Internet addiction as a hidden threat to modern civilization

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УДК 130.2 130.3

Internet addiction as a hidden threat to modern civilization

Zhurba M. A.

Statement of the problem. Today discussions about what the Internet really is are rather popular: it is considered as the end of the culture; drug; the tool that helps people in their work; additional resource that allows to save time; in philosophical literature, for example, K. Kelly considers the era of formation of the Internet as modern axial time and N. Carr considers it as a set of technologies which serve to consumer society. The superfast rates of development of the Internet cause revolutionary changes of existence of modern man and issue a challenge to many social sciences. So what happens with a modern man in the network? This question will never lose its topicality.

Analysis of the latest researches and publications.

Despite rather small period of researches of the Internet environment, its various aspects, opportunities and problems, quite their big amount of researches is amassed: N. Aitov Yu. Babaev, G. Batigin, V. Bychkov, E. Vartanova, V. Vasenin, A. Voyskunskiy, M. Vershinin, J. Derrida, G. Deleuze, Ya. Zasurskiy, L. Zemlyanova, V. Inozemtsev, A. Kalmykov, M. Castells, N. Mankovskoy, M. Nosov, V. Nechiporenko, S. Parinov, I. Panarin, E. Taratuta, V. Terin, A. Fimin and others. At the same time disclosure of possible negative consequences and hidden threats of the Internet environment, which man faces in the XXI century, remains not enough outlined and demands careful and detailed processing.

The purpose of the article lies in the analysis of some negative and positive manifestations of total immersion of man in modern Internet environment.

Presentation of the main material. Quite a lot has been said and written about negative influence of the Internet on men, actually, like everything new, it is perceived very watchfully: it is emphasized on impoverishment of human forms of communication, on “overshadowing” of the real world pictures by the world picture which is formed in the course of communication with a computer [6, p. 149]. The article mentions also the so-called “information comfort” (of course, in the negative context) which is understood as availability of any prepared information that results in “dullness of mind, the loss of wit”. The negative of modern audiovisual culture is seen in the fact that it “deprives man of his own objective world, bearing there where he exists only as a phantom”, “connects us informationally and separates emotionally [11, p. 5058]”.

Such phenomenon as Internet addiction also deserves attention, that is “addiction from the Internet” that most likely is explained by increasing of dependence of our contemporary from information, information feed. We consider it in details.

Researchers' views on this issue differ considerably. Conditionally they can be divided into three groups:

Internet addiction as analog to drug addiction.

The representatives of the American Psychological Association in Boston (1997) consider that “approximately for 6% of users the global computer network is analog of drug”, “more than 1 million of Internet supporters are interested in medicine”, “every third respondent “hides” in the Internet from the problems of real life as in the virtual world there is a feeling of relaxedness, psychological complexes disappear [7, p. 136]”.

Internet addiction as manifestation of other mental diseases and addictions [16, p. 62]. Some supporters of this point of view consider that this addiction is not generated by computer, it is a generation of various forms of disadaptation of a man in the real life.

Internet addiction is absent as such [14, p. 212]. According to researchers' opinion who consider so the Internet is a new social reality and to speak about Internet addiction is the same what to speak about addiction from society.

And still, to our mind, Internet addiction is a mental disorder though its status is still on informal level (because it is not included in the official classification of diseases DSM-IV).

It is known that at first this disorder was described by I. Goldberg in 1995 (modern synonyms: netaholism, virtual addiction, Internet and behavioural dependence, excess / pathological use of the Internet, etc.).

the use of the Internet causes a unhealthy negative state: stress or distress;

the use of the Internet damages physical, psychological, interpersonal, social or economic status.

In 1994 the psychiatrist K. Young introduced the test which was directed on detection of Internet dependence. She published it on a site and suggested everyone to pass it. It was found out that majority of 500 interrogated respondents is Internet addicts.

It is interesting that in 1997 research and consultative and diagnostic services on this range of problems were created and in 1999 first monographs on this question were published (K. Young, D. Greenfield, etc.). It should be noted that in Ukraine and Russia this phenomenon is studied by psychological sciences. The first Russian doctor, who started to study this phenomenon seriously was V. Loskutova. This is what we find out about it in

Wikipedia. In the medical sense addiction (drug) is defined as obsessive need for the use of the habitual substance, which is accompanied by growth of tolerance and pronounced physiological and psychological symptoms, that is a person gets used to bigger and bigger doses gradually.

Also in psychology addiction is defined as obsessive need which is felt by a person in relation to a certain activity. So this term is used not only for the definition of drug addiction, but also is applied to other areas, for example problems of gambling, gluttony or hyperreligiousness. And this means that it can be also used for consideration Internet addiction. Certainly, here the nature of dependence is different than in the case with the use of drugs or alcohol, that is physiological component is completely absent and psychological is manifested very brightly. There is Internet addiction can be defined as a type of non-chemical addiction.

So Internet addiction is an obsessive need for the Internet use that is accompanied by social disadaptation and pronounced psychological symptoms. It should be noted that according to the results of various researches nowadays about 10% of users around the world are Internet addicted. It seems to the author that this figure is considerably understated.

Nowadays the following types of Internet addiction are distinguished:

obsessive passion to work on a computer (games, programming or other kinds of activity);

absorbing web surfing or compulsive navigation (search of information, endless travel by Internet space);

endless virtual communication and Internet acquaintances (continuous correspondence, participation in chats, forums, large amount of acquaintances in the network, etc.);

game addiction (obsessive infatuation for computer network games);

obsessive financial need (gambling in the network, participation in the Internet auctions and also constant buying up of unnecessary things);

cybersexual addiction is obsessive attraction for visiting of pornosites and cybersex and also discussion of sexual subject matter in chats.

By the way, researches indicate that the main factor of distribution of these phenomena is that the user on the Internet has opportunity to be anonymous. The modern Ukrainian scientist and the researcher D. Muza notes neatly: “Using the scheme: advertizing + consumer = desire skillfully, it is possible to solve two tasks: to bind consumertariat to narcotic consumerism; and by that to separate from it. On this way any institutes which contain the humanistic principle, without mentioning it itself, have to be rejected [13, p. 211]”.

In what is anonymity in a network shown? As a rule, communication in the Internet goes under pseudonyms and by correspondence.

One knows almost nothing about the participant of communication except his style of communication. Thus, the effect of the substituted communication is typical for the Internet, which turns, on the one hand, unusual freedom of communication, and on the other - it is randomness. Certainly, desubjectivism of social processes began not today and not because of the new information and communication technologies. “The improvements, which are favourable to the monetary interest and developed in the modern institutes, tend to replace the owner by “soulless” stock corporation (according to Thorstein B. Veblen). Thereby the property loses the individual character more and more, its subject, according to M. Berdyaev, ceases to be a bourgeois with a proper name, - it is replaced with the anonym [4, p. 71]”.

M. Orzak singled out such psychological and physical symptoms that reveal the existence of Internet addiction: good feeling and sense of euphoria at the computer; inability to stop; increase in quantity of time, which a user spend at the computer; neglect of family and friends; feeling of emptiness, depression, irritation without computer; lie to employers or family members about one's activity; problems with work or study; carpal tunnel syndrome (the tunnel lesion of nervous tunnel of a hand); dryness of eyes; headaches as migraines, back pain; irregular meals, omission of meals; non-observance of personal hygiene; sleep disorder, change of sleep mode.

Also K. Young considers the following sings as signals of the beginning of Internet addiction: obsessive desire to check e-mail constantly; anticipation of the next online session; increase in time, which is spent online; increase in amount of money which are used for the Internet.

Signs of already developed dependence the same K. Young calls: all-absorption by the Internet; need to spend in the networks more and more time; repeated attempts to reduce the use of the Internet; at the stopping of the use by the Internet there appears are the symptoms of the cancellation, causing alarm; problems of time control; problems with the environment (family, work, school, friends); lie concerning the time which is spent in network; change of mood because of the use of the Internet.

It is interesting that among Internet addicts the highest level of affective and obsessive and compulsive disorders and also masked depression (Shapira, Dzholdygulov) is observed. For example, Korean scientists found out that pupils with Internet addiction are tended toward depression with the risk of suicide. American scientist S. Kaplan singles out the following characteristics of the personality of the Internet addicts: depression, loneliness, modesty, pride. N. Chudova distinguishes, in her turn, such features of this category of people:

difficulty in acceptance one's own physical “I” (one's own body);

difficulties in direct communication;

tendency to intellectualization;

feeling of loneliness and lack of mutual understanding (probably it is connected with difficulties in communication with an opposite sex);

low aggression;

emotional tension and some tendency to negativism;

presence at least one frustrated need;

independence acts as a special value;

idea about ideal “I” is undifferentiated, overestimated or even not realistic;

lowered self-esteem;

tendency to avoidance of problems and responsibility.

Within our research we would like to consider the

phenomenon of computer games in details. It is possible to say without exaggeration that the modern person becomes a “gaming human”. “Truman syndrome”, emergence of which is stated by journalists really becomes the “syndrome of the

XXI century”. Its essence is that a person imagines himself playing a role in the worldwide reality show, everything that surrounds him is a scenery, people around are actors. This syndrome received its name from the name of the movie of Peter Weir's movie “Truman Show”.

Some scientists consider “Truman syndrome” as one of the challenges of our time, which is connected with the influence of the Internet. Some people are penetrated with virtual reality to such extent that they cease to identify themselves with ordinary people, this is they who are affected by this syndrome [10].

Certainly, strengthening of the game basis in modern person is promoted by mass culture for which from the point of view of influence on society following features are characteristic [18, p. 139-162]:

refusal from developing, sociological function at hypertrophied development of entertaining function;

mass artization of consciousness, which considers everything that happens as some kind of show;

formation of asocial, dehumanized game type of “gaming” person, the “observer” taking social problems not seriously, suffering from atrophy of humanity and anxious of aspiration only to personal enrichment and success etc.

The spectacular game moment takes significant place in virtual space. The special place is taken by computer roleplaying games. J. Huizinga notes in his scientific researches that in cultural development game and game moment retreat to the background, that is culture becomes more and more “adult” and assigns game a minor role. But the scientist wrote his well-known work before the emergence of virtual reality.

We see that in computer role-playing games are available all signs of game about which writes Huizinga:

free nature of game, understanding of it as “unrea”, and at the same time enthusiasm for it;

imaginary, inventivity vyhadanist;

isolation from real life in place and duration;

dominance within the game space of a peculiar order, which is inherent only to it;

existence of tension which tests strength of a player;

emergence of public associations (communities), which seek to separate and emphasize the singularity by means of mystery or peculiar appearance.

J. Huizinga emphasizes repeatedly that a mask and disguise important are very important for men: “Otherness and secret of game together are expressed visibly in disguise.... The one who changed clothes or put a mask “plays” another creature. But this is he who “is” this another creature! [17, p. 32]”... “there always leaves something mysterious in a mask [17, p. 44]”, that takes away from everyday life into another world, into game sphere - into the sphere of savages, children and poets... This phenomenon receives quite peculiar perspective in the Internet space, in the sphere of computer role-playing games.

So we observe strange phenomenon: mankind plunges into the world of computer games more and more. For some people modern network games become more important than real life, they “are completely get used to the game atmosphere, staying at computers all day long [5, p. 56]”.

What does it indicates? In the light of J. Huizinga's theory it is possible to say, as the assumption, that mankind either degrades, coming back to game as a main type of activity, or we are witnesses of origin of new culture in new space. Some researchers write about pluses and minuses of computer games [9, p. 139] write; [16, p. 65-59]; [1, p. 128].

The positive side of this phenomenon: a person distracts, playing computer games for some time, so he relieves stress, leaves problems, that is negative vital experiences are compensated in such a way. Also man overcomes social isolation with their help.

Negative aspects of computer games: first, transition of the main part of needs (except physiological) into the space of virtual reality. The personality starts to realize itself in the world of computer network, instead of real one, so computer game turns into mean of realization of vital problems.

Second, disorientation of the subject in the material world take place during these games, that is connected with possibility of multiple representation.

Third, man satisfies his need without leaving the house, that's why the process of man's desocialization develops. It is shown in the form of removal from society.

Four, signs of infantilism develop in a person-user, that is helplessness in society, in the world where is no computers.

Fifth, emotions, which are inherent to man in the normal world, disappear from human life, and emotions, which are submitted to the logic of the Internet, stay.

Computer game occurs in virtual reality that, gives other opportunities for self-creativity: it is opportunity to place his self into fantastic world which lives under another laws, in which almost everything is possible, but within the rules of the game. Therefore a number of negative aspects of roleplaying computer game is blocked by possibility of enrichment of self of its participant with experience got during game, first of all, with experience of transformation of own identity in virtual reality.

Experts in the field of psychology note that under Internet addiction another addictions are “hidden”. For example, sexual addiction turns into “cybersex”; communicative dependences are found in “cyber relations”; tendency to game of chance is shown in gambling etc. (M. Griffiths, K. Young, D. Kendall others).

In our opinion, Internet addiction is a set of groups of different behavioural addictions, and computer is only means of their realization, not the object.

It is necessaryalso to indicate those dangerous moments which children and teenagers can face in the network:

operation of children trust (pushing them to commit illegal or obscene actions);

open access to pornography;

sites with destructive content (for example, instruction of bomb production, drugs, etc.);

network games with violence that increases younger generation's aggression considerably.

Indeed, in comparison with other types of addictions (smoking, drinking and drug drug abuse) Internet addiction causes less harm to an organism and seems safe enough, but...

This addiction causes essential decrease in capacity for work and efficiency of functioning in real society, for example, communication in the network creates the illusion of prosperity etc.But there is also the other side of the coin. Thanks to the its qualities, namely: accessibility, anonymity, simplicity of use, a certain safety the Internet gives people, who suffer from negative habits, a chance to refuse from the latter. How?

To many alcoholics, drug addicts, etc. the Internet becomes “lighter” drug and a chance to get rid of more difficult addictions. It turns out that this category of people substitutes one addiction for another. The same principle is put in the method of psychotherapeutic treatment of addictions: to replace serious addiction with more “ecological” and safer one.

So, as we can see the law of dialectics works as always.... In modern epoch there is a need of choice of identity and timely implementation of replacement of this identity in the case of need. On the basis of K. Losch's position, nowadays identity is represented like something that resembles a suit which can be take off and put on [3, p. 87].

This circumstance serves as an explanation why one of the main types of identity in modern society is so-called “virtual” [12, p. 128] who is formed in cyberspace and allows a person to form personal and social identity. He can conduct self-identification repeatedly.

It is difficult to describe presence of a person it the Internet without creativity. He creates herself changing this world. Creative potential of a person is inconceivable without freedom and in the Internet a person is free infinitely, restrictions depend only on available skills of work on the computer and person's own internal principles. The possibility of “experimentation” with identity in virtual reality is that new that introduces self-realization of personality in the Internet. virtualization worldview internet addiction

Freedom is a field of the various choices, which has a certain configuration [19]. K. Mamardashvili's statement that man is an incomplete creation and potential finds its reflection in the Internet where human potentiality is shown very brightly because there possible man is represented.

In the Internet the conditions to be any possible person are provided to a person. Man is an unprogramed creation. Similar statements can be met found in H. Plessner's works who spoke about man as about eccentric creature that seeks constantly to become another one, other than he is at the present.

P. Gurevich says about human openness and incompleteness: “The idea of human nature as of incomplete opportunity that manifests in infinite variations of unusual, specific human being, life as an adventure of self-development during which imperfection is turned out as beneficial property, shortcoming turns into advantage...- In our opinion this is a possible approach to the comprehension of the problem of human uniqueness [8, p. 280]”. Undoubtedly, all listed qualities (incompleteness, unprogrammness) of man make him capable to creativity.

Let's remember the main types of human activity (game, work, study). And in the Internet, according to Yu. Babayeva [2, p. 11-40], the most widespread kinds of user's activity is cognitive, playing and communicative. Undoubtedly these kinds of activity promote positive changes, transformations of man, and “experimentation” with his own identity can be considered as a peculiar psychological training.

N. Reinhardt notes that due to the Internet man gets a chance to create virtual personalities, situations, to manifest himself as a creator of his own world and life in the world created by him [15, p. 42-45].

O. Medvedeva sees in the network, so to speak, virtual experimental social laboratory “for experiments with creation and reconstruction of self [12, p. 105-122]”. The researcher writes: “In the Internet a person has opportunity to lose and compare those ways of formation of his own personality which due to various reasons had no opportunity to be realized [12, p. 104]”.

But the role of virtuality in transformations of personality is ambiguous. On the one hand the new space for experiments with own identity opens. And on the other hand, unrealness, ephemerality of its existence leads to selfdeception and deception of others, dispersion, the loss of the self-identity.

By the way, “experimentation” in the network with one's own identity resembles dramatized action because it is connected with playing of many roles, but unlike theater in the Internet a person is a director, and an actor, and a viewer, a critic for himself ...

In the conditions of unlimited freedom and creativity the Internet gives opportunity for a person with the help of his electronic double to design, to play over in the virtual space possible, alternative variants of his development, different roles and situations in which often a real person wouldn't risk to appear, and the skills received by the virtual double to make his own. In the Internet man is given the opportunity to live a “second life”. The destiny of a person is written on “clean copy” in real life at once it is seldom possible to fix something or at least to change. The Internet gives opportunity to write “rough copy” of some life situations, so to speak, to practice.

5. Conclusions. Having considered and analyzed possible opportunities and negative consequences and hidden threats which modern man faces in virtual environment, it has become possible to establish the following.

The virtual space develops new forms of experience, changes and expands perception which leads to fading of borders of culture and transformation of its values that complicates considerably virtual self-identification of man. This situation becomes catastrophic on the background of ever-increasing virtualization of various fields of human activity and continuous improvement of media technologies. The emergence of virtual reality which nowadays has already painless ”implanted” in the body of modern culture, caused one of the serious problems of the present - the loss of sense of reality.

Negative aspects of virtual self-identification of man are defined, that can provoke various forms of his addictive behavior: stay in the Internet space can form addictive state of human consciousness, caused by transfer into virtual space, and hence the loss of interest to the real life.

It is emphasized that Internet addiction is not chemical one, and unlike drug or alcoholic ones is focused not on the physical component, first of all, but on psychological one, and in it this is a danger to spiritual life of man.

Nowadays it is already possible to speak about appearance of the new man, locked in a horizontal of virtual reality that lives on its specific laws and makes virtual behavior stereotypes, and, therefore, “life in the network” generates man-manipulator that lives his life in the world of virtual images masks, manipulates images and yield to the temptation of illusiveness.

The world of the Internet formed by a set of virtual subjects, relations, people, is a peculiar “copy” of the world real, in which each new user has to learn to exist. The Internet acts as additional undeveloped to the full measure sociocultural space that expands field of human activity, giving it additional technical and technological capabilities including self-realization, but virtual self-realization of personality in the Internet doesn't substitute completely his self-realization in regular reality, and acts as implementation of separate opportunities and abilities of a person. Therefore there is a combination of ways of existence in virtual and usual realities on the principle of complementarity in the Internet. In this regard our reality owing to virtual reality becomes more informative, changes its configuration. The Internet serves as an ideal space for selftranstsendention of mann as it is a universal communicative and information design that brings to life the phenomenon of co-creation due to which a passive user of information passes to active positions showing his self.

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Abstract

The ambivalent manifestations of virtualization of reality in the worldview of a modern man is considered. It is ascertained that stay in the Internet environment can form addictive state of human consciousness, caused by its transfer into virtual space that, in its turn, threatens with the loss of interest to the real life. It is noted that today views of scientists on the problem of Internet addiction differ considerably: starting from its understanding as the manifestations of mental diseases and various addictions and finishing with full rejection of this problem. The emphasis is made on the fact that Internet addiction is the obsessive need for the Internet use which is accompanied by social disadaptation and pronounced psychological symptoms, the main features and problems of Internet addiction are also revealed. The phenomenon of computer games is analyzed within the research. The attention is paid to the fact that modern man becomes ``gaming human ” gradually.

Keywords: virtual reality, Internet, addiction, Internet addiction, game, culture, freedom.

Розглянуто амбівалентні прояви віртуалізації реальності у світосприйнятті сучасної людини. Встановлено, що перебування у інтернет- середовищі може формувати аддиктивний стан свідомості людини, обумовлений перенесенням її у віртуальний простір, що у свою чергу загрожує втратою інтересу до реального життя. Встановлено, що сьогодні погляди науковців на проблему інтернет-аддикції значно різняться: починаючи від розуміння її як проявів психічних захворювань та різноманітних залежностей, закінчуючи повним несприйняттям цієї проблеми. Зроблено акцент на тому, що інтернет-залежність -- це нав'язлива потреба у використанні інтернету, що супроводжується соціальною дезадаптацією і вираженими психологічними симптомами, розкриті основні властивості та проблеми інтернет- залежності. У рамках дослідження проаналізовано феномен комп 'ютерних ігор. Звернено увагу на те, що сучасна людина поступово стає “людиною граючою ”.

Ключові слова: віртуальна реальність, інтернет, аддикція, інтернет- аддикція, гра, культура, свобода.

Рассмотрены амбивалентные проявления виртуализации реальности в мировосприятии современного человека. Установлено, что пребывание в интернет-среде может формировать аддиктивное состояние сознания, обусловленное переносом ее в виртуальное пространство, что в свою очередь грозит потерей интереса к реальной жизни. Установлено, что сегодня взгляды ученых на проблему интернет-аддикции значительно отличаются: начиная от понимания ее как проявлений психических заболеваний и различных зависимостей, заканчивая полным неприятием этой проблемы. Сделан акцент на том, что интернет-зависимость -- это навязчивая потребность в использовании интернета, которая сопровождается социальной дезадаптацией и выраженными психологическими симптомами, раскрыты основные свойства и проблемы интернет-зависимости. В рамках исследования проанализирован феномен компьютерных игр. Обращено внимание на то, что современный человек становится “человеком играющим”.

Ключевые слова: виртуальная реальность, интернет, аддикция, интернет-аддикция, игра, культура, свобода.

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