John Yi
CATW Prompt
“An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness”
We do spend a lot of time with our devices, and some studies have suggested that
excessive dependence on cellphones and the Internet is akin to an addiction. Web
sites like NetAddiction.com offer self-assessment tests to determine if technology
has become a drug. Among the questions used to identify those at risk: Do you
neglect housework to spend more time online? Are you frequently checking your e-
mail? Do you often lose sleep because you log in late at night? If you answered
“often” or “always,” technology may be taking a toll on you.
In a study to be published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social
Networking, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia subjected
173 college students to tests measuring risk for problematic Internet and gambling
behaviors. About 5 percent of the students showed signs of gambling problems, but
10 percent of the students posted scores high enough to put them in the at-risk
category for Internet “addiction.” Technology use was clearly interfering with the
students’ daily lives, but it may be going too far to call it an addiction, says Nicki
Dowling, a clinical psychologist who led the study. Ms. Dowling prefers to call it
“Internet dependence.”
The problem is similar to an eating disorder, says Dr. Kimberly Young, a professor
at St. Bonaventure University in New York who has led research on the addictive
nature of online technology. Technology, like food, is an essential part of daily life,
and those suffering from disordered online behavior cannot give it up entirely and
instead have to learn moderation and controlled use. She suggests therapy to
determine the underlying issues that set off a person’s need to use the Internet “as
a way of escape.” “Texting and I.M.’ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of
comfort,” wrote one student. “When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite
alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of
students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology
was almost unbearable.”
Tara Parker-Pope,2010
WritingDirections
Readthepassageaboveandwriteanessayrespondingtotheideasitpresents.Inyouressay,be
suretosummarizethepassageinyourownwords,statingtheauthor’smostimportantideas.
Developyouressaybyidentifyingoneideainthepassagethatyoufeelisespeciallysignificant,and
explainitssignificance.Supportyourclaimswithevidenceorexamplesdrawnfromwhatyouhave
read,learnedinschool,and/orpersonallyexperienced.
