Your computer is your own enemy....?

[Guest]

I don't know about other people, but if your extremely interesting in using computers (Like me) and using them at least over 6 hours a day, then the computer is what probably gave you Social Anxiety Disorder. Using the computer too much kills your social skills, and it's probably what gave me SA. I was so interested in computers during my teen years that it felt that I forgot how to speak. I could type out words before my mouth could even say them.

 

[Panic57]

I don't think the computer is so much the enemy unless you use it to displace the people in your life. I talk to more people online than I do in real life. Personally I think it has more t do with balancing work, regardless if it's on the computer or in a cubicle, with life. I have to schedule one meal a day with my family where I just sit down without any distractions and talk about anything. I think people with Social Anxiety Disorder use a computer as a wall or an excuse not to meet people. So it probably does amplify it as a problem because it gives people an reasonable excuse to avoid people.

 

[lexinonomous]

I really don't think that computer use gives people social anxiety disorder. I don't even think that it encourages it. If that were the case, I wouldn't be on the forums constantly. If anything, the computer has given me an outlet to talk to others without the fear of judgement. It helps me build my social skills and really get to know people on a different level. I even think it played a significant role in me talking to others outside of the computer.


If someone is developing worse anxiety while playing on the computer, I'm going to say it's safe to assume that they had anxiety to begin with. I don't think the computer encouraged the anxiety- it just naturally developed over time. I could see the computer being addicting, but I don't see it changing how our minds work.

 

[gracer]

I guess the use of a computer is a good excuse to stay in the house and just interact with people over the internet. I mostly stay in the house these days and the computer is my only retreat and means of communicating with people with different interests and characteristics. If there's one thing I like better when it comes to using the computer rather than socializing outside the comfort of my own home is the opportunity to communicate with others without any hesitations or judgement just like what lexinonomous said.

 

[bangtanboys]

People have had SA disorders long before the Internet was invented, so I don't think we should be blaming computers as a whole. Just to play Devil's Advocate, I think computers can also help people get over their social anxieties through just sheer expression. When you are behind the screen, there's less room for intimidation and immediate judgement. Personally, I've made tons of friends via social media, and just through that I feel like people don't all suck anymore. I've also felt comfortable enough to finally meet some of my online friends in real life The Internet's a great place to retrain your social skills if are like me and felt like you lost it. There was a point in my life where I was so convinced that my social anxiety would cripple me so much that I wouldn't be able to make another friend again, but through online interactions, I'll slowly gaining back the confidence I had when I was a something of a social butterfly back in high school.

 

[Corzhens]

I agree that excessive use of computer can make you develop an anti-social character. One psychiatrist said that a computer user can have a fixation in the software he is using particularly those users who are fond of games such that they play continuously in the computer and ignore their hunger. There are cases that computer game addicts died of exhaustion or dehydration when they are too engrossed with the game such that they failed to notice their body's nutritional needs. When a computer user develops a fixation with a computer game then he would prefer to play than to socialize because playing is what makes him happy. In schools where I live, children are told to stay away from excessive use of the computer (that includes gadgets like tablets and smart phones).

 

[NormaD]

I beg to differ. There are so many different causes of social anxiety, and I don't think that it is possible to single out computers as the main cause of the disorder because people were already suffering from this kind of anxiety long before computers were invented. The addiction that some people have to the computer can be likened to almost any other addiction out there. Also, I agree with Bangtanboys that computers and social media actually played a positive role in helping people connect with others without judgement or intimidation.

 

[pwarbi]

While I think that for some people excessive use of the computer can be detrimental to them, for a lot of others it's actually a help when dealing with anxiety and without a computer they would talk to a lot less people than they actually do. Sometimes when you are dealing with social anxiety then it's hard to speak to people face to face, and while I'm sure we all have good and bad days, on the bad days the computer can be our only link to the outside world, and while it's not ideal at least it's better than nothing, and that is what we would have without it.

 

[It'sJaz]

I've had social anxiety long before I even used a computer. I don't think that's what made me get anxiety. In fact using the computer has helped me cope with it because I've learned to calm down and communicate online, which I have been trying to apply to real life situations.