In her article Are Internet Addictions on the Rise, Rebecca Scudder states,
"Internet
use continues to rise, and as the number of people using the Internet
to access the web increases, a proportionate number of those people are
likely to be individuals who have symptoms of mental illness. This does not mean that a brand new cause of mental illness has come into existence."
While I agree with this statement, I also think that there is another factor involved that may cause people to jump on the "Internet addiction is on the rise" bandwagon. Many equate spending a lot of time doing anything as a sign of addiction. Could it be that people are just seeing the Internet as a cheap means of entertainment that encompasses a broad range of venues?
Rather than rent a movie, you can watch one on your computer. Instead of spending the money for a long distance phone call, you can chat through instant messaging or even video conferencing. If you can't find a fourth for a face-to-face game of bridge, there's always someone on the Internet looking for a match. And, if you need to do research on a topic for school, work, or just personal knowledge, it's tough to beat the variety of sources available instantaneously on the Internet.
In the past, all these activities were considered separate and had very distinct settings. Nowadays, you can do all of them on the Internet. So, even though it may seem like you're spending several hours sitting at your computer, are you really spending any more time on these same activities than you would without the World Wide Web? Maybe instead of addiction, it could also be called efficiency.