually explicit site. This result shows that they tend to be involved in internet pornography rather than doing their school works and studying their lessons. “Being involved in internet pornography is in point also a behavioural-oriented addiction, which those who get hooked, are addicted to what they do and the feelings they experience when they are doing it”. Male students usually seek for power and influence. On the other hand, female students look to the internet as a source of friendship and romance. They also think that by being a prostitute, it would help them financially because their partner would sustain their needs also their wants. Based on the information that is gathered from the survey, there are a lot of students doing their homework at the same time, tend to involved in a cyber relationship through chatting. 14 out of 16 students confessed that they did their homework and chat at the same time.

They may think that through this communication channel, they could find someone and begin a relationship. Students hope that they can find perfect someone just like in the movies. It is because some people feel uncomfortable with public relationship and they can also neglect other people or responsibilities in order to be online whereas from this stuff they find no commitment even without knowing the character of people they talk to. Students used to be addict in chatting and involving themselves in cyber relationship. It is because they think that they could be together as possible. In the end, they tend to hurt themselves and do not concentrate in their studies anymore knowing that the person they are to be in a relationship with, was just a fraud. People could change personalities even identities using the cyber world. Students still involve there selves with the cyber relationship, for the reason that, they don’t usually get the feeling of a person whose love career is engaged in a cyber relational.

Nowadays, Googling and Facebooking are the most common daily activities in our society. 16 out of 16 first year students surveyed by the researchers said that they always do Googling and Facebooking. The huge time that college students waste increases. Students aside from doing school project also try to update with the celebrity gossips and visit the sites where they can easily find news about favorite celebrities and reading magazines. Sometimes they are obsessed with glamorous life of celebrities that make them forget what they should do as students. The addicted students always feel anxious or depressed when their computer time is shortened and they also easily become angry when being disturbed. Students tend to surf the net first and gather many info on news,celebrity gossip, and organizing data, which is too much that not all of the information can be used. Internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the Internet, including the various aspects of its technology, such as electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide Web.

Students nowadays do have a known disorder, which is the IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder). They may not be able to know that they have this disorder until they realized that playing or using computer is more prioritized than doing school works. Students get so obsessed with online gaming like Defense of the Ancient, Left for Dead,Cabal, etc. that they tend to sacrifice their academic sides just to go to computer shops and play,not noticing the time while using the computer. According to the survey conducted by the researchers, 9 out of 16 students are at risk of being hooked with the computer games and have academic failure. They make conscious efforts just to be with their computers and continue failing. Also for the fact that they miss events or opportunities with family and friends also with non-computer related tasks because of the time spent on the Computer.

Relationships with friends and family members begin to wither as they stop attending social gatherings. Net Compulsions are a new and increasingly worrisome category under the umbrella diagnosis of Internet Addiction. Net compulsions are related to Compulsive Online Gambling,Online Auction or eBay Addiction, or Obsessive Online Gaming. Net compulsion include compulsive online gambling, compulsive use of online sex or porn, online auction addiction ,and obsessive online trading. These behaviors are very addictive because of the following.When it comes to net compulsions, students now a days are already gambling online with the fact that, they used to risk money online to think that their problem financially would be resolved and they would be able to satisfy their wants, but not their needs, not knowing that they are becoming an addict in purchasing and gambling online. According to the survey conducted by the researchers, two out of 16 students have admitted that internet gambling is the one of the most common they did in front of computer. According to the interview, financial problem is the first common reason why students voluntarily dropped out of the institute. To think that before the internet, gambling used to be just in Las Vegas or nearby casinos.

Gaming was used to be limited to some of the college students who are already legal in gambling and knew how to access gambling sites. A whole genre of studies describes the damage Internet involvement can wreak on academic performance. Although many parents help their children get online in order to bolster grades, research reveals that more time spent online translates into less time spent reading books Computer and worse study skills. Students who are involved in computer addicted programs is one of the reasons why they didn’t pass all the requirements for the semesters. This is a proof that as technology advances particularly on the computers, the number of students who became computer addict sand the number of influences on computer addiction increases. Peer pressure is also one of the problems why students get easily addicted in computer games and softwares, which can ruintheir entire school career which will lead them to dropping out of the school. Many of the first year students now a days were having problems with regards to their major courses.

Most of them did not pass their major courses. Nine out of 16 first year students failed on their major subjects during the first semester of the school according to the survey conducted by the researchers. All of these students who have failed in their major courses admitted that they were not satisfied with their grades last semester. Based again on the survey, these students have an average of four hours per day of using the computer. Five out of nine who have failed said that they do not always study and always use computer. This shows that most of the students give more priority in enjoying themselves in using the computer rather than studying that is why they failed in their major courses. Due to the addiction felt by the students in computer, without their knowledge, they have started to experience the bad effects of computer addiction. The effects were escapism to reality,dishonesty, and financial problems. With these effects they have experienced, they have been also affected academically by their poor performance at class.

Escapism is defined as something such as fantasy or entertainment that makes it possible to forget about the ordinary or unpleasant realities of life for a while. Students were addicted to internet surfing day and night, most of them applied what they have perceived or seen in the computer to their studies. Based upon on the survey conducted by the researchers,15 out of 16 students agreed upon that they have been applied to their studies what they perceived in computer. They tend to imitate wrong acts they have seen in the computer even if they knew that it not all they have perceived in front of the monitor is good for them.

Dishonesty or lying is one of the results of computer addiction to the students. Students tend to lie to their professors, parents, etc. so that they may be able to continue their addiction to computer. In the survey administered by the researchers to the student, five out of 16 students confessed that they have lied to their professors, parents, etc. that they have skipped their classes just to go to a near by computer shop. They did alibis so that they will be able to cut classes. They also lied about the amount of time spent on the computer and what they did about. Having an alibi is one of the actions that was under the category of dishonesty,Computer students have an alibi always just to play in the computer. Students did not care if they lie to their parents, professors, etc.

Students nowadays can be easily engaged in gambling. Through the internet in the computer a student will easily have an access to the gambling sites by faking his or her identity. According to the survey conducted, they have discovered that five to eight percent of their students are in the danger zone in developing an addiction to the internet gambling because of the great number of computers, easy access and it is yet easy to get hooked. With these factors, students neglected their study habits and school works, and engaged themselves to gamble.

Students being addicted to this kind of program leads them to financial problems which will eventually become a serious problem to that person. Students also thought that the lost they attained in the internet gambling is not the same in the gambling in the traditional casinos. It is proven that internet gambling is almost the same with the gambling in the traditional casinos and the amount of money lost in the traditional casinos is the same with the lost by the internet gamblers. As a result in some parts of the world with regards in gambling, there are people who have financial problems because of it. In the interview conducted by there searchers that financial problem is one of the reasons why students dropped out of school. Students experiencing financial problems because of the debts in the gambling sites are also experiencing emotional problems due.