Everyone in this world has a hobby. There are a range of activities that people enjoy to do, that gets their mind off of a problem and puts them in a pleasant state.Every now and then these hobbies become far too constant and soon they become a problem for everyone including yourself. Hobbies are addicting and sometimes they become dangerous for your life.This happens when your hobby becomes the center of your life. When a person can not even spend one day without doing the activity they love. The internet gives people the temporary high they want in but in the virtual version. Addictions are hard to deal with, no matter what, trying to stop your self from doing something that gives you joy is always going to be hard. Sometimes it is easy to quit and other times not so much. Addictions such as shopping, gambling, and gaming have affected the lives of many people and not for the better. Dori yang states in her article Craving your next Web Fix "As millions more go online, people are increasingly engaging in risky behavior, playing havoc with their work, relationships, and lives"(Yang 1). The internet is everywhere making it harder for people with such addictions to quit the very thing that is destroying their lives. The internet has the same addicting factors such as any other physically tangible addiction.
Shopping is a past time that many people enjoy. When a person buys something new they get this feeling that is both fun and excited that is the high that shopaholics are after. That is enough to make anyone want to go shopping; to look at different clothes, accessories, or other items that will give them that wonderful feeling. Shopping online can give you that same high. All it takes is a few clicks of a button and you could have anything you want delivered to your house. Many people spend more time doing this than actually working. "30 percent of businesses in the United States have fired employees because of excessive Internet use during work hours, especially for gambling and shopping"(Reed 1). The addiction to shopping can harm a persons life not just by getting them fired, but also through the fact that after they are fired they still want to shop. Using credit cards to buy these items, but without any means to pay for them. This causes them to have low credit scores and have a hard time purchasing items that may actually be important to them. These addictions can become ridiculous as well. A mother who was addicted to shopping for her little girl was not only at the sale shopping herself but had her mother and best friend shop for her at different locations. She bought the same coat for her daughter in every color the sale ended up costing her $800. She would wake up at 3a.m and start to shop and talk with other mothers that loved to buy items from Gymboree.In the article confessions of a Compulsive Shopper it states that "Maxed-out credit cards, more than $50,000 in shopping-related debt and the slow realization that she chatted more with other Gymboree-obsessed moms than she did with her own family finally convinced Rogers that she needed to kick her habit"(Caplin 1). These obsessions with shopping can take many forms they can focus on a certain brand, buy for a certain person, or just buy what ever sparks their interest. "Compulsive shopping affects up to 8% of the U.S. population, and 90% of those shopaholics are women" (Caplin 1). This type of addiction effects your bank account and your social life where the shopaholic would rather be online shopping away then talking to their friends or family. It is recommended that people who suffer from Shopoholism seek professional counseling or a self help group to help them with their problem. There are now credit counseling centers in many communities. "Shop till you drop" has a whole new meaning for these women that spend hours shopping away online.
Gambling is an activity that is very addicting. It is a game of luck, chance, and hope. When people go to casinos they can spend hours in their and never realizes it. It could be morning when they walk in and almost night when they finally walk out. The sounds, lights, and excitement all block out any other thought. The emotional excitement and the hope of winning are the two strongest reasons why gambling is so addicting. Why would gambling on the internet be any different? Their are more than 1,800 gambling websites where people only need to log on and try their luck. They use their credit card to pay for each bet if they lose the money is then deducted straight from their cards. John Kennedy states in"Addiction a click away" "Experts estimate that 5.5 million Americans (2 percent of the U.S. population) are compulsive or problem gamblers"(Kennedy 1). Addictions to gambling can cause bankruptcy, divorce, and suicide. Some such as Chris Anderson believe that the internet is far more addicting "Internet gambling stakes are higher than those at casinos, according to Chris Anderson, director of the Gambling Recovery Center in Chicago. "Every state with gambling has a regulatory body because of vice and sin that happens if it's not regulated," Anderson said" (Kennedy 1). There is no one out there to regulate the internet. As much as the law tries to ban online gambling it is not that easy to regulate. Gambling hurts in real life when use lose everything you came with to the casino, but to play with a credit card that has a higher limit to it is just crushing.
Who does not love to play video games? They are so much more fun now then ever before. The pictures are clear and easy to see with thousands of options to what game you would like to play. Before to play video games a person would have to go down to their local arcade and play each game for a quarter. Now though its becoming harder to drop the controller.Video games now exist in your computer. This type of addiction is very mind consuming. Many people lock themselves in their room for hours and stare at the screen playing games. They talk to their online friends for hours avoiding everyone else in the house. Gamers show the classic signs of addictions which Leung discuses in Cyberphycology and Behavior "They become preoccupied with gaming, lie about their gaming use, lose interest in other activities just to game, withdrawal from family and friends to game, and use gaming as a means of psychological escape"(Leung, 2004). A thirty one year old man spent fifty two hours playing the online game Everquest because of his addiction his fiancee ended up leaving him. His addiction to online games was so strong that he would rather be with his online friends then his fiancee. Video games addiction are especially high with teens and pre-teens where they would rather play video games than hang out with friends, play sports, or watch television.In Video Games Addicttions "Studies estimate that 10 percent to 15 percent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organization’s criteria for addiction" (CRC Health group 1). These people with gaming addictions show the same responses as any other addict. When the source of their addiction is taken away from them the addict then becomes violent, angry, or depressed. Gaming has come a long way from what is was before, your local arcade now lives in your computer.
The internet is a type of monster. It coaxes people, draws them in and once it has got its claws in them it does not want to let go. It is an easy way for people with per-existing addictions to carry on without actually ever having to step out the door. These activities such as shopping, gambling, and gaming trap people in their house staring at a screen. Like any addiction the internet gives people the aspect that they can escape and feel good for however long they please. The consequences though is that they lose touch with the people around them and fall into a pitiful state of addiction. The internet is their daily fix and it is becoming harder to quit the habit. work cited
http://library.csun.edu/xerxes/metasearch/record?group=009977&resultSet=094718&startRecord=6
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=eb84d607-a3b6-43f7-ae3c-1f2c87332772%40sessionmgr11&vid=1&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ofm&AN=503628235
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=4c26962d-8cc6-4be1-9273-105aba827c75%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ofm&AN=504071517
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=36c64ae5-5b26-4401-8436-0d4d73774e08%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ofm&AN=503999721
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01926180902942191
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/
http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/shop.html
The hypothesis is not very lear but i understand that your are talking about addiction to internet. The introduction needs more work because i did not know what the essay was going to talk about until i started reading the paper. You have proper citations and explain them. I think you should just expand a little more on some. I know this was a rough draft so its understandable. The essay needs to reach at least to the bottom of your 4th page but recommend at least 5. This is in the proper mla format. The flow was fine but you just need a little more work on cotent you put i this. Over all this is a good start.
ReplyDeleteFirst paragraph: I am unsure of how your thesis statement is phrased. maybe phrase it like, "addictions such as shopping, gambling, and gaming are the top internet addictions that have affected the lives of many." and add it towards the end so that the reader will know that it's the thesis statement.
ReplyDeleteSecond paragraph: I don't know if you should be calling shopping an "activity". it's more of a lifestyle that some people abuse.
Third paragraph. Avoid starting off with short sentences in almost every paragraph.
fourth paragraph: Use a source that mentions how gaming addiction affects teens more greatly"
fifth paragraph: it is clear that your essay is about how the internet causes addiction.
Fix grammar, short sentences, and run-on sentences.