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Burke 1 The Internet Has Ruined Society By: Bella Burke Professor Fernandez ENG 102 27 February 2023

Burke 2 The first of January 1983 is the day the internet was invented, also known as the day society took a turn for the worst. While the internet has had an immense impact positively on society in the grand scheme of things, it has drastically torn apart society. To be able to comprehend the changes that the internet has brought society is extremely difficult. Going from landlines to personal Artificial Intelligence; instead of walking to the library for information, it is right at your fingertips. The internet has destroyed the concept of critical thinking, it has both crippled and taken over humanity. Society turns to the internet for almost everything in their lives and you could even argue that the internet is a drug. Drug is defined as “ any psychoactive substance that can alter the way the mind or body works”, this can also define the internet. Its addicting, the average screen time in America is 8-12 hours. The internet has created such a dramatic shift in society it is hard to know what is real or not, people lose sight of who they are while the internet and social media convince them what ‘normal’ is. We have also lost all sight of interpersonal relationships as well. The internet has ruined society by becoming a addiction, causing depression, health issues, lowering self-esteem, leading to unrealistic expectations, running interpersonal relationships and causing the rise in obesity. Since the creation of the internet in 1983, more and more people have become addicted to it. The internet is society’s most addicting drug and people cannot get away from it. Digital Disturbance states, “Young (1998) describes Internet addiction as an im- pulse-control disorder, much like those related to drugs and alcohol usage, which involves being online for an average of 38 or more hours per week. These individuals derive satisfaction and gratification as they compulsively check their e-mails, browse Internet sites, or pursue other technology-centered activities, such as gaming and gam- bling, and are often unable to control the desire to be on- line.” (Haughton). In other words, the internet is self-consuming and at times unescapable. A

Burke 3 study by UC Davis highlights, “ Addicts struggle to control their behavior, causing a sense of despair, leading them to dive further in their addictive pattern. After some time, addicts become dependent on cyberspace to feel normal” (UC Davis). Consequently, the internet could cause people to feel abnormal unless they are in the cyber space. Furthermore, depression and anxiety cases have only risen and caused more destruction since its creation. Springer states, “Contrary to this finding research carried out with university students, a significant positive correlation was found between problematic Internet use and negative emotions, such as anxiety, depression, and sadness” (Senol-Durak). To explain, people who use the internet obsessively are more likely to become depressed or anxious. The Australian Christian College states, “evidence suggests that excessive use negatively impacts self-esteem and life satisfaction. It’s also linked to an increase in mental health problems and suicidality” (Auld). In other words, looking at the internet compulsively can lead to low self-esteem from comparison. Often teenagers who are on the internet will perceive their lives to look a certain way because of what other people post on the internet. Some people will compare their lives to other people on the internet with will only lead to higher unrealistic expectations which could lead to depression. Besides the detrimental mental health issues, it also plays a factor in physical health issues as well. An article titled “ How Internet Addiction Can Affect Your Physical Health ” says, “Internet addiction can wreak havoc on your sleep as you are unable to resist turning off your computer; there’s always another page to refresh, another link to visit, another message board to post on” (Waterson). The internet can affect your health in many ways but possibly the most prominent being the loss of sleep. Not being able to fall asleep or not experiencing high quality sleep decreases your melatonin levels which could lead to more issues. CareSpot states

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Burke 4 “According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), a significant number of patients complain about eye strain, as well as neck and back pain in association with using a computer or mobile device” (Unknown). Looking at the internet or your screen for too long could lead to your eyes not being able to adjust to different lights. Protective eye wear such as blue light glasses could potentially help, but most people do not wear. One of the most prominent issues in society today is obesity. The internet plays a prime role in the obesity problem in today’s world. In “Introducing the Issue” it states, “Theories abound the ‘epidemic’ in childhood obesity has been the attributed to various factors increases in television and computer game use that have led to a new generation of couch potatoes” (Paxson). To further explain, the internet plays a big role in obesity by creating ‘couch potatoes’ which are people who instead of being active decide to stay inside on the internet. An article about childhood obesity states, “The evidence to date suggests that screen media exposure leads to obesity in children and adolescents via three main mechanisms: (1) increased eating while using screens, leading to greater calorie intake (2) seeing advertising for high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and beverages that alters children’s preferences” (Unknown). The high exposure to the internet has affected society to increase obesity through advertisements. While people surf the internet, they come across foods ads that promote very unhealthy foods leading people to want to eat this unhealthy food because it is so promoted. Society would rather play sports games online rather participating in the physical activity of sports. Now more than ever people are communicating online. While people do connect on the internet it also ruins interpersonal communication. Pew Research Center states, “There are worries that relationships that exist in text — or even screen-to-screen on flickering webcams — are less satisfying than those in which people can really see, hear, smell, and touch each other”

Burke 5 (Pew). The internet causes people to connect more online than they would in person which research shows is less satisfying than seeing each other and connecting in person. Good Therapy states, “Technology can be an effective distraction in the current moment, over a long period of time, and even in its absence. According to a 2015 poll of 453 adults across the United States, nearly half of all respondents reported being distracted by their phones in the presence of a romantic partner” (Staff). Technology ruins interpersonal relationships because the time spent connecting to people is actually time spent on the phone while with people. Lastly, people view their lives with unrealistic standards. This is a direct cause of the modern-day internet. In an article titled “Influencers Set Unrealistic Expectations” states, “ Millions of their followers see perfection and assume that their life is flawless. Viewers take that perfect lifestyle and question why their own life isn't similar . These parts of social media can exacerbate toxic environments for younger children, as it sets unrealistic standards in all aspects of their lives” (Sant). Social media platforms such as snapchat and TikTok take the attention of many young people now of days. Children see their favorite influencers move across the country to a big city, buy shinny things or new cars and expect their lives to be just like that. While that could happen for some it is also a very unrealistic view for most that could just set kids up for failure in the future. Edu Minatti states, “ This social media creates unrealistic expectations of life and friendship in their minds. It can create a negative impact on the sense of self-worth, confidence, and wellbeing” (Wilson). The use of social media and the internet today has severely caused people to compare themselves to what ‘their lives should be’ instead of being grateful for the life they have which causes negative impacts in people’s lives.

Burke 6 On the contrary, the internet helps society by making knowledge quick and available. While many can argue that this is true, and the internet does in fact make knowledge more available than ever more people are also experiencing more fake news. Unpacking Fake News states , “In the immediate aftermath of the 22 May 2017 Manchester terrorist attack, there was a significant circulation of fake news carried out by various groups and individuals. These ranged from the malicious (trolls) to the ignorant and misinformed…also several other false stories, including claims of a man with a gun outside the Royal Oldham Hospital, situated near the scene of the attack (Vasu). The internet makes knowledge more available than ever, but at what cost? If the knowledge people are putting on the internet is fake than we are creating more chaos in the world. A perfect example of this is states, “ almost 80 percent of consumers in the United States reported having seen fake news on the coronavirus outbreak, highlighting the extent of the issue and the reach fake news can achieve” (Watson). The COVID 19 pandemic already had society in a frenzy and as people are trying to gain more knowledge about this pandemic 80 percent of them experienced fake news. This is a perfect example that the knowledge on the internet can actually create more harm than good because a lot of it is fake. All in all, the internet has done more bad than good in today’s society. Some examples of this are how it is addicting, causes anxiety and depression, is the reason for the rise in obesity, lowering self-esteem, leads to unrealistic views of life, ruins interpersonal relationships and causes physical health issues as well. Change and evolution is inevitable. The change that has occurred with the internet was relatively fast and powerful. Although we cannot slow this change down because the internet is going to continue to evolve, we need to ensure that is not going to tear us apart. We must not let the internet take away our critical thinking and our relationship. We

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Burke 7 need to shift our focus from the internet taking over our lives to instead, how can the internet better our lives?

Burke 8 Work Cited Acc. “Social Media and Low Self-Esteem.” ACC Blog , Australian Christian College Blog, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.acc.edu.au/blog/social-media-low-self-esteem/. “Does My Internet Usage Affect My Health?: Medicine or Malarkey.” CareSpot Family of Urgent Care Brands , 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.carespot.com/blog/does-internet-usage- affect-your-health/#:~:text=Headaches%2C%20blurred%20vision%2C%20dry %20eye,14%20hours%20per%20week%20online . Eduminattiofficial. “Social Media Set Unrealistic Standards in Society.” Medium , Medium, 12 Dec. 2020, https://eduminattiofficial.medium.com/social-media-set-unrealistic-standards- in-society-eb5a6dc599c5#:~:text=UNREALISTIC%20EXPECTATIONS%3A&text=This %20social%20media%20creates%20unrealistic,increasing%20false%20expectations %20and%20jealousy. Haughton, Noela A., et al. “Digital Disturbances, Disorders, and Pathologies: A Discussion of Some Unintended Consequences of Technology in Higher Education.” Educational Technology , vol. 53, no. 4, 2013, pp. 3–16. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/44430163. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023. “How Does Social Media Affect Relationships?” Medical News Today , MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/social-media-and-relationships. “Internet Addiction.” Internet Addiction | Student Health and Counseling Services , https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/health-topic/internet-addiction. Haughton, Noela A., et al. “Digital Disturbances, Disorders, and Pathologies: A Discussion of Some Unintended Consequences of Technology in Higher Education.” Educational Technology , vol. 53, no. 4, 2013, pp. 3–16. JSTOR ,, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41476503. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023 . “Obesity.” Children and Screens , 27 Dec. 2017, https://www.childrenandscreens.com/findings/obesity/#:~:text=The%20evidence%20to %20date%20suggests,beverages%20that%20alters%20children's%20preferences%2C . Staff, GoodTherapy.org. “3 Ways Technology Can Negatively Impact Your Relationships.” GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog , 12 Oct. 2017, https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/3-ways- technology-can-negatively-impact-your-relationships-0919167#:~:text=2.%20Distraction. Paxson, Christina, and Ron Haskins. “Introducing the Issue.” The Future of Children , vol. 19, no. 2, 2009, pp. 3–17. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/27795045. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.

Burke 9 Vasu, Norman, et al. “Unpacking Fake News.” FAKE NEWS: NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA , S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 2018, pp. 5–9. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep17648.5. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023. Waterson, Liz. “How Internet Addiction Can Effect Your Physical Health.” Alta Mira Recovery , Alta Mira Recovery, 9 Oct. 2020, https://www.altamirarecovery.com/blog/somatic-symptoms- internet-addiction-damaging-physical-health/. Watson, Amy. “Topic: Fake News in the U.S.” Statista , https://www.statista.com/topics/3251/fake-news/#topicHeader__wrapper. “What Is the Internet Doing to Relationships?” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech , Pew Research Center, 31 Dec. 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2006/01/25/what-is-the-internet-doing-to- relationships/.

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