The Internet is the largest and most versatile source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a way of communicating with people in places all over the world. Since its conception in 1973, the Internet has grown at an astounding rate. A survey conducted by Intelli Quest Information Group Inc. showed that 51 million adults age 16 or older, were on-line as of the second quarter 1997 in the United States alone. To many people the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addictive. The problem is that researchers are now beginning to consider Internet Addiction. Studies are revealing that there may be an actual form of addiction involved with over-use of the Internet. Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is the problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. While lost in this so called 'Cyber Community' for long periods of time, people are neglecting other important activities like; time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns.
One solution is to first identify if a person is considered to be an Internet addict by having a psychologist diagnose the compulsive behavior. Once the problem is accurately identified as being Internet addiction the person can begin taking the first steps to solving the problem. A person could start by gradually limiting the amount of time spent on the Internet each day. Another idea is to keep track of time during the period spent on the Internet. By monitoring the time, a person would be able to prioritize the amount of time they can spend on each desired Internet activity and realize how long they spend on doing each one. They could also try to get involved in another interest such as a hobby or other leisure activity. This will allow them to lure themselves away from the need to use the Internet as well as forcing them to concentrate more of their time to something else more productive rather than thinking about the Internet.
Expansion of the Internet began about 15 years ago. In 1973 the U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency initiated a
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