Computer Addiction Can Be Misunderstood

I think we view this topic very one-sidedly. Especially now that everything is done online due to COVID-19. We assume a baseline of things and if those criteria are met we profile the person as an addict. Usually, it’s hours and hours on end just sitting on a computer. No breaks unless this person is to use the bathroom or get food. Instantly labeled as addicted. Computer addiction often is just belittled to “more than 4 hours spent on a computer” equals addiction. That never sat right with me.

If you are dependent on the internet that doesn’t make you an addict. If someone works an 8 hour workday on the computer do you still call them an addict? What about people who work those 8 hours online then call with their friends after their job? Are they addicted? If you count the pandemic it’s so hard to justify an addiction when the internet is all we have right now to fill out social needs.

With that in mind, of course, you need time away from your screen. Of course, you need time alone and offline. I’m not saying those things aren’t important. But when you find your day incomplete unless you’ve sat at your computer for a few hours then problems start to rise. Depending on your computer to make your day better is exactly what leads to addiction.

Someone who is living in an abusive household might have no choice but to rely on the internet for support. People who are still scared to go outside need the internet for work and socialization. It’s just what it is. Addiction is circumstantial, meaning you can’t call everyone during lockdown an addict. People needed to be at work, people needed their friends, people needed to keep up with the news when necessary. It was a necessity to be online during the lockdown.

Those same people spend hours on computers, but that was out of necessity. When you house an addiction the want for your computer gets distorted and perceived as a need. When you use your computer to satiate a desire you think you can’t live without, that’s when you can say you’re addicted. I just hate how now, with online classes and online video calls it seems like people who misunderstand this addiction will keep bothering the people who have their school life online.

In video calls, I often hear peers who are yelled at and cursed for being on the computer, when it’s so clear they have an assessment to do. That breaks my heart because I have to watch peers and friends get yelled at for doing the things that are required of them to even pass the semester. It’s very annoying and in the end, I wish addiction wasn’t made out to be only a person who spends “too much” time on a computer. So many more things go into addiction than just “too much time” spent on something. I hope that this encourages people to really look at the whole situation of a person before scolding them about addiction. It doesn’t hurt to show that tinge on kindness to someone who seems to be doing something in excess, so why can’t we do it? I don’t think it hurts to get the whole story.