China Vows to Stamp Out Internet Addiction

The Chinese government is taking internet addiction amongst its youth very seriously. The government is using military-style traning on the unwilling adolescents (14-22) who have been not only dropped off by their parents, but accompanied by them. The parents must remain to be trained as well because their child's addiction is thought of as a result of bad parenting. The training is extremely expensive as well, estimated worth between 3 and 11 months of couple's salaries. One parent interviewed was more than willing to endure the burden, saying her son had bitten and struck her because he wasn't allowed access to the internet earlier that day.
The camps have come under scrutiny for excessively harsh treatment however. Recently a 15 year old was beat to death at an internet addiction clinic located within an army controlled base. The children are restricted from any internet, phone or television usage, of course, and cases of abuse are numerous. They receive medications as well as mild shock treatments, which receives negative feedback from some who say internet addiction should not receive the same treatment as drug or alcohol treatments.
Recently, 14 youth escaped their camp after tying up the supervisor to his bed and jumping into a cab. They were apprehended after trying to ditch the cab without payment and 13 of the escapees have already been returned.
The Chinese government is not only being criticized for the brutality of the camps, but now their intentions behind their crusade against internet addiction is being questioned. Many have now begun saying that the government's true inspiration is to censor what "netizens" can view on the internet.

Chinese boot camps

As we know, the Chinese have been battling internet addiction using a combination of sympathy with discipline, in a military-style boot camp near Beijing. They use a blend of therapy and military drills to help the youth that are addicted to online gaming, internet pornography, cybersex and chats. Li Yanlin says that he watched a student's grades plunge after becoming addicted to internet games. After several weeks of "rehab" the student recognized the falseness of online gaming. The Chinese government are also taking steps in banning new internet cafes and mulling restrictions on violent computer games.

Now, out of that bit that I got from that article, it sounds neat for what the Chinese are trying to do for their youth addicted to the internet. However, I am a libertarian, and I don't think that government has to step in to make these corrections. It is up to the people to decide to do something about it because each one of us is different in every way. However, this should influence the youth to get in this boot camp but on their own will, not against it. I believe that this camp is very helpful, and honestly, it makes better people. But for a government to take these steps like so, I just don't support that.

The government in reality can't do too much because for one, the population in China alone is a lot more than they can count. They can put regulations on certain sites but there is always a way around it for that the education of the youth continues to grow and they will find ways to crack the codes that block certain sites. Think of all the proxy sites the US alone has. I remember in High School when we were at the library, they would have Facebook blocked for students to access, but a friend of mine showed me that you can google the proxy and therefore utilize the proxy and gain access to about any website that the school restricts. We had to be careful because we risked expulsion if we got caught.

The only thing I would say is to just find a way to influence the population into rethinking a step back to change their ways, and not force them against their will. I know a team will only work when everyone is committed, but some you can't force them. If anything, parental influence has a big role in how our youth acts in the first place. I know my parents would beat me if I were to step out of line. If anything, I am the disciplined man that I am today if it weren't for my parents. But thats just me.

                             RAGS TO RICHES

I can understand how online gambling could become an obsession…maybe even an addiction.  In a split second, I was able to pull up countless gambling sites on the Net.  Most of them are quite intriguing.  Flashing lights, welcome bonuses, blackjack, video poker and more.  The list goes on; the temptations never-ending.

Consider this enticing strategy offered by one online promotion for a website:

There are many different strategies for online roulette, but don’t be deceived. Roulette is one of the easiest casino games to understand. Simply place bets on different number and color combinations that appear on the wheel... then cross your fingers.

Inter Casino Seriously Entertaining; Web. 3.24.13 http://www.intercasino.com/games/roulette/

What about a promise of ‘free money’?  The ad below could entice even the most disciplined of souls.

         Receive $1000 for Free Gambling at the Best Free Play Casino

Welcome to the home of free gambling! Yukon Gold Casino is renowned for providing players with the most entertaining, safe and best online gambling experience anywhere on the internet. Setting the standard for free play casinos everywhere, we have won numerous awards from Best New Online Casino to Best Casino Service.

Online gambling is available 24/7, in the comfort of your own home, and you don’t even have to change from your pajamas into regular clothes!  You can simply step out of bed and begin playing…all day long…until midnight or 2am if you wish.  The question is…do most people have the willpower to say no?  Many do, but what about those who don’t?

Addictionhelpcenter.com lists the signs and symptoms of problem gambling:

• You gamble when you win and you still gamble when you lose
• You spend more time online than you plan to spend
• You say you will stop, but when the time comes, you find you are unable to stop
• You spend a lot of time thinking about gambling, or worrying about gambling experiences
• You begin to gamble with more money and larger stakes over time
• You become irritable when you cannot be online or gamble
• You bet in order to escape unpleasant moods or memories
• You try to win money back by gambling even more
• You have lied to friends, family, therapists or your boss about your gambling, or you try to hide your gambling habit
• You have done something illegal in order to make up for losses or to continue gambling
• You have risked or lost a significant relationship in your life because of gambling

According to addictionhelpcenter.com, if three of more of these symptoms apply to you, it may be time to seek help.

Addiction Help Center; Web; 3.24.13 http://www.addictionhelpcenter.com/online-gambling-addiction/

Online Sexual Addiction

Online sexual addictions are a large part of internet addiction.  A cyber sexual addiction is the inability to control compulsively seeking out any online sexual activity despite negative consequences. Online sexual activity can be anything that provides sexuality for the purpose of recreation, entertainment, exploration, support, education, commerce, and/ or seeking out sexual partners [1].

A person who has an online sexual addiction will display characteristics that are common in all internet addictions.  Those are a preoccupation with the internet, they display tolerance over time, they try to stop but they cannot, and show symptoms of withdrawal when they try to stop using the internet.  People addicted to the internet often lose interest in activities that they used to enjoy, lie about the time they spend on the internet, and become socially withdrawn. 

An internet sex addiction is different from internet infidelity.  An internet sex addiction displays the characteristics described above.  Individuals with an internet sex addiction typically have poor interpersonal relationships and they don’t usually have personal thoughts or feeling toward their online sexual activities.  An internet sexual addiction may involve others in a chat room, but it is not about forming relationships.  An internet sex addiction is more about spending a lot of time on the internet searching and viewing online sexual activity.

Internet infidelity involves a relationship with another person in secret behind the back of another partner.  Internet infidelity is not an internet addiction.  It is using the internet to cheat on your partner.  It is less about the time spent online and more about the secret relationship.

[1] Jones, Kathryn, E., and Katherine, M. Hertlein. "Four Key Dimensions For Distinguishing Internet Infidelity From Internet And Sex Addiction: Concepts And Clinical Application." American Journal Of Family Therapy 40.2 (2012): 115-125. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

The Firm's Dilemma

Social media addiction has positive and negative effects in the business world. Firm's globally gain from social media by reaching out to new prospective buyers. It can allow businesses to recognize future demand and to react to it timely.

Advertising is the cash cow for social media networks. To understand how firms around the world mutually benefit from these advertisements, we must understand the concept of the social capital theory. Social capital is the perceived trustworhiness of information shared amongst members of social communities (virtual in our case). Businesses are taking advantage of the social media networks' abilities to build a strong social capital for themselves.

CRM is a large asset to the firm which can benefit directly from positive social capital. Social media greatly enhances a firm's ability to learn how the customer feels about their products or services. This advantage can allow the firm to quickly adapt to any inefficiencies in it's services. This can be very important because it is cheaper to retain a customer than it is to gain a new one.

Social media can be a double-edged sword for the firm, unfortunately. Firm's productivity can suffer from worker's distractions due to their social media addictions. Breaches of companies'  online securitiy has occurred as well, because of careless sharing of information across social media networks. The aggregate misuse of social medias in the workplace can be detrimental to a firm.

Businesses must learn to find a middle ground with social media usage for the future because it's usage is increasing enormously.While firm's can gain revenues from social media, it can lose revenues from distractions in the workplace as well.


ProCon.org."Are Social Networking Sites Good For Our Society?" ProCon.org.(12 Dec. 2012): Web. 2 Mar. 2013. http://www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005134.

Rodriguez, Michael, Robert M. Peterson, and Vijaykumar Krishnan. "Social Media's Influence On Business-To-Business Sales Performance." Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. 32.3 (2012): 365-378. Business Source Complete. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b46fe0c8-561a-4d0d-af9d-c5c9925d9168%40sessionmgr15&vid=6&hid=17.

Could it be unavoidable?

Our generation is full of stuff that people from back in the day could of never imagined having. Back then, it was the old school landlines to communicate via phone. Now we have smart phones, video conferencing, etc. Back then, people would purchase a news paper to know whats going on with the world, and now there are several websites to just look up news such as CNN. For how technology has advanced, we might are naturally addicted to using the internet.

Many companies around the world are connected by the use of the internet. Video conferencing has to be a big part of it. Instead of having to pay for a plane ticket to go to a meeting in China with other executives, you can just set up a video conference from where you are with the use of a computer and a webcam. Most of the other communication is via email. Yeah, you could just text another executive, however, to some, its just not professional.

How do you pay your bills? If you didn't say via internet, your probably lying. What about checking your bank statements other than the statements you receive in the mailbox? You are using the internet. What about certain shopping? I personally look for deals online all the time and get my items delivered to my door.

The biggest point here is what would we be without the internet? We are, in a way, uncontrollably addicted to the internet because it remains in existence, unless if we actually have a zombie apocalypse one of these days when we would have to take other matters into our own hands to stay alive. Ultimately, it is ok if you are addicted to the internet. There is no escape at this point. Technology will continue to advance and were just going to want more of it because it's cool.

It Takes a Village                           March 13, 2013

Do we need to worry about our children’s Internet habits?  According to Matthew Edlund, MD, the answer is yes.  Dr. Edlund puts forth some disturbing results from a Chinese study of 14-21 year olds indicating that Internet addiction can actually change human brains in the same way that drug addiction and gambling do.[1]

In this study of adolescents, MRI’s demonstrated decreased gray matter in the areas of the brain that control decision making and emotion.  White matter, which connects different areas of the brain, appeared disrupted just as it does for those who abuse alcohol and drugs.  This is scary stuff.  It makes you wonder if the changes are permanent.

When it comes right down to it, parents are the ones that must take responsibility by becoming aware, and staying aware, of how much time their children are sitting in front of a computer screen.  The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends no more than 2 hours of TV and/or computer screen time a day.[2]  How many parents are even aware of this recommendation?

We live in a different world today than we did just a short 5 years ago.  Kids who are ‘plugged in’ for too many hours of the day can experience depression, anxiety and nervousness.  Many of them have trouble staying away from the Net even when they try.

I see the present as a time when teachers, parents, grandparents, and even friends will need to be educated about this potentially damaging habit that some of our kids have developed.  The Internet has brought innumerable positives to the general public, but at the same time, overuse has been shown to create problems.  Because we have the ability to ‘log on’ anytime, anywhere, without any controls in place, the possibility for abuse exists.  The temptation for instant gratification that is satisfied by ‘Netting up’ any time of the day or night has proven to be too much for some people to handle.

Guidelines for TV and Internet use should be incorporated into doctors’ plans of care for every office visit our kids make to their Pediatricians.  It has to become an important and essential topic of communication between parents and their children’s physicians if we hope to control the Internet habit.

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[1] “The Kids Can’t Stop: Is Internet Addiction Real?” Psychology Today. n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-rest/201201/the-kids-cant-stop-is-internet-addiction-real

[2] “Teen Depression Linked to Internet Overuse”. US News. n.d. Web 5 Aug. 2010. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-parenting/2010/08/05/teen-depression-linked-to-internet-overuse