Don’t blame web addiction for your troubles

A recent study shows that while a lot of people feel they’re letting the internet dominate their lives, there is no actual, clinical addiction taking place. The telephone survey revealed that many people feel they stay online too much, end up staying on longer than they intended, and can’t stay off for more than a few days.

The same could be said about jobs, by most people: they work too many hours to devote optimal time to family or other pursuits, they often stay at work longer than they intended, and they find it difficult to arrange even a few days’ vacation without taking a cellphone along to answer any unexpected questions that arise.

Excess internet usage has to be determined on an individual basis. People who run internet businesses, for example, would probably apply the same standards as any other business owner or employee, and stay online regularly, for forty hours a week or more. But neglecting studies or kids or work in order to do chatrooms sounds like a problem. But the problem is not addiction: it’s addictive behavior.