By Katie Tercek
Contributing Writer
TEDxBuffalo, a branch of TED talks, invited Dr. Kimberly Young, a journalism and mass communication professor at St. Bonaventure University, to speak on Oct. 14, 2014.
“TED,” which stands for technology, entertainment and design coverage, was founded in 1984 and enables people to share their ideas through short talks.
Young’s talk titled, “What You Need to Know About Internet Addiction,” focused on why the Internet is so addicting.
According to Young, she became inspired by Internet addiction because of an incident that she experienced.
“In 1995 my friend’s husband became addicted to America Online chat rooms with other women,” Young said. “His addictions then lead to a divorce with his wife.”
According to Young, boundaries must be made when it comes to who should and should not have access to technology. In today’s world, 2 year olds can even be seen on the Internet and children are becoming more and more dependent on their electronic devices.
Young said, “We are all connected with and live with electronic noise.”
When asked if, overall, Internet addiction is genetic, she said, “Studies have showed that Internet addiction is the same as if someone was to have a gambling or drinking problem.”
The only difference with an Internet addiction is that it feels good in the moment because the Internet is not fattening or illegal, according to Young. Because of this, the Internet becomes a lot more enticing to the public. This helps us better understand the fact that the older generation has the same chance of being addicted to the Internet as the younger generation, Young said.
“I asked students how they get their news, and I would say that 99.9 percent of them say they read blogs,” Young said.
According to Young, students have to remember that these blogs are opinions, and not necessarily the best credited sources. Although the nightly news is not in the palm of our hands like a lot would like, it is a much more credible source.
This is one of the many problems with Internet addictions, said Young. Since addicts are so wrapped up in the Internet, they end up becoming blind to the outside world. They’re reading news that may not be true.
According to Young’s story, the Internet can actually ruin a marriage and cause a variety of problems. The Internet has an effect on everyone who partakes in it. Young’s goal is to find a treatment for this rapidly evolving problem.
Young’s talk can be viewed on YouTube under the TEDx Talks channel.
