Netphobia and its Effects

As strange as the concept may sound, “Netphobia” is a new word enshrined in my vocabulary (looking forward to having it licensed); which means fear of not having the internet at one’s disposal. It is a new concept that seriously has many effects on internet users (especially those addicted to the web). Hence, the essence of this article is to bring to the notice of the readers, some of the effects netphobia come with and suggest possible ways to curb this phenomenon.

Going forward, as difficult it seems to have predicted the advent of the internet before its inception, Alan Turing, the man who broke the Nazi communications code in World War II, did just that in the 1940s when he imagined a machine that could complete the function of all others. The internet has now become that machine; printing press, clock, map, calculator, phone, library, radio, satellite, TV and a host of others.
Since it has so many functions, we end up spending a great deal of time interacting with it. Research has it that about 24,500 adults spent most of their leisure time on the web on daily basis. In view of this, Neil Postman opines that the internet has limited our memory so much so an average adult finds it difficult to do things manually except with the aid of the internet. Imagine a university graduate (accounting student) who finds it difficult to balance a company’s account or audit an account for big firms except via the help of aided gadgets. The world of internet has actually subjected so many people to mental enslavement. But then, that is a subjective view.

Having established a clear background on the subject matter, I would like to further look at the word “Netphobia” distinctly. The word ‘Netphobia’ revolves around two keywords… ‘Net’ and ‘Phobia,’ the latter means a system that interconnects a number of users while the former means the fear of or the aversion to something. Concurrently, it is the fear of not having system that interconnects one with other web users across the globe. It is a new concept (though not generally accepted) that focuses on how the internet has so much controlled our day-to-day activities and revolving around all aspects of our lives. Based on findings, many people actually find it difficult to do things successfully without engaging the internet within their reach. Most times, they prefer using the web as a medium to save time and energy while neglecting the aftermath effect it causes in the long run. Do not get it wrong, I’m not saying the web is totally not beneficial but am of the opinion that advocates a striking balance between the use of the internet and vice-versa. Thus, it is essential that we structure our increasingly digital lives in a manner that allows us to alternate between making use of the web and withdrawing from it. The effects of the internet on our brain has altered the way we process information.

Subsequently, many find it difficult to read methodologically (from left to right and top to bottom) and prefer the unstructured way of reading, scanning the page for pertinent information.

Another striking effect is that there has been a drastic reduction in deep thinking to what we now have today as a linear notion of thinking (one-way thinking). Generally, people hardly focus on developing their thinking skills that matter most but prefer to making things happen within a short time. The society we are living now is the dispensation, where everything must be done in a digital way (by employing the fastest medium of getting things done) and not the traditional way it used to be which is usually time-consuming. Thus, there is a high wave of digital imperialism on addicted internet users across all spheres of the globe.
More often than not, inventors engage themselves to more deep thinking than shallow thinking, which in turn help to shape the world we find ourselves today.

Conclusively, we should employ the technique of using the internet to solve a problem created by using the internet too much. We must not be consumers alone but rather work towards becoming producers as well. Another powerful tool for making the best use of our brain is meditation via reflection on the next set of actions ahead of us. We must subject our brain to deep reflection and must never limit what we can do.

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