What Makes The Internet Addictive?
How Common is Internet Addiction?
Depending on whom you ask, Internet addiction rates range from 1% to 9% of the population, according to a 2012 study published in Current Review of Psychiatry. As smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets become progressively more embedded in our daily lives, those numbers are likely to increase.
Most people, upon being accused of Internet addiction, become defensive. They insist they need to be online for work, that they are socializing with loved ones, or that spending time reading online is the same as curling up with a good book.
What’s behind this phenomenon? A complex set of interlocking factors contribute to making the Internet a powerful draw, especially for people who are already vulnerable to addiction.
Dopamine and Rapid Rewards
Dopamine also plays a role in Internet addiction.
- Internet users get small rewards–a message from a friend, an interesting story on social media, a new job lead–every time they pick up a gadget.
- These rewards increase dopamine production, creating a vicious cycle that encourages users to keep accessing the Internet to keep getting a “hit” of dopamine.
- Research supports the close association between dopamine and Internet addiction.
- One recent study found changes in brain function and dopamine levels in people who compulsively use the Internet.
The Challenges of Impulse Control
Even in the middle of the night, a quick bathroom break provides another opportunity to indulge.
Rapid Stimulation
A generation ago, everyone had to get used to being bored, whether it was due to long lines or long doctor’s office waits. The Internet promises us permanent relief from boredom.
- No matter where you are, you can get a quick dose of entertainment.
- Research suggests, though, that we need boredom to think creatively. When you can’t daydream, your ability to occupy yourself at times of boredom plummets, nurturing a progressively stronger need to constantly check your phone and surf the web.
- Eventually, some users find that they simply cannot be entertained without the Internet.
Research is mixed on the role personality plays in the drive for rapid stimulation.
- A 2014 study argues that it’s not a certain type of person who seeks frequent stimulation; rather, our increasingly stimulation-driven environment compels us all to seek entertainment every second of the day, making most people vulnerable to Internet addiction.
A New Experience Every Time
In some ways, the Internet is a more powerful drug than even the highest doses of street drugs. Traditional drug users eventually experience a chemical tolerance that blunts the effects of the drug. With the Internet, the experience is different every time.
This keeps users perpetually chasing another adrenaline rush spurred by the novelty and thrill of a web of information and entertainment.
And because Internet users are unlikely to stop seeing positive effects associated with their addiction, they may continue “using” without realizing there is a problem much longer than other addicts might.
Consequence-Free Access
Even prescription drugs still carry a stigma. Alcohol isn’t allowed everywhere, and street drugs are illegal and potentially dangerous to access. The Internet, however, is everywhere.
Compared to other addictions, use of the Internet is relatively consequence-free.
- You don’t have to worry about going to jail or overdosing, and your family and friends are unlikely to stage an intervention.
- You won’t get physically ill.
- You will still be able to think like yourself.
Worse still, in an increasingly connected world, some people find that they are actually penalized for not being constantly available.
- Your client might hire someone else if you don’t return her email in a matter of seconds, and your boss might expect you to be able to work no matter where you are.
- Even your mother might panic if you don’t return her text messages in a few minutes.
Attention Deficits
For people with attention deficit disorder, the Internet is a powerful antidote to boredom. It’s not just those with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD, though. The Internet itself may be undermining the ability of society as a whole to maintain attention.
- Ten years ago, the average attention span was 12 minutes. Now it’s five, according to a recent PEW survey.
- This cultural climate makes the Internet a potentially addictive experience for just about anyone, and once you develop that tendency, real life can seem distinctly uninteresting.
Intermittent Reinforcement
If you’ve ever wondered why people keep playing slot machines even when they lose, the answer lies in a theory called intermittent reinforcement.
First identified by behaviorist B.F. Skinner, intermittent reinforcement occurs when an action is only reinforced periodically. It’s highly effective at getting people to do things that only rarely work. For instance, intermittent reinforcement might help explain why your friend keeps texting that guy who only returns her calls every few weeks.
- You don’t get a reward every time you check your email or social media accounts, but sometimes there’s something interesting there.
- That push to keep checking until something good happens is virtually identical to the patterns at work when a person repeatedly pulls the lever on a slot machine.
- Over time, intermittent reinforcement can make the web a highly addictive place to spend your day.
Sources
Bored…and brilliant? A challenge to disconnect from your phone. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/01/12/376717870/bored-and-brilliant-a-challenge-to-disconnect-from-your-phone
Brain abnormalities linked to ‘Internet addiction’ (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/824600
Cash, H., Rae, C. D., Steel, A. H., & Winkler, A. (n.d.). Internet addiction: A brief summary of research and practice. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480687/
Intermittent reinforcement and resistance to extinction. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/intermittent_reinforcement.html
Internet addiction associated with features of impulse control disorder: Is it a real psychiatric disorder? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11686127
Is the Internet destroying our attention span? (2013, August 01). Retrieved from http://psychminds.com/is-the-internet-destroying-our-attentions-span/
Mobile to television: We interrupt this broadcast (again). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://flurrymobile.tumblr.com/post/115194107130/mobile-to-television-we-interrupt-this-broadcast#.VLQV4tLF_To
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Further Reading
The content on this page was originally from MentalHelp.net, a website we acquired and moved to MentalHealth.com in September 2024. This content has not yet been fully updated to meet our content standards and may be incomplete. We are committed to editing, enhancing, and medically reviewing all content by March 31, 2025. Please check back soon, and thank you for visiting MentalHealth.com. Learn more about our content standards here.
MentalHealth.com is a health technology company guiding people towards self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.