ExcerptInternet AddictionVisitors to the internet “talk” with anonymous strangers in chat rooms and news groups; “visit” museums and African plains; “kiss,” “hug” and “have sex” by typing into a computer; “swim underwater” in simulated oceans. It’s a new world, all right—one in which we are confronted daily with new emotional issues, or new twists on age-old issues. These three brief vignettes illustrate some of the uncharted waters we are wading in today. Real Life vs. Net Life George spends five to eight hours a day on the Internet talking with a vast assortment of friends in various chat communities. He presents himself alternately as an assertive and confident Casanova, an opinionated scholar or a focused, take-charge businessman. In “real life,” George is none of these. Painfully shy and extremely self-critical, George keeps to himself. “I feel more like myself when I’m online,” he says. But what he really means is, “I feel more like who I wish I was.” |