What is Technology Addiction?
Technology addiction is a control disorder that describes the compulsive use of technology. Although it is not clinically recognized, its symptoms are similar to gambling addiction.
There are 3 main types of technology addiction: Gambling, gaming and pornography, all of which are provided through the internet. Recently, however, there is another large subcategory, social media addiction.
Gaming
This category of technology addiction is the overuse of technology spent on gaming. Individuals addicted in this category are often smart and creative but are socially incapable and insecure. In games, they can feel good about themselves as they have skills to achieve well in it.
Gaming addicts spend too much on gaming, which leads to little time exercising or socially interacting with others face to face in real life, giving them poor health and a lack of social skills. It can also lead to sleep loss. Being socially incapable could lead to psychological disorders such as depression.
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Online gambling
Online gambling is no different from gambling in a casino. The odds are against you, yet it sounds possible to win. This manipulates you into spending more and more money.
Gambling online is more accessible than a casino. You can play where ever you want. In some cases, it is even too accessible. In a regular casino, youth under the age of 19 cannot enter. But on an online gambling website, there's no way to stop an individual younger than 19 from gambling. Because they are younger, irresponsible decisions are often made.
Just like gambling in a casino, getting addicted to online gambling leads to negative outcomes like going into financial crisis.
Pornography Addiction
Online pornography addiction is the obsession with viewing sexual content on the internet. It can also come in the form of cybersex.
Long-term exposure to internet pornography could lead to a higher tolerance for sexual content, thus require more explicit sexual content in order to be aroused or entertained. Like a drug, a pornography addict would need more and stronger content each time to achieve the same level of excitement they experience before.
Reflecting upon real-life situations, this could make sexual experiences less arousing, leading to health issues like erectile dysfunction.
Another hazard of online pornography is its likeliness to be exposed to youth. Just like online gambling, there is no method to prove that you are under the age of 18 on adult websites.
