After squandering an entire quarter at UC Davis, Jonathan Smith decided to pull the plug on Instant Messenger and other social Web sites.

"I know my weakness," said Smith, a sophomore from Claremont, Calif., now a BYU student. "I refuse to even sign-up for Instant Messenger. I have nothing to do with it."

A recent Reuters article stated between 5 and 10 percent of Internet users may experience Internet obsession to the point of addiction and introduced a condition Dr. Diane M. Wieland called "obsession with the online world," according to Reuters.

The article stated symptoms of Internet obsession may include a disregard for health and appearance; sleep deprivation due to spending extended periods of time online; and decreased physical activity and social interaction with others. Other accompanying symptoms may include dry eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as repetitive motion injuries of the hands and fingers, according to the article.

Weiland said the Internet obsession is much like other generally recognized addictions.

"The 'one more minute' response to being asked to get offline is common and is similar to an alcoholic who says they will quit drinking after 'one more drink,"' said Wieland, who treats patients with Internet obsession at her practice in Lansdale, Pa., according to Reuters.

As is characteristic of other addictions, denial is also a strong player in the obsession, Wieland said

"Denial is strong in Internet addicts who claim they cannot be addicted to a machine," she said.

Smith--who doesn't hesitate to recognize his own addiction as well as that of society in general--said he now only visits two Web sites; one site to send brief e-mails to his father and the other to check up on national news. He said his grades have rebounded since he implemented this personal policy, though he regrets losing so much time to online conversations and retaking classes from that quarter.

He also said he fears others may fall into a similar Internet-induced obsession.

"I preach to people about Instant Messenger," Smith said. "I would say to just avoid it. Don't get stuck in the trap."

Wieland also said craving time on the Web often results in neglect of real-life personal relationships, stated the article.

While the article stated Internet obsession is not yet defined as a true addiction, some BYU students said Internet usage and behavior often does reach an addiction threshold.

Brant Ellsworth, a senior in American Studies, said he thinks the obligation to read and respond to online messages contributes to the obsession. Also, when real-life relationships are replaced with exclusively online ones, it has become an addiction, he said.

"With MySpace and Facebook sites, where people can kind of live their life through the Internet, I can see how it is definitely an addiction," he said.

In fact, Ellsworth said he thinks most people are addicted to the Internet and described what he said is a common scenario.

"It seems like you sit down to use the computer, and you have one [purpose]," he said. "But there is always something you have to do first," he said, describing checking multiple e-mail accounts, online stocks and sports Web sites.

"You just kind of get lost in a maze of Internet sites," he said. "Then you kind of come back to reality and say 'OK, I've checked all my sites, what was I here for?' I always struggle because I don't remember what I was there for originally."

Harold B. Lee Library computer lab assistant, Kristin Hunt said she agreed there is potential to waste time surfing the Internet in the on-campus labs, estimating the time students spend in on-campus labs is split evenly between surfing the Internet and actual academic purposes. Hunt can easily monitor Internet usage through a program called Lab Console, which displays on her computer screen each Web site every user is logged on to.

Hunt said although some may misuse precious study time by downloading music or videos, the benefits of having easy access to Internet-based resources for research far outweigh such hazards.

Likewise, BreeAnn Gwilliam, a senior from Encinitas, Calif., said although Internet addiction may exist, its effects are not all bad, referring to keeping in touch with family members and friends across the country.

"I am addicted to communicating with my family online," she said. "Before we had that Web site, I didn't know anything about a lot of my cousins, and now we are a lot closer because of it."

But after losing an entire quarter to the distractions of Instant Messenger, Smith said he'd rather avoid the temptation of online chatting and instead rely on old-fashioned face-to-face communication, saying that is a more effective means of communicating.

"I would blame it on a lack of ability to communicate by means other than electronic means," he said. "If you can communicate with a person by either talking to them on the phone, or communicating with them verbally, then you should. It's a lot stronger way of communicating."

Copyright Brigham Young University 21 Jun 2006