weekly bulletin2

[Coloow]

assalamu calaykum, back from vacation, I noticed Baashi's topic. BAASHI MAHADSANID SXB!

 

here comes part two of my earlier article on internet addiction:

 

 

The growing body of research in the area of addiction suggests that Internet

Addiction Disorder (IAD), a psycho physiological disorder involving tolerance; withdrawal

Symptoms; affective disturbances; and interruption of social relationships, is a presenting problem that is becoming more common in society as on-line usage increases by the day.

 

With the growing importance of the Internet to Somalis everywhere, in everyday life, more and more people are accessing various on-line resources each day. The World Wide Web is informative, convenient, resourceful, and fun. For some people though--the addicted--these benefits are becoming detriments. There are varying opinions on the subject, especially among those who utilize the Internet. Some say that the Internet can be addicting, to the point that it disturbs one's life and the lives of those around him. Others say that there is no such thing as Internet Addiction Disorder-- getting pleasure out of a computer is not the same as getting pleasure from cocaine or any other drug. Whether there is or is not a bona fide disorder, the Internet is disrupting many people's lives.

 

Take the example of Cabdi, a 45-year-old Somali, who came to Canada in 1987 as a refugee. Cabdi is a father of four, a self confessed addict whose live evolves around the Internet. He says”

“I bought my first computer in 1999 when a friend to me that I could learn a lot. I was working par time by then so; I did not have any problem borrowing the money. We bought our computer, installed it. We asked a friend of ours to help us understand the machine. He showed us somalinet, BBC etc. and told us that we could chat with Somalis everywhere. Not knowing about the dangers, I taught my wife how to chat. We logged on using our real names, willing to give our cyber friends our e-mails. After a few months I noticed that our whole life evolved around chatting. We had more friends chatting than in real world. Six months later and my marriage collpapsed. Asha, my wife had apparently met some cyber friends and I had by now learnt lying, about my age, name and what I do for a living. I had nearly 10 somali women who send messages everyday and told me they loved me”

 

Jamaac 32 and a computer scientist confesses to writing and participating in forums. He says, “ well, well, I have no idea how it started but what I know is that my nickname is more famous than my real person. I log on to forums, use foul language, just to get attention. Tribalism is my best topic. As a Somali, we have are part of a clan-based society. I am not realistic but it gives me excitement when people reply to threads.”

 

What are the signs? This ten-item survey is designed to test online surfers' tendency to become addicted to the Internet:

* Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet or online services and think about it while off line?

* Do you feel a need to spend more and more time online to achieve satisfaction?

* Are you unable to control your online use?

* Do you feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop your online use?

* Do you go online to escape problems or relieve feelings such as helplessness, guilt, anxiety or depression?

* Do you lie to family members or friends to conceal how often and how long you stay online?

* Do you risk the loss of a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of your online use?

* Do you keep returning even after spending too much money on online fees?

* Do you go through withdrawal when offline, such as increased depression, moodiness, or irritability?

* Do you stay online longer than originally intended?

If you scored between 0-3 `yes' answers on this survey, you probably have very little chance of becoming addicted to the Internet.

If you scored 4 'yes' answers, you may or may not have a tendency to become addicted to the Internet. If you scored 5 or 6 'yes' answers, you may have a greater chance of developing a problem.

If you gave 7-9 'yes' answers, you may very well be addicted to the Internet.

 

Signs of Internet Addiction in Workplace & Employee Behavior

* Noticeable decline in work performance

* Preoccupation with the Internet

* Stay late at work to use the Internet

* Make an increased number of errors and mistakes

* Sudden withdrawal from co-workers

[raula]

Zha Blong Xiong -the light of the Hmong community---"After all, in less than 20 years Xiong has gone from being a refugee who spoke no English to becoming the first Hmong tenure-track professor at the University of Minnesota, and the first at a major research university in the United States. "

Read more here :-http://www.gen.umn.edu/programs/communications/access/fa04/impact.htm

 

cheers.

[Coloow]

Raula, Jambo, congrats to Zha Blong Xiong. He is an inspiration.

[raula]

^^^Jambo sana ndugu. Yes quite an inspiration for the tribe. I see him during work almost everyday-very tranquil and professional individual.

 

Salaamz.

[Alle-ubaahne]

I guess a very important case to study about the subject of internet disorder is the Paltalk users. I sometimes join in there, and find many people who are very obssessed in paltalk and overly use it. Most of them, i believe, had already developed the internet syndrome, which they mainly utilize the chatting sections.

 

The excessive use of internet, from somali perspective, I think has alot to do with the quest of searching friends, and that indeed plays a significant role. I sometimes hear people marrying after meeting over cyber chattings.

 

Somalis are not alone in this case, however, stock brokers do develop this type of disorders, since their work revolves on the internet. Yes, we need to find some solutions for these emerging problems. And one of the effective solutions to tackle from the excessive use of internet is to discourage people from this habit, by linking some fear to it. That fear could be blindness, gradual loss of memory, and so forth.

 

Oh, I guess, using a lie to solve a problem is another big detrimental. eheheh, Maybe you guys can come up an effective remedy for this alarming concern.