Information dependence and security. Information dependence

03.07.2019 Windows 8

26.07.2013

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Internet addiction treatment
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Over the past decade, the Internet has become an integral part of life for the majority of the population. Today, any modern person visits the World Wide Web at least once a day to communicate, work, or simply search for the necessary information. Of course, the Internet is of great importance in the modern world and brings great benefits to humanity: as an inexhaustible source of information, an accessible way to acquire skills and knowledge, as an indispensable assistant in work and business, as a means of conducting and leisure planning, as a place to meet people and a way to keep in touch. The Internet makes it easier to select and purchase the necessary goods and services, and also allows you to save on their purchase...

Well, okay, I won’t list all the advantages and benefits of this kingdom of limitless possibilities, you already know them, in this article I would like to talk about one negative consequence that accompanies the spread of the Internet around the world - Internet addiction.

Internet addiction is mental disorder, accompanied by a large number of behavioral problems and generally consisting in a person’s inability to leave the network in time, as well as in the constant presence of an obsessive desire to enter it.

Why is internet addiction dangerous?

Psychologists are sounding the alarm and comparing the phenomenon of Internet addiction to addiction to alcohol and drugs. There are indeed reasons for concern. Conducted research on the topic of Internet addiction shows that with prolonged and uncontrolled stay on the Internet, changes occur in the state of consciousness and in the functioning of the brain. This gradually leads to a loss of the ability to learn and think deeply.

Nicholas Carr, a famous American scientist-publicist, an expert in the field of information management and transmission processes, together with a group of psychological researchers he created, came to disappointing conclusions - quick and regular browsing of websites leads to the fact that the human brain loses the ability for in-depth analytical thinking, turning regular network users into impulsive people incapable of intellectual work.

However, disturbances in thought processes and memory impairment- not the only negative ones the influence of the Internet on people. Plunging headlong into the World Wide Web, a person gradually loses real communication skills, which leads to a certain asociality. Why meet with friends when you can chat with them on Skype, why negotiate with someone in person or call someone when you can just send an e-mail, why look for and buy goods in regular stores when you can buy anything, not leaving the house... That is, all these conveniences described earlier as advantages, when used for a long time and without alternatives, turn into a problem. This is how difficulties begin to appear in communicating with new people, and getting into an unfamiliar company for an Internet addict becomes a stressful situation. Then the person withdraws into himself, which affects work or study, and he has problems sleeping ( get rid of insomnia without the help of a specialist it is no longer possible for him) and eating. For some, an unhealthy attachment to information technology even leads to suicide.

In addition to mental and thought disorders, Internet addiction is also dangerous due to the occurrence of physical diseases. Spending a monstrous amount of time in front of monitor screens, we spoil our vision (you can learn more about this from the article - “ Deterioration of vision when working at a computer"), many people have carpal tunnel syndrome. Internet addiction, which is accompanied by sedentary lifestyle, leads to various diseases of the spine and joints (scoliosis, osteochondrosis, arthrosis, etc.), cardiovascular pathologies (tachycardia, arrhythmia, arterial hypertension, varicose veins of the lower extremities, etc.) and many other diseases.

Internet addiction can cause disruption in family relationships (between parents and children, as well as between spouses). Who would like it that their child or significant other spends their days and nights near the computer? This is how relationships between family and friends deteriorate, and even families are destroyed. Internet addiction is a problem of modern society!

I hope I have given enough reasons for you to at least think about your addiction to the Internet? If you have already long noticed an irresistible urge to constantly be online, you will certainly find advice on how to do this. However, treatment and prevention of Internet addiction should be discussed after it is diagnosed. Therefore, for those who still doubt whether he is sick or not, our “story” is about the forms and symptoms of this plague of the 21st century.

Forms, types and causes of Internet addiction

It occurs for a number of reasons and can be expressed in various forms. Today, psychologists and researchers of Internet addiction problems identify five main types of this uncontrollable craving for online immersion.

The most common type of Internet addiction is the need for continuous communication. These can be forums, social networks and various chats.

This risk group of Internet addicts includes people who have communication problems. Lack of social and communication skills immerses them in the virtual world, which replaces their circle of friends. Researchers studying the phenomenon of Internet addiction have found that people who do not fall into the “networks” of the Internet, just like those who do, communicate with acquaintances and friends online (although their main purpose for being on the “web” is to search for information) , but this communication is mainly limited to maintaining existing contacts. Internet addicts strive to socialize through new acquaintances.

This, of course, applies to a greater extent to teenagers, and not only because they grew up in the Internet era. Cause of Internet addiction in teenagers– this is a period of hormonal changes in the body, when it becomes problematic for young people to communicate, make new acquaintances, and establish contacts with the opposite sex (of course, this does not apply to everyone, but many).

Communication on the Internet provides teenagers with the opportunity to exist in the images of their dreams, and without going beyond the boundaries of these images, to carry out communicative activities that are necessary and desirable, as well as impossible in reality. This is the main cause of Internet addiction in adolescents, and the provoking factor stimulating the development of this addiction is anonymity and the inability to verify how valid the information provided about oneself is.

Another reason for the emergence of Internet addiction, closely related to the previous one, is the inability to express oneself. A person who has difficulty expressing his thoughts, is unable to defend your point of view experiencing fear of public speaking A person who is afraid of the condemnation of real society, a generally insecure person, can calmly express what is boiling over him online, without fear of disapproval and misunderstanding.

I would like to jump ahead a little and say that drug treatment for Internet addiction should be carried out simultaneously with work on increasing the level of self-confidence and developing communication skills (we have many articles on our website that can help you with this).

Internet information addiction (online surfing), or an irresistible need for a constant flow of information, forces a person to endlessly surf the Internet.

Compulsive web surfing involves a disordered search for information, devoid of any purpose or meaning. A person wanders through websites, databases, reads articles, notes, comments to them one after another, endlessly follows links... As a result, this meaningless wandering and incessant search for information leads to loss of productivity and information overload.

The next type of Internet addiction is gaming addiction. This is when a person gets hooked and cannot tear himself away from online games.

Why do people start playing online games? Some seek to fill the empty space left in their life, others simply out of boredom. And there are people who try to achieve superiority without spending much effort on it. It will be difficult to become first in athletics competitions, but in the game “Tanks” it is quite possible.

Many gamers even spend real money to somehow improve their characters (for example, in RPG games like World of Warkraft) and achieve imaginary superiority. Having great fun and seeing that they have reached level 25, while their closest competitor has not yet reached level 22, they continue to play for days on end and in the process of this race they become Internet addicts.

By the way, this driving factor of Internet addiction ( the desire to be the best, to be the first) can find expression not only in online toys. For example, in the same social networks, on sites and forums where users are compared by rating (some points and levels for activity, virtual money, number of friends, etc.). The more points you have, the higher you are in the ranking. Of course, virtual superiority, unlike real superiority, does not provide complete satisfaction, but it is much easier to achieve.

Let's get back to games (although the pursuit of ratings can also, to some extent, be equated with a game). Another reason why Internet addiction is becoming a problem in modern society, according to Erin Hoffman, one of the developers of online games, is procrastination. Here's how she explains the reason for this addiction: “When we discuss addiction to the Internet and online gaming in particular, we are not talking about what people do, but about what they don’t do, replacing idleness with addictive behavior.”. That is, a person gradually gets involved and becomes a zombie due to the fact that he simply did not want to do a job he didn’t like, fulfill his duties, solve complex issues and make difficult decisions? Maybe why not. But, probably, the main reason for the emergence of this type of Internet addiction lies in the exorbitant appetites of the gaming industry tycoons and the fact that games are made in a special way, forcing you to play frantically even at a time when the process does not give you real pleasure.

There are not isolated cases when long-term play led to tragic consequences. For example, a multi-hour online session of playing World of Warcraft in October 2005 drove a Chinese schoolgirl to exhaustion and death. And in 2011, an American housewife, carried away by playing Warcraft, forgot about her three-year-old daughter, who died of malnutrition and dehydration.

Here's what another one of the online game developers, David Wong, says (this man, who works for Microsoft and defended his dissertation on the peculiarities of the human brain, knows how to make people of all ages Internet addicted): “Any addiction arises from three components - activity, time and reward, and there are countless techniques by using which these three factors can be combined with each other so that the player shows the pattern of behavior that the developer intended.”

Internet addiction associated with online gambling is in many ways similar to the usual addiction to gambling.

Online casinos, of which there are a great many on the Internet today, luring tens of thousands of new users every day, recreate a seductive and realistic world traditional casinos. Symptoms of Internet Addiction This type, as well as its causes and consequences, are similar to those of ordinary gambling addiction (playing for money). Unless there are some minor nuances. But accessibility, and therefore involvement, is many times higher than that of conventional gaming establishments.

A recently published report from the American Psychological Association, which was devoted to the problem of Internet gambling addiction, states that this addiction is much more addictive to people than casinos or regular slot machines. It was also noted that teenagers are primarily at risk; among them, addiction to gambling on the Internet is much more common.

Another type of Internet addiction is the so-called cybersexual attraction - this is an obsessive craving for watching porn films on the Internet and engaging in cybersex.

Although seemingly harmless at first glance, sexual Internet addiction is a serious problem standing in the way of ensuring the socio-psychological safety of both an individual and society as a whole. Today, many married couples are breaking up or are on the verge of breaking up due to the tendency of one of the spouses to satisfy their sexual needs using the Internet. People suffering from this addiction have little time left for ordinary communication, so an emotional break in relationships with real people gradually occurs - family, children, friends, work and study fade into the background.

Recently, the popular English newspaper The Daily Mail published the opinion of a number of scientists, which stated that online pornography has created a younger generation that is unable to be aroused during normal sexual encounters. The result of the publication was the conclusion that impotence is getting younger and is no longer a problem only for middle-aged and elderly men.

The reasons for this Internet addiction are sexual dissatisfaction (both in adolescents who are beginning to have sex and people of all ages), deterioration of sexual relationships with partners, lack of communication and disagreements in the family, and the peculiarities of the Internet (availability, anonymity, permissiveness, lack of obligations and psychological needs). adapt to your partner) only contribute to the emergence of dependence on this attraction.

The list of main types of Internet addictions can be expanded by adding: hacking; an involuntary urge to buy things at online auctions and online stores; endless downloading of video and audio materials from torrent trackers in order to create your own database, etc.

Stages of development of Internet addiction

At the first stage, the user gets acquainted with the Internet, learns about its capabilities and chooses the appropriate virtual reality option for himself. Gradually a person develops own style online, making up for the lack of communication or information that he lacks in real life.
Next, there is a distance from real life, the user begins to spend more and more time in the reality that he chose at the previous stage. The time spent online increases... Also, at the second stage of the formation of Internet addiction, when a person stops using the Internet to achieve life goals, these same goals are transferred to virtual reality. For example, some people apply the knowledge acquired on the Internet in life, others share this knowledge right there on the Internet, using selfish goals (in a good sense), they want to become famous or earn money, while still others raise their ratings in social networks (reputation on websites and forums, etc.) or simply express themselves. This is how addiction develops, when communication itself becomes the only, or preferable, way to achieve a goal.
The third stage is stabilizing. The problem is obvious, the signs and symptoms of Internet addiction are obvious, it smoothly turns into a chronic form. After some time, the passion for the chosen interaction becomes less pronounced, and activity on the network fades away. A person returns to reality, but he does this without any desire. Internet addiction persists, but in an inactive form, and intensifies under stress or when new interesting topics appear.

Symptoms of Internet Addiction

The main signs that define Internet addiction are the following:

Internet addiction treatment

It’s no surprise that Internet addiction treatment has become part of the income psychologists and psychiatrists, because there are more and more people with an unhealthy craving for the World Wide Web. Both men and women, both young (to a greater extent) and adult citizens, suffer from Internet addiction, and their number is only growing every year. Inability to independently get rid of internet addiction brings users who are unaware of such negative consequences of online life to medical institutions, where they are treated for mental disorders that have become a manifestation of attachment to the Internet, and not of Internet addiction, since diagnosis of Internet addiction does not yet exist in worldwide practice.

First time term « internet addiction » was used by American psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg in 1994. Goldberg did not put a medical meaning into this concept, as if we were talking about drug or alcohol addiction, but a behavior that is accompanied by a low level of self-control, stress and threatens to crowd out normal life. The term has stuck, even though it was initially introduced by a psychiatrist as a joke.

However, if the international community has not yet fully realized the scale of the disaster, in some countries Internet addiction is officially recognized as a disease and its treatment is sometimes carried out using very radical methods. For example, in China, where the first internet addiction treatment clinic appeared back in 2005, patients are prescribed electric shock - a device that supplies a voltage of thirty volts to the body.

When visiting a clinic, Chinese specialists first conduct a diagnosis to determine if the person is addicted. Next, drug treatment, acupuncture and mandatory physical activity are prescribed. In such clinics, a strict routine is established for patients: for 10-15 days (this is how long treatment lasts on average), a person gets up at six in the morning, playing sports, sings songs of praise, takes antidepressants and receives electric shocks. Also in China there are special barracks-type camps for teenagers under 18 years of age. Their parents bring them there for up to six months. All this time, teenagers addicted to the Internet are in the centers, studying construction training and, like adults, are treated with electrical discharges.

This type of treatment for Internet addiction does not find understanding in the world, and even some local doctors are against the use of electric shock, especially when it comes to treating children: “ Such methods are too cruel and, on the contrary, cause deep harm to children. psychological trauma However, they are used everywhere. Today in China there are many clinics for the treatment of Internet addiction. Most of them are practically not controlled by anyone and are not professional“says the famous Chinese psychologist from Beijing Tao Hongkai.

In Finland, people who are addicted to the Internet are treated more leniently, they even provide a deferment from military conscription: “ For teenagers who play online games day and night and have only Facebook pages instead of real friends, military service can be a big shock.“says one of Finland’s military leaders, Jirki Kively.

The world's first support center for Internet addicts was the center created by the most famous and authoritative researcher in this field - Kimberly Young, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh (Bretford), author of the book Caught in the Net, translated into many languages. The Center she created in 1995 (Center for On-Line Addiction - Netaddiction.com) provides consultations not only to ordinary people, but also to corporations, educational institutions and psychiatric clinics.

In Russia internet addiction treatment is also carried out, but the list of clinics involved in the rehabilitation of such patients is limited to Moscow and St. Petersburg. The thing is that only a few people go for treatment. Because most addicts either do not consider themselves as such, or try to fight their addiction on their own. Here's what Konstantin Blokhin, a psychiatrist at the Mental Health Clinic, says about this - “ Even though I haven’t been working at the clinic for very long, I don’t remember a single request from people addicted to the Internet." The doctor also explains that with such a diagnosis, the same methods are used as in the treatment of drug addiction - psychotherapy, active physical exercise and reflexology.

« Today, Russian centers use two methods of treating computer addiction: psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy. If the first involves treatment without medications, then the second means taking psychotropic drugs (antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs) and using IVs“says Dmitry Fedotov, psychiatrist at the SPO Center clinic.

If there are no specialized medical institutions in your city that treat Internet addiction (although in most cases a qualified psychologist will help) or you simply think that you can throw off the shackles of Internet slavery on your own, you need to know where to start. Advice on methods for getting rid of Internet addiction will also be useful for preventing this unhealthy attachment.

Social videos about Internet addiction

Prevention of Internet addiction and ways to get rid of it

To get started fight internet addiction, first of all, you need to admit that the problem exists and understand that no one will help you get rid of it (if you decide that you will not resort to the help of a psychologist, rely only on yourself).

Most effective way to deal with internet addiction- return to real life and forget about the existence of the Internet for a few days. Where there is an entrance, there is an exit! Go out into nature more often, meet friends, attend various events, think about long forgotten hobby, start playing sports, read an interesting book, etc. Do you want to stop spending so much time online? Then stop it! You definitely want this, right?

If now you can’t imagine your life without social networks, it will be difficult for you to give it up right away. To begin with, you can reduce the time you spend in them, and then, by gradually reducing your activity, you can reduce your presence there to a minimum. As for people who check their mail every now and then, we can advise you to set certain hours for checking it and strictly follow this schedule.

Fight Internet addiction, as with any other addiction, some psychologists consider it a pointless exercise. In their opinion, working with obsessive addictions is not about fighting as such, but about solving problems of existence - forming new connections, new interests, and ultimately, searching for the meaning of life.

Speaking about the causes of Internet addiction, we found out that people often “run away” to the Internet out of some kind of dissatisfaction and problems. Therefore, simply limiting time on the Internet will not be enough; at the same time, it is necessary to fight the causes of these problems. Take Internet sex addiction, for example. If a person plunges into online sexual slavery (women mainly choose virtual sex, and watching porn is already the prerogative of men) due to the lack of a partner, therefore, he needs to find a soul mate. If you lack communication, stop turning gray on forums and look for it in real life. If you are a shy person, start fight your shyness, sign up for public speaking courses.

Do you use the Internet for work, but notice that you gradually forget about business and switch to mindless pastime? Start tracking and analyzing the time you spend on the Internet. Calculate how many minutes or hours you spend on something important and necessary. Let this time be your daily minimum. Every day, when going online, try to fit within this time period. This will give you the opportunity to distribute your working time most efficiently. Also, for the purpose of productivity and prevention of Internet addiction, I recommend making a list of sites (you can do it in your head) that you need to visit and topics that need to be considered.

On many sites there are tips telling how how to get rid of internet addiction contain, in my opinion, rather strange recommendations: “ Ask your loved one or friend to “password-protect” your page on a social network or instant messenger and let him allow you to go there only once a week», « Ask your provider to deny you access to sites where you are simply wasting your time." If these tips suit you and don’t seem strange, then use them.

In the difficult process of getting rid of Internet addiction, the support of loved ones is important. The more family communication that will replace your excessive Internet use, the better. And you shouldn’t justify your weakness and unsuccessful attempts to fight Internet addiction by saying that more and more people are getting into these “networks” and there’s nothing wrong with that. Try to swim even if everyone around you is drowning.

Make a list listing the reasons why you should stop using the Internet excessively.
If you do not currently need to go online, turn off your computer.
Do not eat food while sitting at the computer, this will help you take your mind off the online mode.
Turn off automatic notifications about new emails arriving in your email if there is no particular need for them.
Copy to a separate file or print pages that contain information that you often use, for example, this could be an article about how to properly relax after work. This will reduce your visits to the Internet, and you will be less tempted to scour the Internet.
If you decide to get rid of Internet addiction, you should adjust your sleep schedule.

In fact, the Internet has great benefits, and this article is only a warning, so one should not conclude that the Internet is unconditionally dangerous and harmful. Cultivate a culture of Internet use in yourself, make this kingdom of limitless possibilities a means for achieving goals and solving real, not virtual problems. Use the World Wide Web to purchase necessary and important skills(for example, for studying of English language or for fast typing training etc.) and obtaining information of practical importance.

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Alexander

Alexey A.

Ksenia Konovalova

Golubev Sergey, 9C, NGG

The results of a Reuters study, the title of which can be translated as “Glued to the Screen: Information Addiction in the World,” confirm the hypothesis that information will soon play almost a dominant role in the lives of many people. The study surveyed more than 1,000 business people from around the world. More than half of the correspondents admitted that information is sometimes more important to them than their daily bread.

In addition, about 50% of enterprise employees almost fall into euphoria when the computer gives them the results of a successful search. It is known that some inclinations and habits can have a negative impact on work. 80% of correspondents believe that data collection is a necessary condition for qualified work with clients and successful competition. 50% of respondents complained that it was simply impossible to process all the collected information.

Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Kimberly Young believes that the main danger for patients with information addiction is stress caused by redundant data. The Reuters report once again confirms the old idea: psychological addiction and health are incompatible things.

In other words, addiction to the Internet or information can affect a person’s condition no less detrimentally than any other disease. “The consequences can be very different: divorce, problems in relationships with others, dismissal from work, academic failure. Unlike alcohol and drugs, information addiction is not fraught with destructive consequences for the body, however, social and professional problems can arise no less serious,” - Yang noted.

It is impossible not to note the following fact: 36% of parents are bothered by the increased attention paid to their child’s computer.

With all the advantages that the Internet provides, it also reveals its negative sides, one of which is dependence on it. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with the user spending a lot of time here, but this opinion has recently been refuted by scientific research, experiments and observations made in everyday life.

What is Internet addiction?

Not so long ago, the statement that Internet addiction is a diagnosis of a disease would have caused a sarcastic smile or bewilderment, but today it has become a harsh reality. Moreover, this disease begins to acquire all the signs of an epidemic, as it spreads at tremendous speed and threatens to engulf countries and continents, turning their inhabitants into its obedient servants. Unfortunately, there are also frequent tragic cases associated with communication on the Internet through communities that are harmful to psycho-emotional and physical health. Teenagers are especially susceptible to the influence of online communities.

Types of Internet addiction

The World Wide Web has spread its networks widely, into which more and more new victims of its insidious temptations are caught, while the age of addicts is decreasing every year. The “Internet disease” has spread to such an extent that today experts have begun to identify types of Internet addiction, which have their own signs and consequences for those affected by this strange disease.

Signs of Internet addiction

A person infected with the “Internet addiction virus” is very easy to recognize. As a rule, these people are completely immersed in virtual reality, so they are least interested in how they look in the eyes of others. They are not interested in the opinions of others, they are indifferent to comments, they do not react to scandals, from which they walk away, not paying attention to those who are next to them. Experts have identified the symptoms of Internet addiction:

a constant increase in time spent on the Internet, reaching up to 24 hours;
constantly checking email;
increase in funds used to pay for the Internet.

Causes of Internet addiction

If addiction is already present, you can only get rid of it with the assistance of a specialist: treatment for Internet addiction will be required, while relatives and the “patient” himself must be aware of the importance of this process. But for treatment to be effective, it is necessary to identify the causes of Internet addiction. There are many of them, and most of them have deep origins:

self-doubt inherent in overly demanding parents who wanted to see their child “the very best”, who did not live up to their hopes;
difficulty communicating due to personality traits or health conditions;
extreme dissatisfaction with your real life;
lack of contact and understanding within the family;
bad habits and addictions, condemned by family and friends.

Internet addiction in teenagers

One of the most common and difficult to treat is Internet addiction among teenagers. Analysis of the reasons leading to adolescents’ addiction to the Internet, most often, lies in interpersonal relationships in the family and peer community. Often, parents themselves push their young child towards “Internet disease.” A gift in the form of a computer, tablet, laptop or iPhone is the first step into virtual reality, the doors to which are opened slightly by loved ones.

And if at first it all starts with seemingly harmless games that captivate with their graphics and special effects, then over time the range of interests of growing children expands. Most often, parents are not allowed to enter their virtual world. Internet addiction among teenagers arises in different ways:

lack of attention and love from parents;
fears and phobias formed against the background of low self-esteem that arose as a result of communication with classmates, peers living in the neighborhood;
the desire to find understanding, love, sympathy;
the desire to meet unusual people, to fill your life with extraordinary actions, often at odds with generally accepted morality.

What does Internet addiction lead to?

Traveling for many hours to different sites and communities has a detrimental effect on the physical and addict. The longer he is in the web, the more difficult it is for him to distinguish reality from the virtual state. The craving for another life on the Internet does not pass without a trace for any person, but for everyone the consequences of Internet addiction look different:

sloppiness, lack of attention not only to one’s appearance, but even to personal hygiene;
emphasized indifference to the opinions of relatives and friends, their problems and requests, household affairs;
increased aggression, especially if relatives try to prohibit or reduce time spent communicating with the computer;
narrowing the circle of real acquaintances, refusing to communicate with them.

In addition to psychological withdrawal from real life, Internet addiction also leads to impairments in the physical health of the patient. Most often, there is decreased vision, visual fatigue, pain in the eyes, dryness, and later visual acuity drops sharply. However, health problems are not limited to these; some others are added:

decreased immunity;
insomnia;
recurring headaches;
increasing back pain.

Internet addiction and loneliness

Surprisingly, loneliness can be both a cause and a consequence of Internet addiction. In the first case, the feeling of rejection, persecution, persecution by relatives or peers gives rise to the desire to hide, to find those who will understand and accept the person for who he is. In this situation, a forced refusal to communicate with real people and Internet addiction becomes a salvation from bullying and despair caused by humiliation, dislike and inattention.

In another case, loneliness becomes a consequence of the user’s withdrawal from reality: he is absorbed in virtual life, with friends and acquaintances he becomes uninterested - they do not understand and do not support his lifestyle and conversations, which relate only to the Internet. The problem of Internet addiction in both cases comes into full swing here, because a person is increasingly disconnected from existing realities and immersed in a world of fantasy and the life he has invented.

How to avoid Internet addiction?

Like a swamp, Internet addiction drags in those who cannot resist it, but it can also be avoided, without the use of special means and techniques. Surprisingly, Internet addiction ranks high among young people. At the same time, it has been noted that those whose lives are rich and varied, filled with activities and meetings, interesting trips and good books, do not suffer from computer disease.

How to get rid of Internet addiction?

Life in our fast-paced age, changing daily, full of temptations, deception, lies and bombarding people with streams of information, sometimes unnecessary and even harmful, has turned out to be too difficult a test for many. In addition, the exact name given to the Internet: “World Wide Web” - fully justifies the actions of site owners and.

They not only offer information necessary for work and life, which can be used if necessary. Like spiders, they drag into their webs those who are weak in spirit, who have not found their place in life, who are looking for friends, like-minded people and lovers of adventure and thrills. It is not without reason that experts unanimously assert that Internet addiction is a problem in modern society.

The ways to get rid of it largely depend on the degree of neglect of the disease, the desire to get rid of it and the correct treatment. And it may contain various methods and techniques, including those that seem, at first glance, if not absurd, then ineffective, but together they will all give a positive result. You can start with the simplest and most understandable:

plan your day every day, devoting a minimum of time to working on the Internet;
remember your family and friends and take time to help them and visit them if they do not live nearby;
Introduce sports into your life and visit a fitness club, swimming pool, gym, and work in the fresh air.

Introduction

The transformation of the social environment dictates the formation of a new state of society, which at the stage of modern civilizational development moves into the information stage. This stage is characterized by a significant influence of the flow of information on the individual. Computerization of all spheres of life, improvement of communications, and the emergence of new types of information sources increase the possibilities of its dissemination and, at the same time, increase the burden on people. The process of informatization in Russia began in the early 1980s, which led to a shift in the axiological emphasis in the formation of personality. This process was reflected in a noticeable increase in the information needs of the population, which forced a larger number of socially significant industries to reorient themselves to satisfy them. At the same time, the threats and risks associated with the penetration of information into all spheres of life and activity are increasing. Analyzing the current state of the information space, we can conclude that it is often transformed into a source of negative impact, becoming dangerous to the individual, leading to the emergence of information addiction.

The object of the study is the dependent behavior of the individual.

The subject of the study is the information dependence of the individual.

The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the manifestation of information dependence, the features of its diagnosis and correction.

In accordance with the goal, the following tasks were identified:

To study the essence of the concept of “information dependence”;

To study the features of its occurrence, stages of formation, methods of diagnosis and correction.

Concept, mechanism of occurrence and options for information dependence

personality information stage dependence

The Russian language dictionary defines dependence as subordination to others, to someone else's will, to someone else's power in the absence of independence and freedom.

In psychology, addiction can be understood as the inability to do without something, lack of freedom from a certain state, experience, action, or another person.

Dependence is a special internal state of a person. It is always characterized by the loss of personality, to one degree or another by the loss of free will, freedom of choice - its key quality that distinguishes a person from other animate creatures.

The term dependence itself was introduced in 1964 by the WHO Expert Committee to replace addiction and habituation. The term can be used both generally and to apply to all psychoactive substances. Addiction refers to both physical and psychological elements. Although the DSM-IIIR originally defined the term only as “a group of cognitive, behavioral, and psychological symptoms that indicate that a person has impaired control over substance use and continues to use the substance despite adverse consequences.”

One type of addiction is information addiction.

In various dictionaries, the concept of “information” is interpreted ambiguously. Linguistic dictionary - “information” comes from the Latin word “informatio”, which means “clarification, information, information”. In the dictionary of foreign words - “a message about something, information that is the object of storage, processing and transmission.” S. I. Ozhegov’s explanatory dictionary defines information dependence as information about the surrounding world and the processes occurring in it, perceived by a person or a special device. Large encyclopedic dictionary - information transmitted by people orally, in writing or in other ways (using conventional signals, technical means, etc.).

Information dependence, according to L.V. Baeva, is dependence on the continuous (excessively frequent) consumption of information from any sources available to a person (in the modern information space, this source is the Internet).

D. Bell believes that information addiction - pathological use of the media can be defined as a technological (behavioral) addiction, which is an excessive interaction between a person and the media. This type of addiction can be divided into passive (for example, watching TV) and active (for example, searching the Internet).

E. V. Zmanovskaya understands information dependence as obsessive-dependent behavior leading to adaptation disorders and accompanied by the development of intense emotions, expressed in the desire to escape from reality by changing one’s mental state through constant fixation of attention on the media.

Most often, victims of information addiction are individuals who are overly enthusiastic about using gadgets, without realizing that this can lead to negative consequences. Some young people do not see a threat in an excessive passion for information technology, since they consider it the “spirit of the times”, “modern life” and a “fashionable hobby”, however, after some time of intensive and uncontrolled use of information gadgets, sleep disorders and sudden changes in mood can be observed , lack of appetite, increased excitability and nervousness, an obsessive need to check mail or another Internet resource, etc.

Information dependence occurs due to the interaction of two factors. On the one hand, the flow of information that we encounter every day is very large; It is impossible to absorb all this information, let alone analyze it. On the other hand, instead of protecting ourselves from excess information, we get used to living in this information space. There is a need to constantly receive information - there is information dependence.

After analyzing the studies presented in the psychological and pedagogical literature, we concluded that four groups of risk factors for the formation of information dependence can be distinguished.

The first group of factors is cognitive. Students' lack of understanding and knowledge about the negative impact of addiction on the processes of physical, social and mental development creates fertile ground for the formation of behavioral deviations that lead to addiction.

The second group of factors are socio-psychological. Within these factors, reduced socio-psychological adaptation, non-acceptance of other members of society, and increased internality are identified as characteristic socio-psychological characteristics of a person at risk of developing addiction. These human characteristics lead to the formation of an incorrect behavior strategy, which consists in avoiding solving important life problems, as a result of which there is a systematic excessive appeal to the media as a compensating factor, which is a favorable condition for the formation and development of information dependence.

Personal factors form the third group of risk factors for the formation of information dependence. The formation and development of addiction is facilitated by a number of psychological factors: impaired self-control, rigidity, persistent affective disorders (high emotional instability, negative emotional impulsivity), infantilism, unstable self-esteem.

Common examples of information addiction are uncontrolled searches for information without necessity, excessive passion for online games, communication on social networks, etc.

O. Yu. Kalinichenko does not classify information dependence as a disease, since it has a wide range of symptoms and can affect people who simply work with information. However, the author managed to systematize the types of information dependencies, the main ones of which are the following.

Internet addiction is an obsessive desire to connect to the Internet and a painful inability to disconnect from it in time.

Gaming addiction is a purported form of psychological addiction that manifests itself in compulsive involvement with computer games or gambling.

Computer addiction is an addiction to working on a computer. At the same time, a person does not care what kind of work he does - play, listen to music, etc.

Communication addiction (mobile addiction) is an addiction to using a mobile phone.

Cybersex addiction - addiction to intimate dating online, addiction to casual dating and explicit sites, pictures,

Obsessive web surfing - endless travel on the Internet, searching for any available information, meaninglessly following links from one page to another.

Addiction to virtual communication - large volumes of correspondence, constant participation in chat rooms, web forums, social networks, redundancy of acquaintances and friends on the Internet.

Thus, information dependence is an obsessive-dependent behavior leading to adaptation disorders and accompanied by the development of intense emotions, expressed in the desire to escape reality by changing one’s mental state through constant fixation of attention on the media. Based on an analysis of literary sources, we identified three groups of risk factors for the formation of information dependence: cognitive, socio-psychological, and personal.

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