Читать книгу Overcoming Internet Addiction For Dummies - David N. Greenfield - Страница 21

No discussion of online addiction would be complete without a discussion of pornography. In terms of reasons for people seeking treatment and general complaints about Internet addiction, it is on the top of the list along with video gaming.

In some sense, the pornography and adult entertainment industry contributed to the early development and adoption of the Internet. The porn industry spearheaded some of the first examples of using the Internet to provide online adult entertainment to users and was an early example of effective e-commerce. The ease of access, disinhibition, dissociation, privacy, and perceived anonymity of the Internet makes it a near-perfect medium for pornography, and the fact that there are no boundaries and endless choices further facilitates the potential for addictive use. Of those who use online porn, most report overusing it at times, and a sizable percentage feel addicted to it at least part of the time.

Many other sexual behaviors are also available online that can become addictive, including visiting webcam sites, watching private video shows, engaging in video/phone sex, and websites featuring various form of real-time sex work. In addition, there are numerous hook-up and sex sites that use an online platform to connect buyers and sellers of these services, as well as prostitution. Again, many of these activities existed prior to the Internet, but the Internet is a clear amplifier and facilitator, and makes the use and abuse of these behaviors all too easy. When it comes to sex, you have a double hit in that sex is one of the primary reward drives in the brain, and along with the addictive medium of the Internet, there can be an amplification of the addictive risk potential.