Index So has the Internet made society better or not? Negative Outcomes of Excessive Internet UseA Place for Modern AddictionWorks CitedScholars still question the positive and negative effects of the Internet on society to this day. Internet has always been of great help to the current generation. The population assumes that it is the most remarkable invention ever created by man. With innovation, people around the world can easily share relevant information and opinions with others. Today's teenagers say they couldn't live without the Internet. A study conducted by Al-Hariri and Al-Hattami stated that of the 231 students surveyed, the most used devices were laptops (50%) and phones (42%). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay So has the Internet made society better or not? Doctors are concerned about the issue related to their excessive use of the system known as Internet Addiction Disorder. Internet addiction is one of the many effects of Internet misuse. The question concerns whether it is beneficial to society or not, which currently becomes the root of debates among scholars. History According to the Encyclopedia of Questions and Answers, "the system was invented during the Cold War when it was feared that an attack could disrupt connections to any central point." According to TechnoHTML5, History of the Internet, computers were once connected to each other with a link. If one is damaged, other computers cannot share information. During the 1960s, the United States Department of Defense established ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) as a military project to help the military share their information with each other. With ARPANET people can communicate with each other even if the computer is disturbed. Soon people all over the world began connecting to the network. Tim Berners-Lee, a researcher at CERN, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989 after realizing that ARPANET made it difficult for people to connect "due to a range of different network protocols and a range of types of workstations". The term The term "Internet" was coined because other countries began to cultivate it, thus creating an international computer network. Positive effects There is no doubt that the Internet progressively contributes to society. Most of the population today is connected to the internet. Scholars, technologists, and social critics assumed that it was altering the economic and social status of society. As stated by Su and Lee, people are more connected with others even if there are distances between them. Some meet new people based on their interests. They also gain greater knowledge of their environment. The Internet provided all the information they needed. Several users reported being more engaged in their community than those who rarely use it. For extroverts, using web features reduces loneliness and time pressure. It also increases their self-esteem. Extroverts join chat rooms and forums to satisfy their social needs. They are able to witness the point of view of others, thus making them more open and reasonable. For medical students, however, Al-Hariri and Al-Hattami's research concluded that there is a "significant relationship between students' use of technology and their outcomes in health colleges." Those who are unemployed can now start a business in the comfort of their homes. “While many technologies have taken jobs away from the public,” as Su e put itLee, “The Internet has opened up a vast array of opportunities and heralded an era in which anyone can be published and anyone can be an entrepreneur.” According to Su and Lee, the Internet can also facilitate the eradication of poverty. With the "One child, one laptop" program in Africa, we will give access to their education; help them escape poverty and help their country develop. Negative Outcomes of Excessive Internet Use The Internet can still hold the title of extremely addictive even though it has helped societies both economically and socially. According to Su and Lee, “The Internet eliminates social interactions from [their] lives.” People care about games and social media. According to Wallace's report, a little girl died due to her parents' willingness to care for a virtual daughter online. People who use the Internet too often become lazy and bored. “The social effects of the Internet could resemble those of television;” as stated by Su and Lee, “watching television reduces social engagement, physical activity, and health (mental and physical).” The Internet, according to Wallace, also helps increase their narcissism and social anxiety. Every 15 minutes they check their social media to see how many likes their latest post earned. “For people with a narcissistic tendency, Facebook and Twitter can become huge time wasters as they constantly expand their site with 'selfie' photos and comments and actively seek to expand their growing audience.” Heavier Internet users were the least likely to seek medical care even though they are more prone to health problems because they rarely have time to meet their needs. These effects don't just happen in adults. According to Wallace, they are “more prevalent than just on college campuses where laptops and computer labs are within easy reach; it is also found among high school and middle school students." Scholars and social critics have been energized by the fact that one significant effect, Internet Addiction Disorder, is no longer alarming in the 21st century. Internet Addiction Internet addiction seems more routine than a concern. It is an impulse control disorder, similar to pathological gambling without the use of drugs that “causes neurological complications, psychological disorders and social problems”. It is more common in males than females. Some have classified the disorder as “a symptom of another disorder […] rather than a separate entity” according to Cash, Rae, Steel, and Winkler (2012). According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery (n.d.), there are several warning signs of Internet addiction: (1) the person is always worried about the Internet; (2) needs to use the Internet for a greater amount of time to achieve satisfaction; (3) has made unsuccessful efforts to control, reduce, or prevent the use of the Internet; (4) he or she is restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when trying to reduce or stop using the Internet; (5) had been online longer than originally intended; (6) was at risk of losing a significant relationship, job, educational, or career opportunity due to the Internet; (7) lied to family members, therapist, or others to hide the extent of their involvement with the Internet; (8) use the Internet as a means of escaping problems or alleviating a dysphoric mood. Doctors have developed surveys, such as the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), to certify that their patients actually have Internet Addiction Disorder. Internet addiction disorder affects the patient's real-life relationships due to arguments. They desire solitary isolation and are consideredsocially awkward. People with IAD create online personas to hide their true identity from others due to their low esteem and fear of disapproval. According to Wallace (2014), “compulsive Internet users show different patterns of activity in brain regions that have been implicated in reward and emotion processing. They also show a decrease in gray matter volume in several regions." This could affect the functional connectivity of the brain. Those who have tried to reduce their use may experience anger, relief, mood swings, fear, irritability, sadness, loneliness, boredom, restlessness, procrastination, and stomach upset. A Place for Modern Internet Addiction Addiction can be the cause or effect of depression. According to Misky and Holk (2002), depression is “associated with poor academic performance, fear of school, eating disorders, panic attacks, increased anxiety, delinquency, and other conduct disorders.” Depression is not well recognized by parents of their adolescent children because adolescents experience mood swings more often than adults. It is better for parents to spend more time with their children if they suspect a significant change in their mood, interest, attitude and physical body. The negative outcomes of excessive Internet use are unfavorable. IAD and many other effects can affect the person's life miserably. There are various treatment strategies to treat IAD and reduce the chances of getting it based on the report of Cash, Rae, Steel, and Winkler: (1) specialists can first discover the patient's Internet usage patterns and interrupt these patterns by suggesting new programs; (2) the patient can participate in social and active activities to encourage him or her to disconnect; (3) the patient can write their goals on paper, in relation to the time available to achieve them; (4) specialists can help the patient try to ignore some applications that they could not control; (5) specialists can create cue cards to remind the patient of the costs of the IAD and the benefits of its rupture; (6) specialists can help the patient develop a personal inventory showing all the activities in which he used to engage; (7) the patient can join support groups if he shows lack of confidence; (8) the patient can participate in family therapy sessions with their specialists. The 21st century may have lost significant values ​​and practices. Their way of life depends on today's technology. This issue has always been feared by the elderly, who lived in modest times. They assumed that the Internet always posed a constant risk to millennials explicitly sharing their private or confidential information. Children, on the other hand, receive inappropriate materials online. One solution, based on the Reader's Digest books, “1001 Computer Hints and Tips,” is to install filtering tools on your devices. Children today should learn using the Internet for its convenience. Regarding security, it is best to check whether the site is free from unauthorized access. While some may have used the Internet for dubious reasons, computer experts and technologists are always there to assist those in need. The Internet was created to unite all the people of this world by providing them with all the necessary information. Internet addiction wouldn't exist if people learned to limit themselves. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Social problems, such as cyberbullying, would not exist if people learned how to respect each other. The./