Online Activities Vs. Personality Disorder

I read an article this afternoon, which regards to the psychological disorder like depression when people spend too much time using computers and the Internet communications such as the MSN. With the rapid improvment of the computer and Internet service, more and more people devote their whole time to involving and develpoing online relationships. Accourding to the lecture on the week 9, Smith (March, 8, 2005) states that online relationship is good at the capacity for people to have easy intimacy as well as projection and enable them to escape the face-to-face communication. However, the online relationship is also bad at its losing touch with the reality and if people spend too much time working on it, they will become additive and cause multiple personality disorder. Although the MSN is convenient in converying instant messages and overcoming the problem of distance communication, it's negative effect is isolate peopole from the real world interaction.

The article I read also points out that base on the idea of the individualism in the western society, more and more people seeking the individual world and privacy of the electronic communication since people tend to live alone after 19. When people stay at home alone, they tend to spend most of their time using the compouters and Internet communications. Due to lack of the face-to-face communication and interpersonal touthes in a real world community, more and more pepole suffer from the depression (Lasn and Bruce, 2000). Moreover, Lasn and Bruce (2000) quote a note from the "New York Time" that "when you spend your time on the Internet, you don't hear a human voice and you never get a hug." Moreover, they point out that "an online 'community' can't possibly substitute for a real community, because the essential things that makes a community a community are absent." Indulging themselves in the electronic world, people will become anxious and escape or isolate themselves from the real world communication, further will cause the depression.

Reference,

Simth, R (March, 8, 2005). Week 9: Relationship. Presented at a CMNS 253 lecture at Simon Fraser University

Lasn, K. and Bruce. (2000). Malignant sadness: American psyche. 31-38.