At ZARZA we wanted to address this topic with the seriousness of a round table, where the ZARZA Engineers have shared their experiences and managed to outline an interesting thesis that we share in this article, which seeks, in addition to being a clear reality, to be an advantage and a therapy for those who, like many, suffer from the so-called IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder), or Trastorno de Adicción a Internet in Spanish.
Cyberaddiction, a reality with two sides
The discussion begins amid smiles and jokes in the monthly Multipoint Videoconference session, attended by more than 70 ZARZA Engineers, representing among them 32 countries where ZARZA has Engineers stationed, ready to satisfy our select client portfolio; and it is then, when the Forum finally opens, bearing the title of this article, “Cyberaddiction, welcome to the Support Group”.
After a brief introduction, one by one they began to share their experiences and comments, grouping them into two major trends: personal experiences and client experiences; and collectively we managed to identify two types of practical conditions within Cyberaddiction, which vary depending on the focus and situation of each person.
Passive Cyberaddiction, the problem of idleness
The negative aspects of any addiction are recognized by the isolation of individuals, the negative impact on family members and the failure to meet the needs of dependents. This is the case of people who spend hours and hours in front of the computer feeding external databases, by using, for example, social networks or interactive games, where their participation is not remunerated and, on the contrary, they become the ideal type of user for any web project.
They click on ads, fill out forms and surveys, participating in the viralization of content, enriching third parties who also obtain their time completely free of charge.
This type of passive cyberaddiction is the one into which most people fall, victims of the excess of options to “kill time on the net”, who invest their time and efforts in something that does not turn into food in their pantry, and therefore does not increase the numbers in their savings account, nor does it serve to pay the mortgage, for example.
Active Cyberaddiction, the ideal social excuse
Active Cyberaddiction is in itself, like the previous one, an addiction. The difference is that it is practically the one suffered by all information technology professionals, since they are connected to mobile devices most of the time and this is their source of income, study and/or generation of benefits.
An addict will always be an addict, but they can control the habitFundación Krysallis
Framing the matter this way, the professional whose time on the Internet is remunerated and who makes a living from their activities in front of the computer, or using digital media as the channel of their trade, is not exempt from coming home and looking for a computer to play games, to keep up with social networks and/or to carry out any activity that keeps them tied to electronic media.
This type of Active Cyberaddiction is, unlike the passive kind, somewhat more dangerous, since one receives “a sponsorship” that feeds the behavior, which requires additional maturity to overcome Cyberaddiction and become a person who achieves a balance between their virtual, collective and social life.
Therapy and methods to overcome Cyberaddiction
Offline activities: In both cases, pursuing activities outside digital media is a necessary step to maintain a balance. Without a doubt, experts agree that sports activities together with a good diet become, once again, allies of the Cyberaddict and allow the modern professional, or the person in general who identifies with cyberaddiction, to stay healthy.
- Productivity and focus: The ZARZA Engineers agree that when they sit down in front of a computer they do so to work, generally to administer and/or diagnose an Information Technology device and thereby generate resources to maintain their lifestyle. This situation speaks to working and making our time as “victims” of cyberaddiction a generator of activities we can monetize, whether through the sale and creation of services, or by using it as a method of study and research. We must keep our time focused.
- Look for “old-school” hobbies: Pastimes are something necessary for human beings, and engaging in any kind of activity that brings us fun, that allows us to unwind and interact, is in principle an excellent method to separate our focus on fun from the time we invest on the Internet.
- Work by and for yourself: We are not speaking directly of entrepreneurship, but rather of not wasting our time on the Internet, where we are probably generating resources for others through our actions… In the end, these sites become like “dealers” of the drug that generates our cyberaddiction.
- Balance between being and desiring: We must frame ourselves within one simple question… Is what I am doing the result of what I desire? And thus we will know whether we are directing our efforts to where we have ever envisioned ourselves.
Support Group for Cyberaddiction
At ZARZA we are committed to the minority of experts who consider Cyberaddiction a real problem, and we base our position on the comments and experiences of our own clients, who face daily the fact that their own collaborators, children and family members spend dozens of hours in front of the computer, and their logs only show access to social networking sites and p2p file-sharing networks, and that this is being considered a factor in dismissals and limited growth.
It is for the above that we say to all those who have identified with what we have shared in this post: you are not alone, we are here to show you how a Cyberaddiction can be turned into discipline, dedication and collective success, always grounded in our individual beliefs and in the goals of our clients and friends.
