>It's 2014, I thought the sillyness about being addicted to video games and computer was over. Apparently not.
What makes you say computers are not addictive? Or video games?
If we define addiction as being able to stop despite wanting to, then I've been addicted to both. I went cold turkey on video games.
The computer I need for business, research and connecting to people so I've had to devise ways to minimize it's compulsive powers while still getting the upside of using them.
I run an internet business. I am not a luddite. Computers are wonderfully useful machines, and I'm glad we have them.
But just because something is good doesn't mean it's also bad. You can't dismiss the experience of millions with a trite statement. I once wrote an article on going without internet for a month on my personal blog, and it's by far the most popular. It even hit the top of Hacker News.
From talking with friends, some seem immune to this distraction. Others clearly suffer from it. Perhaps you are one of the fortunate ones who can use computers and the internet without compulsion. That doesn't mean you can blithely ignore the testimony of others.
If computers aren't compulsive, then why was this XKCD popular: http://xkcd.com/1411/
> If we define addiction as [not] being able to stop despite wanting to,
That's not a poor definition for addiction. That's a definition of a habit. Addiction tends to include "drug seeking behaviour"; and tolerance; and perhaps withdrawal too.
In practice, an addiction is merely a habit that is not wanted, whether by the self or others. We acknowledge that gambling can be an addiction, yet an addiction to a game or to internet browsing is taken much less seriously.
What makes you say computers are not addictive? Or video games?
If we define addiction as being able to stop despite wanting to, then I've been addicted to both. I went cold turkey on video games.
The computer I need for business, research and connecting to people so I've had to devise ways to minimize it's compulsive powers while still getting the upside of using them.
I run an internet business. I am not a luddite. Computers are wonderfully useful machines, and I'm glad we have them.
But just because something is good doesn't mean it's also bad. You can't dismiss the experience of millions with a trite statement. I once wrote an article on going without internet for a month on my personal blog, and it's by far the most popular. It even hit the top of Hacker News.
From talking with friends, some seem immune to this distraction. Others clearly suffer from it. Perhaps you are one of the fortunate ones who can use computers and the internet without compulsion. That doesn't mean you can blithely ignore the testimony of others.
If computers aren't compulsive, then why was this XKCD popular: http://xkcd.com/1411/
And why did Paul Graham write these essays?
http://paulgraham.com/distraction.html http://www.paulgraham.com/addiction.html