This pretty much sums it up...

The addiction that you REALLY don't want to have...

When trying a to pick a topic about what to blog about, while I was job hunting online and talking about job hunting with so many of my friends, it hit me like a ton of bricks...I have become addicted to job hunting online. It's not because I want to be, but it's what career seekers have to do when they wan to make a move. It's not fun. It seems as though you are sending out your resume to the abyss, never to be heard from again. It's like a one way street. All of my emails and efforts go out and nothing ever comes back in. Do employers really look at the resumes that come in? Everyone knows that you shouldn't leave a job until you have a new one, so when else would you look for jobs online?

Read one blogger's tale of job hunting addiction. 

An article from USA Today from 2003 (written 5 years ago, but still very relevant) shows that people are wasting hours looking online for jobs. It also explains, "the Internet is prolonging the hiring process for the employer. In a survey of 5,000 recruiters and hiring managers by an online resume site, 92% said they were inundated with irrelevant responses. Seventy-one percent said that a majority of the resumes they received in response to an online job posting did not match the position's description." 

So much for technology making the job hunting process easier. What is a person to do. My mom said that about 80% of career focused jobs are gotten through a connection of some sort. That's a really scary statistic. This form of technology addiction will hopefully subside once I or whoever is looking gets a job. OK, I need to get back to job hunting...

GPS on your mobile device

I'm not sure if this falls under the category of addiction, but I will say that having GPS on a mobile device made life a lot easier last friday night. My friend and I went to go see Man Man and Yeasayer at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Where the hell is that? Yes, exactly my point. We took the L train to the G train and got out...Hmmmm, which way do we go? There was a group of people that looked like they might be walking to the show. Some hipster guy pulled out his mobile device with GPS and led the way. I was like...this is so perfect to blog about! I guess the old skool way of finding your way around a random neighborhood in Brooklyn in the dark would be to:

a) write down directions ahead of time

b) ask someone on the street when we got there (which we did and the guy had no idea)

c) wander around aimlessly until you found the place (not as advisable as the previous ways)

This site was so cool. Some random guy leading the pack of strangers to a common destination using technology. 

OK, now how about this...same topic but completely different use.  A Trail Runner's blog describes the bloggers addiction to GPS for working out. It allows him to track runs, and measure where he has covered. Also, I guess if he is in the middle of nowhere running on some random trail, he won't get lost. Two sites he likes are EveryTrail.com and MotionBased.com.

From hipster to runner, mobile GPS gadgets seem to be a hit.

Nomophobia = "no mobile phobia"

Check out this morning's (oh how relevant this blog is) CBS News Sunday Morning segment. Mo Rocca confesses that he has "nomophobia" - the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. Which I'll admit, I have as well.

He provides some interesting stats such as, British researchers estimate that 53% of the public are nomophobes. More than one in two Nomophobes never switch off their cell phones. Victims are so dependent on their cells that even a low battery creates anxiety.

GOOGLE IT

I think most people are addicted to Google. It's a part of vocabulary. It's become a verb. Remember when you were having a conversation with your friends or family and you actually had wonder about something for more than a minute. You can simply get up, go to your computer and "Google it". I was out to dinner with my family and my dad asked a question that no one knew, and I pulled out my Blackberry and looked up the answer on Google. He almost fell out of his chair. It was great. But it really shows how things have changed in such a short amount of time. I used to lay awake as a kid trying to think of the answer to something. I guess I don't really miss that.

Check out this video about Google Addiction:



College kids are not the only ones addicted to Google. Big businesses have to participate in the Google paid ad game. In an article called, "Kicking your Google addiction - how NOT to rely on Google paid search marketing," it seems as though there is a debate. I think that having a paid ad on Google is a good idea. It may not be the only road to success for an organization, but it can't hurt. 

So it seems that this addiction is driven from the fact that Google is a great search engine right? Or is it that it's what people are comfortable with? Familiarity goes a long way when it comes to websites. All I know is that I use Google every day, a few times a day. If it didn't exist I guess I would be fine and I would find another site, but I doubt I will have to lose sleep over that.

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Before you sit down to write in to the Cafferty File, think about this: sending excessive e-mails and text messages could be a sign of mental illness – and some of you are on the margin. An editorial in The American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that these obsessive-compulsive symptoms are now so common that they should be included in an industry manual on mental disorders.

Here’s how to tell if you need help:

- Excessive use, which often goes along with a loss of any sense of time when you’re online.

- Withdrawal, which includes feelings of anger, tension or depression when you can’t get to a computer.

- The need for a better computer, more software and even more hours of use.

- And, negative repercussions, which can include arguments, lies, and social isolation all due to your time spent online.

In South Korea, which has the highest use of broadband internet worldwide, internet addiction is considered one of the most serious public health issues. The government estimates that more 210,000 children are affected and need treatment, and another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk for addiction. In China, it’s believed that nearly 14% of adolescent internet users are addicted… that’s 10 million Chinese youngsters.

So it comes as no surprise that there are now internet addiction clinics around the world. Experts say it’s also become a more significant legal issue in criminal, divorce and employment cases.

Here’s my question to you: Is sending excessive e-mails and text messages a sign of mental illness?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

Jack from Somerset, Kentucky writes:
Jack, I have a 13-year-old grandson. We always enjoyed doing things together. He would listen to all my war stories and other lies with great zeal. Then he got a cell phone. Now he is insane.

Ralph from Long Island writes:
I’ll send you another comment on this topic 30 minutes after I take my medication.

Joe writes:
I don’t have a problem. I can stop at any time. Really…….

Jim from Westchester County, NY writes:
Jack, I find it to be a strategy more than an illness. I would rather deal with matters in real time versus letting them pile up. Working in real time provides me with a more mobile lifestyle and actually allows me to spend more time with my family.

Stu writes:
People who use e-mail are crazy and eat their babies. It’s true.

Mark from Berry, Kentucky writes:
Jack, This is my 137th answer to this question and the answer is still “No.”

Dave from Canada writes:
Oh, Jack. I just had to put down my burger, fries and bourbon to respond to this question. If I didn’t write so many e-mails, I just wouldn’t get any exercise at all during the day. Does sending you this e-mail mean I have a mental illness? Of course not. No more so the Cafferty Shrine I built in the secret room in my house.
David writes:
Jack, Are those internet addiction clinics offered on-line?

K. from Tacoma, Washington writes:
People who have “mental illness” are capable of making anything into a bad habit! We like to e-mail because it utilizes typing and office skills, along with composing letters and using the other side of the brain. It’s a positive exercise on a daily basis. But to the extent that it interferes with daily chores, errands, and the natural business, of running our lives? I would have to say no, e-mail takes a back seat, of course.

Joe in Ohio writes:
I thought watching Fox News caused mental illness.

I am not alone!! Check out these stats...

Email addiction rears its ugly head...

In 2007 AOL surveyed 4,025 respondents, 13 and older, in 20 cities around the US to measure email usage, here are some results:

• 59% of people are checking email in bed
  
• 53% in the bathroom
  
• 37% while driving
• 12% while in church
• 40% of people check their email in the middle of the night
• 47% of people that live in Houston are more likely to check their email in the middle of the night then eating a midnight snack
• Women have fewer e-mail accounts on average (2.6) than men (3.0). 
• There is virtually no difference in how long men and women have had e-mail. 
• 60% of all respondents who work outside of the home check personal e-mail on the job an average of three times. Women are more likely than men to feel guilty about doing so (31% vs. 26%). 
• Men are more likely than women to check their work e-mail over the weekend (69 percent vs. 62 percent). 
• Men are more likely than women to have checked their e-mail in the middle of the night (44% vs. 36%). 
• Women spend about 15 extra minutes a day on e-mail than men do.
• Despite having fewer accounts, on average, than men, women check e-mail more frequently daily (4.6 times) than men (4.3). 
• Men have gone longer than women without checking their e-mail (nine vs. eight days). 
• Men are more likely than women to check their e-mail from a portable device in restaurants, while eating out alone, at a Wi-Fi HotSpot and in business meetings, while women are more likely than men to check e-mail on a portable device in bed in their pajamas. 

And for the best stat: only 16% of women and 13% of men think they are addicted to email

Isn't it amazing how inaccurately people perceive themselves? This study reveals how addicted people really are to email. If all of these people are checking their email in the middle of the night, they are sleeping with their Blackberry or iPhone! I must admit that I have done that on a number of occasions, but not anymore. 

Interested in some tech addiction quizes?

How addicted to blogging are you?

How addicted to Apple are you?

How much do you know about the internet?

News Blog - Canadiens are addicted too!

Thanks to a fellow blogger, this blog post was brought to my attention. It points out the danger of internet addiction. In an article in the Ottawa Citizen, that came out today, Dr. Jerald Block, stresses that this addiction should not be taken lightly. He points out that internet addiction has the same symptoms as other types of mental illness, cravings, urges and withdrawal. Not only do people spend hours online, they also need to have the latest software and hardware. He also said that often people that are addicted to the internet have some other form of mental illness. Other doctors say that understanding this addiction is in its infancy.

This is a global problem. "After 10 people died in Internet cafés in South Korea from cardiopulmonary-related deaths -- at least seven reportedly due to online gaming -- the government trained more than 1,000 counsellors in the treatment of Internet addiction", Dr. Block writes. 

It seems as though internet and technology addiction needs to be studied more. Medical doctors and phycologists seem to be agreeing that it's a dangerous force. Perhaps we need to start educating young people that this type of addiction is out there. They are anti-smoking, anti-drug and alcohol campaigns. Maybe it's time for an anti-sitting-in-front-of-the-computer campaign?

Dr. Suzanne Rapley PhD, weighs in on internet addiction

Q: What is your definition of Internet addiction? 

A: ADDICTION IS THE DISEASE OF ESCAPE! Internet addiction is spending so much time on line that Internet adversely affects one’s marriage family and social life, work, psychological, and physical well-being.

Q: How does it manifest itself?

A: Internet addicts typically make cyberspace the top priority in their daily lives. In effect, the Internet becomes their primary organizing structure. Internet addicts are frequently willing to sacrifice most everything else in order to preserve and continue their addiction.

Q: Are there other addictions related to this? If so, what have you seen in your experience? 

A: Different types of technology…TV, ipod, MP3s, anything has the potential for addiction. On the web people get addicted to: SHOPPING SITES (E-BAY), GAMBLING, CHATROOMS, FACEBOOK, PORN, DATING SITES, GAMING SITES…simply SURFING THE NET CAN BECOME AN ADDICTON.

Q: Who is it affecting the most? In what ways?

A: No discrimination for age, race, gender, socio-economic-educational status. 20% of on-line users will experience a negative impact to their lives, 11% are compulsive or addicted. High Risk: Substance abusers or those actively using are susceptible to internet addiction. Individuals who have concurrent emotional problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, chronic low self-esteem). People experiencing boredom, isolation, disenfranchisement, relational problems.

Q: How do you propose we fix this problem?

A: MODERATION IS THE KEY, abstinence seems absurd In this highly techno world we live in. Recognize the problem, seek assistant from an Internet Addiction specialist (a licensed therapist) , attend as many support groups as you need to, read about the problem, find a blog or web site and inform yourself. Seek out someone to talk with , break the isolation, monitor and limit the amount of time spent on the web. In some circumstances, get a program that will act as a fire wall so you can not access certain sites…WebMop, Netnanny, etc….turn off the computer and re-connect with friends, family, the out of doors, activities that you gave up to sped on the Web.

Dr. Suzanne E. Rapley is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, and Diplomate. She is also certified by the American Board of Sexology as a Sex Therapist, Diplomate and Supervisor. She has been working in the addictions field for over 30 years.

In 1989, she began her solo practice in Santa Barbara, California with one of her specialties being Addictions of Alcohol, Drugs, Sex, Cybersex and the Internet. Recently, together with her intern Jonathan Shafer, M.A., she has been offering training to mental health professionals across the State of California on Internet and Cybersex addiction.

Are you addicted to eBay?

An internet addiction site poses these questions so you can figure it out for yourself:

• Do you need to bid with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement?
  
• Are you preoccupied with auction houses (thinking about being online when offline, anticipating your next online session)?
  
• Have you lied to friends and family members to conceal extent of your online bidding?
  
• Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop online bidding?
  
• Have you made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop online bidding?
  
• Do you use auction houses as a way of escaping from problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression?
  
• Have you jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of online bidding?
  
• Have you committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance online activities?

The only experience I had with eBay was awesome. I helped a friend move and was given a couple of chairs that she didn't want. Turns out that they were worth like $1000 each. My first thought when I heard that...eBay!! I sold those bad boys. I was very excited watching people bid, but when my transaction was done, I was able to stop.

Here is a picture from Flickr. It's called: This is what addiction looks like. Under the photo the person writes: I can't stop buying yarn!!!!! Wool, cashmere, alpaca, acrylic, hemp, chenille. Hand-dyed, undyed. Hanks, balls, skeins. It's a true addiction. And I'm a total newbie! I just like to be surrounded by a palette and possibilities, I guess.

In an article on CNNmoney.com, from Fortune magazine, one man's story of eBay addiction is shared. eBday taps into a sense of competition, and draws you in by having so many items to choose from. He said he developed interests just so he could bid. He also kept checking the site every few minutes. What started out as something to break up the boredom at work, turned into an addiction. 

Another story on FOXNews.com, called eBay Shopping: A Hard Habit to Break, Jim Griffith, Dean of Education at eBay says, "There are a lot of people who are addicted to eBay. The typically eBay-obsessed person tends to be someone who a) loves to shop and b) loves to hunt, loves the treasure-hunt aspect to shopping."

I think that people love to compete against each other and then when they win, the package shows up with their prize and it's very exciting.

"There's a growing number of eBay addicts," said Dr. Kimberly Young, director of the Center for Online Addiction. "Usually at the point they come to me, there are marital problems. They've lied to their husband or wife about how much they've taken out of the 401(k). It's a real problem."

Young said it's common for true eBay addicts to dip into retirement and children's college funds or take out a second mortgage to support their habit. That is so sad!

They're typically lying to loved ones about how they're spending all that time and money. One woman who sought help from Young was fired from her job over her eBay use at work.

"I've had people lose $400,000 or $500,000," said Young. "The element with eBay that I find with clients is the issue of winning, like gambling: 'I beat out this other person."

OK, let's discuss all this shall we? I guess like anything, moderation is the key word. I can see how eBay can be exciting, by my chair story, but what should addicts do? Online treasure hunting can sure break up the day right? I guess like any addiction. These eBay addicts need to seek professional help.

Interview with a tech expert...William Levin

William Levin of Macboy Inc. is a technology consultant, specializing in Macintosh computers, as well as Flash animation and blogging. Two of his relevant websites are macboy.com and lowercaseL.com.

Me: How would you define technology addiction?

William: One indication that a person is addicted to technology is when his or her overwhelming compulsion to use the computer, Internet, or other new gadgetry begins to have a negative effect on that person's ability to interact and relate to other people.

Me: As an expert, how does it impact you?

William: As an expert, I benefit from clients' addictions to technology. I configure a lot of iPhones and Blackberry devices, which I consider to be the most highly addictive new technologies. Some of my clients cannot bear to go without access to their e-mail on their PDAs for just a few minutes. When there is a problem, I am called in to fix it, at all costs.

Me: Can you please share a story related to this topic.

William: I broke up with a girlfriend as a result of her technology addiction. Our limited time spent together was too often disrupted by the incessant ringtone of her mobile phone, and I found her compulsion to reply to text messages in the middle of our own conversations or private moments discouraging.

Fodder for Facebook and MySpace

Is it a generational thing? Don't teens and early 20's always seem to have their cameras with them? I remember when I was a teen, we never took pictures like the way they do now. There is so much more of a documenting your life on camera thing going on now. You have to fill up your Facebook and Myspace pages somehow right? The photos I took back then, are in a photo album in the closet of my parents house, turning yellow with age where they should be. I guess teens now don't mind that those awkward years will be forever posted on the internet for the world to behold. Damn, teens are so sophisticated now, so they even have awkward years anymore?

The point is, some teens and maybe some older people too are addicted to taking pictures in order to provide content to their social networking page of choice. That's the technology addiction that I will be exploring in this post.

There is a quiz I found, posing the question...Are You Addicted to Myspace. One of the questions is...do you take pictures of yourself soley for the purpose of Myspace? Crazy right, but it's true.

A date, a mate, a friend or an happy end...ing

Jewish?

Hip 20's something?

Like the commercials?

I have never tried online dating. But I'm sure people are addicted to it. I have witnessed this with my own eyes at my last job. The woman I worked with was obsessed! She would be online all day chatting with strange men. Sending inappropriate photos of herself and definitely lying about her age. It was funny and very sad at the same time.

According to SurvivingAbuse.com:

"Today in the US, millions of people are literally addicted to Internet dating. When they get home from work, they spend entire evenings devoted to online dating. 'Net dating has become an addictive habit. Worse, most people are in no position to understand or come out of habit.

Online dating addiction is very high among woman. Many girls enjoy first meeting their potential partners through online chatting, and develop a pre-relationship that way.

Over time, slowly the Internet dates give rise to the growth of a certain level of emotional intimacy. Many people find online dating a nice option, because they get to know more about the person without disclosing even their identity. Moreover, 'Net dating helps people shed their inhibitions and get emotionally close with someone."

This excerpt is very telling. I think that dating online may be an easier way for some to meet other people, it's when it gets to a point that interrupts your life that it can grow into an addiction. Checking your email over and over to see of someone has sent you a message. It can get to be out of control. However, it is amazing though how technology can bring people together in some cases.

EHarmony has about 19 million single members looking for love, and a national Harris poll found eHarmony's site is responsible for about 44,000 weddings a year and more than 100,000 babies born so far from the site's cybermatchmaking. That's pretty amazing and the positive side of this type of technology. Of course, online dating is big business, so marketers will continue to sell the promise of love and push the fear of being alone. Maybe being addicted to online dating is better then going to a bar every night looking for "love" or whatever.

Are gadgets, and the Internet actually addictive?

This is an article from CNN.com/technology
written by Jonathan Mandell, 2007

Are gadgets, and the Internet actually addictive?

When the users of BlackBerries could not send or receive e-mails for 11 hours in April because of a glitch in the system, hospital administrator Paul Levy pronounced it a "national disaster" because of all the BlackBerry "addicts" forced into withdrawal.

Technological gadgets have always fascinated many people, and the past decade has seen an explosion of personal technology.

Writing in his blog, Levy -- the president of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts -- proclaimed himself proud of the swift actions of his hospital.

"We set up our crisis center ... staffed by our Psychiatry Department," Levy wrote. "Cases of withdrawal were handled ... with a minimal use of antidepressant drugs." The one downside, he wrote, were the "damaged walls and broken windows" because of the "many devices ... vigorously thrown."

Levy was joking. There was no activity in his hospital as a result of the BlackBerry blackout, other than some whining from BlackBerry-obsessed colleagues.

But his satire could be said to be part of a serious current debate -- the debate over whether technology addiction, and especially Internet addiction, is a real mental disorder. At its annual conference last month, members of the American Medical Association considered a proposal to label excessive video and online game playing as an addiction, but decided to table it until further study.

It is common to take a comical approach to Americans' obsession with technological gadgets, and especially with the Internet. The very term "Internet addiction disorder" began as a joke on an Internet mailing list, a parody of psychiatric diagnoses coined a decade ago by Irving Goldberg, an Internet-savvy psychiatrist.

But had the 11-hour BlackBerry outage occurred six months earlier, Levy would surely not have thought it so funny. He was one of the device's 8 million subscribers. For years, he couldn't put it down.

"I was a 'Crackberry' addict," he says, using a common term intended only half facetiously. "I used it all the time." Knowing first-hand the result of such over-reliance -- "manners disappear ... relationships disappear" -- Levy late last year quit "BlackBerry cold turkey."

Levy uses the language of addiction to describe his former habit; that is not a coincidence.

"I'm not a doctor; I'm not an expert on addiction," says Levy (speaking on a regular cell phone). "But this certainly looks like an addiction. It has all the characteristics -- people who are away from it have a craving to get back to it; it interrupts normal social intercourse, etc."

Shortly after giving up his BlackBerry, Levy wrote on his blog that he has "discovered marvelous things. The sun rises in the morning and sets at night. ... People in meetings pay more attention to you if you pay more attention to them."

Others have less of a sense of humor about the effect of tech toys on their lives.

"I have had people call me who were concerned about their college-age child playing too much of a video game," says Michael Craig Miller, a staff psychiatrist at Levy's hospital, "or worried about their husband always having their laptop with them."

That the digital world has had some unforeseen casualties is difficult to dispute. A doctor writing in The New England Journal of Medicine in June reported the first case of "Wii-itis" -- intense physical pain resulting from playing the Wii video game system. Physicians are already familiar with Nintendinitis.

But there is much debate over whether to label excessive use a mental illness.

On the one hand, technology addiction is not listed in the American Psychiatric Association's manual of disorders, and thus any treatment is not covered by health insurance.

A decade after he introduced the concept as a joke, Goldberg's view of it does not seem to have changed. "I've had people who found my name on the Internet, and come in saying 'Hey doc, I'm an Internet addict,' " he says. "I say, 'Tell me about the rest of your life.' Some are depressed; some of them have mood disorders. The disorder is not the overuse of the Internet. That's the symptom."

On the other hand, over the past decade there has grown a mostly cottage industry of therapists treating it, researchers studying it and journalists covering Internet addiction as a tangible and growing problem too new to be officially recognized.

"New studies indicate this is a global problem," says Kimberly Young, a clinical psychologist who wrote the first book on the subject of Internet addiction, "Caught in the Net," and founded the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania. There are clinics for the treatment of Internet addiction in China and in Korea. One clinic director has estimated as many as 2.5 million Chinese suffer from the condition.

Young believes that when enthusiasm shades into addiction, there are signs that can be diagnosed, much like those of the official so-called impulse control disorders, such as gambling.

"You are looking for someone who is preoccupied with the Internet, hides or lies about their behavior, shows an inability to control their use, uses the Internet as a form of psychological escape, and continues to engage in the behavior despite the problems that it causes in one's life."

A survey conducted late last year by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine found that more than one out of every eight users of the Internet in the United States reported having at least one of these and other possible signs of "problematic Internet use." Almost 6 percent, for example, said that "their relationships suffered" as a result of their overuse of the Internet.

The researchers called for more study of this "little-studied, negative by-product of the Internet revolution of the last decade."

Miller, the psychiatrist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center -- who is also editor-in-chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter -- seems to not care about labels.

"Computers are such an integral part of our life that in a certain sense we're all addicted to the technology," he says. "But we're 'addicted' in the same way that we're 'addicted' to automobiles.

"Parents were worried in the '60s about their kids being addicted to television; now they're worried about their kids being addicted to their computer screens," Miller says. "We don't need a new term in order to describe behavior that's been around for thousands of years -- the choices we make between pleasure and responsibility. We all have to struggle with putting aside things that are gratifying, but aren't satisfying over the long term."

This article was so appropriate to my blog, I just had to post the whole thing!!

Geek Squad...not cool!!

Can't a girl get some love from the Geek Squad? I am trying to get a quick interview from a technology expert. As you can read from a previous post, the online chat was not successful. So I called the 800 number like the guy suggested. I pressed 1 for English and held the line. The guy was polite, but said he couldn't help me. Oh well...but he suggested that I call a Best Buy and ask for one of the Geek Squad guys there. So I did...I pressed 3 to speak with a sales associate. Held the line and then the phone got disconnected. I laughed and then called back. Then the message said that the line was not service. So I am giving up on the Geek Squad! They were all really polite and I assume this is not a reflection of their service, but still, c'mon...

I am going to email some psychologists that specialize in this topic. Hope they get back to me!

Addicted to Internet Porn

This one I can safely say, I am not addicted to. Check out some stats about this billion dollar technology addiction:

89% of porn is created in the U.S.

$2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn sites in 2006

$89/second is spent on porn

72% of porn viewers are men
260 new porn sites go online daily

I think this addiction definitely breaks up marriages. Men are online checking out porn and spending money on it! This can't be a way to build intimacy in a relationship. I am not going to link to any videos on this post, for obvious reasons, but if I wanted to the possibilities are endless. There are even user generated content porn sites. I again, for the sake of keeping this decent, not even list all the types of porn you can access...

The fact that porn is so easy to access online, lends itself to the increase in the addiction. There are many recovery and support groups such as SLAA, SCA, SA and the link that help people with their porn addiction. These and other organizations help people that have reached the point where their behavior has become unmanageable. 

A story on cbsnews.com, called, "X Rated Internet Addiction," tells the story of Mark Searles, a recovering online porn addict that would spend hours a day online looking at adult content. He founded xxxchurch.com, a traveling ministry that visits churches across the US to talk about the ills of porn. It seems a little hokey to me, but if it is helping, then why not. With every addiction, there is a website, book and roadshow to follow.

It's important to educate people about the dangers of looking at too much porn online. There is a fine line between addiction and plain old fascination.

Pimp My Ride

Check out this commercial from the 1980's for car phones:

Remember the days of car phones? The built in console in between the two front seats and the terrible reception...The only people that had them were business men and drug dealer king pins in the movies. Now people's cell phones link to their cars using bluetooth technology. It's pretty amazing! Check out this article in PC Magazine online explaining how the technology works.

Remember when people actually had to use maps? I was on a business trip a few months ago and had to rent a car in Ohio. Thank God I had the Hertz Never Lost system. I was seriously like, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this. The thought of using an actual map made me shutter. 

Remember when you actually had to use a key to turn your car on? Some cars (Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and BMW) now have a button aka keyless start system! Are we that lazy that turning a key is too much effort now? In an article called, "Going Keyless", on edmunds.com it explains that the keyless start system is more convenient, adds personalization to your car experience meaning it can recall your seat and wheel position, and makes lock outs a thing of the past. Talk about high-tech! Once someone experiences this level of technology, can they go back to having to use a key? Will using a key seem archaic and pointless?

Remember when you had to actually be at home to watch TV. This part of technology really gets me jealous. I wish I had TV in the car when I was a kid. Now it seems like it's a standard feature for family cars. I guess this is a way that the kids can be entertained and leave mom alone. The question that this brings up is, will this led to even less communication between kids and parents. Car time was actually a time when the kids had to sit there and listen to mom and dad, and now they have headphones on and can detach. 

I could go on and on about how technology addiction has crept into vehicles. Once drivers have these amenities, they will not be able to go back to just having a car to get from point A to point B. It has to be about the car "experience".

"Text me"

Texting has gotten out of control. I admit that I text all the time. It's so much easier in certain instances. Sometimes I just want to let someone know I am running late, or ask what they are doing, or I don't feel like writing something down so I just have them text me some information. I keep my thumb nails shorter than the rest of my nails so I can text better. Is that crazy or what? I have an unlimited text plan on my Blackberry. It's def worth it!

The Cingular commercials are the best! It's funny because it's true:

This commercial was such a hit that there is a new one out with the same actors! The little girl has grown up a little, but it's her.

Speaking of tweens...check out this article in USA Today. A 13 year old girl won $25,000 in LG's texting competition! It says that she sends approximately 8,000 text messages a month to her friends and family! Because of all this texting and IMing, a new language has been born...it's called webspeak. In an article by ABC News cleverly called, Webspeak: The Secret Language of Teens, it explains how texting abbreviations such as "brb" (be right back) or "ur" instead of your is making it's way into their school work and SAT essays. This is really disturbing in my opinion. It's ok to write in slang with friends, but when it comes to school or work, it's just lazy and unprofessional. What is going to happen when these teens enter the work force. The English language is going to be a shell of what it used to be.

Parents need to be able to communicate with their text addicted teens. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project study, it says that 70% of parents are texting their kids and that the kids are more likely to respond to a text message than a call. 

My parents don't text, but I wish they would! Once again, I think this type of technology addiction is here to stay and will probably get worse. Maybe babies will learn how to text their mommies. "Mommy, time 2 feed me!"

TV is My Best Friend

I am 100% addicted to TV. It's my drug. I think this addiction started when I was a kid and my parents would go out at night. I would be left alone at home and the TV was the only thing that would keep me company. It was my babysitter. I am not alone either.

A recently released study holds some answers. Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides a look into the use of media among the very young and their parents. Some of its findings include:
• 80% of children use screen media, whether TV, movies or video games.
• 77% turn the television on by themselves.
• Two-thirds request a particular program or surf channels using a remote.
• 65% live in homes in which the TV is on half the time or more.
• 36% live in homes in which the TV is always on (considered a “heavy” TV household).
• In “heavy” TV households, 77% of children watch it every day.
• They are also less likely to read (59% vs. 68%).
• They are less likely to be able to read at all (34% of children ages 4-6 from heavy TV households can read, compared to 56% of others the same age).
• The majority of parents (59%) say their 4-to 6-year-old boys imitate aggressive behavior seen on TV.
• 30% of children under 2 have a TV in their bedroom.
Remember, these statistics are merely for infants to six-year-olds!

I am not going to turn this blog entry into a journal entry or have it read like a therapy session, but TV was and still is my BFF. It's always there for me. It helps me escape to another place when my own reality is not what I want to be experiencing. I think TV addiction takes a couple forms. I am not one of those people that have their shows that they have to watch. I don't disrupt my life with a TV schedule. I do have a DVR but I don't really use it. TV addiction for me is just the fact that I have to watch it, I have to know that it's there. 

Some people don't have TV's in their bedrooms, or even more bizarre, they don't own TV's. I just don't understand that. They are probably very productive and read a lot. I sort of wish I could be that way, but it's just not in my fabric. 

Here is a quiz to see how addicted you are to TV. It says that I am moderately addicted, which I am comfortable with. I think it is sad that TV is having on young people. Many studies have linked the number of hours that kids watch TV to an increased chance of obesity. Kids are sitting on the couch and not going outside and exercising. It's not good!

Also, there are so many choices now of what to watch. TV is sucking people in more than ever. Programs are purposely written to grab viewers and coaxing them to keep on coming back with never ending story lines. Some shows like 24 are written in a way that you need to watch from the beginning to even understand what is going on. It's like new ways of feeding the addiction are being invented as competition for free time increases.

I don't think this is going to change. TV is such big business. I think it's important that we all try to mindful about how much TV we watch. We should try not to let it pervade our real lives. We should not talk about shows as if it were stories that actually happened to us. We should not worship TV actors like they were some sort of Gods.

Thank God for IM!!

What would I do all day at work if there wasn't IM (instant messenger)? This form of technology, I must admit, I am addicted to. Seriously, at my last job, my boss said that I was on IM too much. What did I do? Stop...hell no, I changed the position of my desk so no one could see what I was typing. I know, that is so ridiculous, but what else would I have done with all that down time? If any future employers of mine ever read this, I'm only kidding, really I am.

Are you addicted to instant messenger? Take this quiz. It says that I am only 85% addicted. I guess that isn't as bad as it could be. There are worse things to be addicted to, right?

IM is used in many offices for work purposes. It's an easier way to communicate than calling and a much faster way to get to the point. Once again technology provides a way that people can avoid talking to each other.

Instant messenger does have some down falls. Charles Cooper, Executive Editor at CNET news.com, asks the question, "Will IM ever kick off its shackles?" He points out the fact that AOL doesn't talk with Microsoft, Microsoft doesn't talk with Google, and Google doesn't talk with Yahoo. Will this ever change?

Have New Yorkers traded in their childhood blankey for their iPod?

It's no longer just checking if you have your wallet and keys before you leave home, now it's wallet, keys, iPod. Have you noticed that more and more New Yorkers walk around listening to their iPods? I have friends that cannot leave the house without it. They must drown out the noise and intensity of the Manhattan streets with their favorite music. Us city folk do noy have cars to escape into. We need to create our own sanctuary with music.

An article in The Guardian, appropriately titled, Boy in a Bubble, depicts one man's story of iPod addiction. 

Gabriel Sherman describes his addiction: "I had grown increasingly numb to my surroundings, often oblivious to the world around me, trapped in a self-imposed bubble. My detachment stemmed from the twin white earplugs of my iPod, which in recent months had burrowed their way deep into my ears - and my psyche. A device the size of a pack of Marlboros had come to dominate my daily existence. On the train that morning, I decided enough was enough. I needed a break from the handheld music contraption that had taken over my life.

But my iPod addiction harboured a darker, more disturbing, side. With more than 1,000 songs at my thumbtip, I could satisfy any desire, any time. My iPod was like a drug. I lived in my own self-imagined movie, instantly tailoring the soundtrack to fit, or inspire, my emotions."

There are many stories just like him. And of course the technology will continue to evolve. Once people start getting sick of their iPod, a new one will come out and rope them back in.


Personally, I don't walk around with earphones on because I am afraid that something bad will happen to me. I won't hear someone yell, "Watch out!" I am zoned out enough as I walk down the streets of Manhattan, that adding a soundtrack to the chaos would confuse me even more. For now, my thoughts will be my iPod distraction. But what I would like to know is why people can't live without it? Why do they have to make sure it's on them, fully charged at all times. What is this about?

It's Not All Fun and Games

You can't make this stuff up...addiction to the internet has gotten so bad that in Asia kids are being sent to boot camp to kick the habit! It's a military training camp, the but they are not soldiers there, they are internet addicts. This Beijing camp is government funded! These addicts are often sent there by their parents and they go through rigorous mental and physical treatment regiments. Some are even given anti-depressant drugs to help ween them off the addiction. "Patients" as they call them have even tried to escape!

The article in the Asia Times describes one young man's story:

Sun Qian Han, a 24-year-old patient at the Daxing center, recalls, "For me, online games were an environment that I could control and where there were no restrictions placed on my freedom."

Sun began to play Internet games in 1998. At the beginning he spent only three or four hours a day online, but gradually his addiction grew to uncontrollable proportions. In 1999, he spent three months non-stop at an Internet cafe, sleeping three or four hours at most, playing games for 20-hour stretches at a time. 

The Jump Up Internet Rescue School in South Korea aims to help their all male addicts to kick the internet habit. Like the camp in China, military style obstacle courses, therapy, drumming sessions and group therapy is used to help the addicts. There are also over 100 hospitals that have programs to help internet addiction in South Korea.

A Stanford University School of Medicine report issued in 2006 said that one in eight adults find it hard to be away from the Internet for several days, but the report was inconclusive as to whether excessive use could be defined as an addiction. As I have said in a previous post, the internet has many aspects that are addictive...I would like to talk about gaming. There are even websites that don't even hide the fact that they provide addictive games, such as www.addictinggames.com.

There are even support groups that help online gaming addicts such as On-Line Gamers Anonymous. As stated on their website, their mission is: On-Line Gamers Anonymous is a fellowship of people sharing their experience, strengths and hope to help each other recover and heal from the problems caused by excessive game playing. So how do we kick the habit? How do we get the young people of the world (and probably some older people) away from the computer and doing something productive? I think that is a good question that we need to keep in mind. It's not good when people just spend hours isolated and immersed in a fantasy world. Everything in moderation right?

You don't need to go to Vegas to gamble your money away.

Yet another form of technology addition takes the the shape of online gambling. People just can't help themselves can they? It goes back to the issue of accessibility. For those that may enjoy gambling but have no outlet to do so, going online provides them with an anonymous and secret way to indulge their addiction. 

According to an article in the Washington Post, about $12 billion dollars is spent on online gambling. The same article highlights a debate that has been going on, as to whether or not online gambling should become illegal. They say that certain cases, such as Fantasy Football will be exempt, but who is to say what is OK and what isn't. I think that gambling, if done in moderation is an activity that does not harm other people. If people want to waste their money spending hours online gambling, then they should be allowed to in my opinion. It is tricky to make sure kids are not stealing their parent's credit cards and losing hundreds of dollars, but that is a whole other issue. They are gambling online. Hopefully for those children they don't get addicted too young, but it is not looking good.

Perhaps the fact that kids are spending hours online gambling is a result of the fact that parents do not watch them closely enough. I digress...this topic can lead to so many tangents, but for the sake of keeping in on topic, let's go back to the addiction. 

Another related trend is mobile gambling...that's gambling from your Blackberry/cell phone/iPhone. This is yet another form of technology that people are becoming addicted to. Having the capability to place bets from anywhere takes online gambling to a new level. There is no filter, no one possibly to be looking over your shoulder. This type of gambling is very difficult to regulate, but it sure is popular. Check out these stats:

What can we do about this? Is it a bad thing? Do people just have the right to waste their hard earned money on whatever they choose? I think these are important questions that have all different answers depending on what your values are. Hmmmmm.

What would we do without facebook??

It's old news that everyone is addicted to the internet, so I thought I would break it down into categories within the internet that someone can and are addicted to.  It's way past the point where we could not function without the internet, but isn't it grand that marketers are coming up with new ways to get us even more hooked? 

So the first topic I would like to discuss is facebook. Some call it social networking, but for the purposes of this blog, I will call it the ability to stalk people. Not in a sick or scary way, but a more friendly, see what an ex-boyfriend or girl you hated in high school are up to way. Look at your friends photos, play stupid games, email, change your status 20 times a day. Lately I have been getting friend requests from people that I have not spoken to in years. Some good...like my college roommate from freshman year or an old friend from camp, some odd, like a guy I never spoke to once in high school and some that I would rather not accept like my boss. 

OK, back to the addiction bit. Facebook is used as a distraction from the mundane office job, but people are out of control. They check it all day, keep the page open all day, have it on their Blackberry's or iPhones and talk about it with their friends. The iPhone commercial features facebook targeted at those people that are addicted and would buy an expensive piece if technology just to be able to check it on the go.

I was at a dinner party full of late 20's - early 30 year olds. Facebook came up in conversation. Some swore by it, while others thought it was ridiculous and childish. Can you imagine? Those that swore by it are talking about it a dinner party! Isn't there anything else we can talk about people other than being poked or having some inanimate object thrown at you by a friend?  OK, I admit that I do like facebook, but I am not addicted...I swear. 

Hello, my name is ________ and I am a crackberry addict.

Ahhhhh, addiction...We all have our vices, don't we? Maybe it's just me? Just recently I have realized that I am addicted to something that doesn't have a 12-step meeting created for it...it's my crackberry...also known as a Blackberry for those of you that don't own one yet. But you'll see...maybe you too will become like the man in this video: 

Blackberry Addiction - Click here for another funny movie.

It's really sad and yes, I admit almost pathetic, but it didn't really sink in until a recent trip to London, when I couldn't use it. I think I may have shed a tear when I turned it off and put it into my bag. I think I may have talked to it as if it were a real living thing that was going to be neglected for a week. "Mommy is going to be going away for a little while, and she won't be able to use you. This doesn't mean that she doesn't love you. She will be back soon." Seriously, am I insane or are other people plagued by this addiction? If it's not the crackberry for them, then is it their ipod, TV, cell phone that they need? Technology addiction should be talked about, right? Maybe Dr. Phil should write a book about it. 

OK, back to my beloved crackberry. I think I must check it almost 100 times a day, maybe not that much, but I plan on counting. I have decided to reveal and share my secret thoughts with you, so you addicts out there don't feel alone. Maybe you should ask yourself these questions to see if you are an addict as well:

-Do you check your crackberry more than 40 times a day?

-Do you sleep with your crackberry next to you and look at it in the middle of the night when you wake up for that brief moment?

-Do you keep it out in front of you when you are working out at the gym?

-Do you keep it on the table when you are out to eat? (WARNING: I did this and my lovely friend spilled a bottle of soy sauce on it and I thought the world was closing in on me).

-When the conversation gets boring and you are in a group of people do you check it?

-Do you use it while driving or walking?

-If you had to give it up, would it result in a short stint at an institution? jk

-Do you have arthritis in your thumbs and you are only 25 years old?

I will leave you today with the following video. Yet another man's tale of crackberry addiction:

Blackbery Crackberry - Funny video clips are a click away