Disconnect anxiety is the hot new disease amongst hardcore computer users amongst my peer group. Depression is so last year; get with the times and suffer withdrawals when you’re not hooked into the Internet like all your friends! Around 68 percent of the US population feels disconnect anxiety to some degree, so you’re not alone in missing your Facebook or MySpace access.

It’s really strange. I’m the last generation of child to grow up without a computer of some sort (I’m pretty sure, anyway), and I was a late-bloomer in terms of Internet adoption, to boot. I’ve had what I derisively call ‘the eBays’ for about 12 years, yet I’ve become a huge web junkie. If I could get a brain implant to keep me hooked to Wikipedia all day, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

It’s not that I’m hugely addicted to Facebook or MySpace, because I actually have a severe distaste for both of them and social networking websites in general. That seems to be why most of the people with disconnect anxiety get anxious (at least in my age group). They like the constant connection to peers. I do leave my AIM on all the time, whether I’m at my computer or not, but with an away message up so I’m not bothered while I’m working unless it’s really important or incredibly funny (and because I tend to wander off for hours at a time to play Guitar Hero or fall asleep).

The thing I love most about the Internet is instant access to the answer to ANY question I might EVER have. No matter how dumb, insane, or obscure, a quick trip to Wikipedia can tell me everything I ever wanted to know about anything, which is why Wikipedia is the best invention ever. When I don’t have access is when I think up the best questions!

Tags: disconnect anxiety, internet addiction, mental health, personality disorders, psychology

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