It seems that the majority of society thinks the Internet is the greatest invention since the telephone. This is probably best justified by the whirlwind rate at which the Internet grows. In fact, some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addicting! The problem is that recent studies have shown that the Internet may not only be addicting because it is enjoyable, but that a fairly large number of users are experiencing addiction of a clinical form. (Smith, 1996).
Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is another problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. A few researchers are comparing the Internets effects to marijuana as a psychostimulant. They argue that the chemicals in marijuana activate the same stimuli as the Internet. (Blakely, 1997) .
Most researchers to this date do, however, agree that this is some type of behavioral addiction. People can become addicted to activities even when there is no physiological dependence or physiological addiction. Overeating, sex, work, exercise and gambling can be addictive if done to excess. .
Behavioral addiction means (Gehl and Douglas, 1997) that the activity alters your emotional state in some way. The main way to determine if an activity is addictive is if it is having a negative impact on some other important area of your life and if you continue to do it anyway. The questions to be answered now are, if there is such a thing as Internet addiction, what are the effects of this addiction and why are people falling into this trap? .
According to Dr. Maressa Orzack of the Computer Addiction Services at Harvard University's McClean Hospital in Boston, "The single greatest factor in becoming an addict is boredom." "They"re lonely, and the Internet, with its chat rooms and endless information, fills a need." (Gong, 2001) .
The chat rooms, whether they are used for sexual and romantic encounters or just to talk to other people around the world, seem to be the number one temptation.
