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Faculty Forum
The Pervasive Subtle Effects of Internet/ Smartphone/Facebook Addiction
DR. BETH SITES, PH.D., PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY
In every generation, people have developed addictions — often to nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and/or drugs. This new generation, however, has the physical and biochemical draw toward the addictive nature of technology. Psychologically, they yearn for self-esteem and a sense of well-being; sociologically, they are modeled and peer-pressured to be on their phones and computers; and spiritually, they yearn to fill the God-shaped void in their lives. As Weinstein et al. (2014) assert, “Problematic Internet use (PIU) or Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges, or behaviors regarding Internet use that lead to impairment or distress” (p. 99).
Physically, internet addiction leads to sleep deprivation, and scientists have found neurological effects for people who spend hours a day on technology. Hart and Frejd (2013) remark,
There is a part of the brain called the hippocampus that manufactures more than a million new brain cells every day. Neurologists have now embraced the concept that the brain is plastic and can even repair itself. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity and refers to the brain’s susceptibility to change under certain conditions, such as changes in behavior, in our environment, or after the loss of certain parts of the brain. (p. 59) Psychologically, internet addicts experience emotional depression and anxiety, often removing themselves from face-to-face contact to escape to the internet (Young, 2007). Internet addiction is currently not classified in the DSM-V (Hafner, 2010). Scott et al. (2017) described the discussion that occurred as the DSM-V was being written. The authors only included “Internet Gaming Disorder as a condition for further study. Gambling disorder remains the only nonsubstance related disorder included as an addictive disorder in the DSM-5” (p. 613). In the debate, some stressed the fact that many people have to use technology long hours for work, so they focused on the comorbidity of technology use with other psychological conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or ADHD. Thus, there was caution about placing an internet addiction diagnosis that may, in fact, be the comorbid disorder seen in the natural setting of the use of technology. Sociologically, problems often develop with inabilities to interact with others face-to-face, lower grades in school, and difficulties at work. “The Facebook world, even if it is employed to stay connected with offline friends and family members . . . may contribute to the aggravation of existing problems or result in the emergence of new problems” (Brailovskaia et al., 2018, p. 9). Yuchang et al. (2017) studied the correlation of smartphone addiction with dysfunctional attitudes and self-esteem. They found that “anxious attachment style positively predicted smartphone addiction . . . negative core beliefs about themselves and others and greater anxiety in relationships” (p. 1131). With the focusing of one’s attention on others’ seemingly “perfect” lives, viewers often develop depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It often causes problems in relationships in marriages and families. As they prioritize online friends, face-to-face friendships are neglected. “There are researchers who also believe that life in the digital world is causing us to lose our ‘depth’ — our depth of thinking, contemplation, feeling, and emotions, as well as depth in our relationships and work” (Hart & Frejd, 2013, p. 43). Spiritually, people are both internally motivated and shaped
by the environment (Powlison, 1995). When “something or someone besides Jesus the Christ takes title to your heart’s trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear and delight” (Powlison, 1995, p. 35), that is called idolatry. “Idolatry is a problem both rooted deeply in the human heart and powerfully impinging on us from our social environment” (Powlison, 1995, p. 38).
TREATMENT
Behavioral treatment: Many educators and those involved in the technology industry use preventive and interventionist actions in choosing to send their children to schools that do not have computers but “[focus] on physical activity, interpersonal engagement, and learning through creative, hands-on tasks” (Hart & Frejd, 2013, p. 52). Cognitive behavioral therapy is often the treatment of choice for internet addicts. Some treat it pharmacologically and even use “electro-acupuncture with psychological intervention on cognitive function and event-related potentials” (Weinstein et al., 2014, p. 108). Biblical counseling: Biblical counselors approach internet addiction with a biblical worldview. “No psychology has conceptual resources adequate to make sense of the interface between responsible behavior, a shaping social milieu, and a heart which is both self-deceived and life-determining” (Powlison, 1995, p. 38). The deep question of motivation is not “What is motivating me?” The final question is “Who is the master of this pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior?” In the biblical view, people are religious, inevitably bound to one god or another. People do not have needs. We have masters, lords, gods — be they oneself, other people, valued objects, or even Satan (Powlison, 1995, p. 39).
CONCLUSION
A full biblical analysis of social problems would be a “psychosocial-spiritual-somatic-volitional-experiential” analysis. To understand the exact weight of each variable is, obviously, to quest after something which is — from a human point of view, the intentions of social scientists not withstanding! — ultimately elusive. But the Bible’s answer is always powerfully applicable: turning from idols to the living God, renewal of mind and heart in the truth, activities captured in shorthand by the phrase, “repentance and faith” (Powlison, 1995, p. 47). Finally, something to consider — as mentioned earlier, I have taught behavior modification for years and have had many groups of students do an ABAB experiment focusing on their smartphone or social media addiction. They are often shocked at the time they have wasted on devices when they do their baseline observation. They choose various treatment methods that work for them. Inevitably, as their time online has decreased, they report being happier, having better relationships with friends and family, with higher GPAs, getting more sleep, and spending more time with the Lord. They report being more at peace and wanting to tell their still addicted friends that getting off of the devices is a wonderful event in their physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual lives.
Excerpt with permission from John S. Knox, Matters of the Dark, Kendall-Hunt, 2020
