Are you a computer addict?

Originally posted December 05th, 2005.

Two finals down, two finals and a project to go...

Once again I find Myspace to be the perfect place to procrastinate. Since I have nothing better to talk about I am going to talk about computer addiction. Some have argued that computer addiction is a rising problem in Western societies. However, the fact that computer usage is generally looked upon as having positive outcomes, unlike other addictions like gambling, the definition of what computer addiction is alludes us. But I believe that computer addiction ought to be have as criterion: behavioral salience, withdrawal, and conflict causation. If computer usage is disrupting the person from normal behaviors such as work or school, the user experiences withdrawal symptoms while not on the computer, and the use of computers has caused interpersonal conflict then they can be considered to be a computer addict. If a person uses the computer many hours a day but does not experience these symptoms they can be considered highly computer engaged. Common symptoms indicative of maleficent addictions that are excluded here are cognitive salience and euphoria. That means that the person is constantly thinking about computer behavior and they experience of sense of pleasure when they are on the computer. Philosophically it is problematic to differentiate addictions simply because of the negative consequences but here it seems that it would be necessary because the number of computer users who experience those symptoms are overwhelming. But quite possibly we will find that computer addicts, those that experience the criterion symptoms, will exhibit unique traits.

Reference:
Charlton, J.P. (2002). A factor-analytic investigation of computer addiction and engagement. British Journal of Psychology. 93, 329-344.