AJA - An Internet Addiction?

:ocean: 「 glitter 」 :ocean: 04/18/19

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Animal Jam Amino.

A pleasure?

Or an... addiction?

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ad°dic°tion // noun

the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.

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Imagine yourself...

You're on AJA so much, maybe even for 500 minutes a day! You're always talking to friends and doing group work, you're having so much fun. You even like to stay up late on school nights. Yeah, you're tired in the morning, but it's worth it for AJA, right? Sometimes, you even ditch your homework for AJA because AJA is more pleasing to you. There are times where you may feel sad or stressed, but that's okay, anything to stay on AJA longer.

Is this you...?

Is it not...?

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What is an internet addiction?

An internet addiction is described as an impulsive control disorder. Some s may develop an emotional attachment to online friends or activities. They may enjoy fun aspects of the internet such as socializing, using chat rooms or social networking sites, or even virtual communities. Similar to other addictions, people who are addicted to the internet may use the virtual fantasy world to connect with people instead of in person since they can't do it as easy themselves.

Definition found from this website.

Most people on AJA are not suffering from a full blown internet addiction, but a large amount of the community may be suffering from what I like to call, an AJA addiction.

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What is an AJA Addiction?

An AJA Addiction is the urge to be on AJA for long periods of time, sometimes even ditching IRL to come on AJA and communicate here. It is hard to get away from AJA when you want to, or even just in normal circumstances.

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Over time, s on AJA have started to become addicted or attached to the AJA community. This results in many self consequences that most people may not be aware of.

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Most people on AJA are not suffering from an internet addiction, but many people are developing or already suffering from an AJA addiction. Described above, an AJA addiction certainly isn't as severe as an internet addiction, but it can get to the point where it can develop into one. I suggest you figure out whether or not you may be suffering from an AJA addiction, or if you may be developing one.

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Why are AJA addictions bad and how do they affect you?

Getting Priorities Straight

First of all, AJA is an online community, not your first priority. Some people actually put AJA before their IRL life, which is not okay. People may be missing out on important opportunities and experiences IRL to get more time on AJA. Now before you say, 'that's ridiculous glitter!', you may not realize that this is happening to more of the community than you think. I created a poll that consists of questions relating to my claim. I chose 50 of different levels, groups, and ages. 70% of s on AJA will have times where they prioritize AJA over IRL. This is extremely bad because an online social media app should not be controlling s lives to the point where they feel the need to go on AJA instead of hanging out with friends or family, or even just having fun in real life. There's so many different experiences to have in life and AJA shouldn't be one of the main causes of you not being able to do that.

Secondly, according to psycom.net, being online doesn't cause the internet addiction, it's when it starts to interfere with daily life. Going back to the poll, 70% of s feel that sometimes, AJA can get in the way of their school or IRL experiences which is not okay. By the proof I stated above, most people are stating that it can, indeed, interfere with their daily life. That's one of the leading symptoms of an internet addiction. That's bad. IRL should be getting in the way of AJA, not the other way around. AJA should be allowing you to have fun in real life so that you're happy. People behind a screen is great, but experiences in real life are extremely important, much more important than ones on a screen.

Lastly, sometimes people feel they are happier on AJA than they are in real life, which isn't a bad thing, but it's when they decide to up things IRL when it gets to be a problem. According to an anonymous member, when I asked, 'Do you ever decline IRL experiences in order to get more time on AJA?'. They answered, 'Yeah, a lot. Everything my family does is optional and boring so usually they go, and I stay at my house. Although this doesn't happen often, I take my chances. AJA makes me happier than IRL things.' Though this may not be the case for everyone who uses AJA, it's still happening. Teenagers should feel happy during in real life experiences. They should want to participate in them. Putting an app over something that may be important in real life should not be the case. Life is full of amazing things, they shouldn't be wasted by an app.

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Stress and Sadness

Being on AJA so much because of an AJA addiction can cause stress and or sadness. For example, over 70% of the people surveyed agreed that sometimes, AJA can cause them to feel stressed or sad. This is important because when people feel like they need to come on AJA, they shouldn't feel sad. Being addicted or spending a lot of time on the app also proves it can cause pain/stress. I don't think many people realize how much stress it causes them until it really affects them when it gets to the point where it's unbearable. It shouldn't have to come to that point.

Also, according to an anonymous member, when I asked, 'Do your groups, friends, or AJA in general ever cause you stress or sadness?', they responded with, 'Groups and AJA have definitely made me feel stress and sadness. Stress, simply because of all my responsibilities, and sadness whenever there is something devastating going on.' This is not okay because AJA should be a safe place for people, but in many cases, it's not. From personal experiences, and groups, combined with IRL, can cause stress which isn't a fun feeling. Being so obsessed with AJA encourages some of these feelings because the urge to come on is so strong.

Lastly, according to bestlifeonline.com, spending time with people you barely know over the internet can cause you to feel lonely, which in most cases, causes stress. Now before you say, 'glitter! I know all of my friends super well! What do you mean?'. These people over the internet, you never know who they are. Sharing faces and names is risky. You don't even know their name, where they live, most of their background. When you think of it, you barely know them. There's going to be a day where you are left alone in the social world and it will be harder to make friends because you've invested so much time on a screen with people who could be anyone. I do know myself that there are people you've come to trust, I have those friends too. You talk to people on here and that's totally okay! It's healthy, actually. But what is not okay is when you don't make an effort to make friends face to face which is a very important life skill. When you are alone, it causes most people to feel sad and sometimes even stressed out. If AJA is preventing you from those IRL friends, even if you haven't met them yet, limiting your time may be necessary.

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Sleep and Health

Being addicted to AJA can cause you to stay up late which will cause you to lose sleep. Losing sleep can cause a number of problems such as tiredness during school, lack of concentration, and sadness. According to the poll I created, 70% of s feel that sometimes AJA causes them to lose sleep. This is horrible because sleep is very, very important. The vast majority of AJA is teenagers and teenagers need lots of sleep in order to function at school and daily activities. If AJA is one of the causes of your sleep loss it may be at the point where you have to set a specific time to shut off your phone at night.

Also, being on AJA means being on your phone/computer. Being on your phone means the blue light is constantly shining in your eyes. According to childmind.org, "Teens who are up late writing papers on computers or chatting with their friends are effectively creating an even more stimulating environment that will only keep them from being able to fall asleep when they want to." I can guarantee you that most people are on their phones before bed. Those who stay up late are actually preventing themselves from falling asleep. Again, sleep is much needed for the brain to function properly. Spending a little time on your phone before bed is normal, but when it gets to the point that you've been on for hours, it may not be okay. Yes, there are blue light filters out there, but according to bluwinx.com, "While these apps do reduce some of the light that is emitted by the display, they are not totally effective and provide better protection when used in conjuction with light filtering glasses. Further, like screen filters they can lead to digital eye strain by reducing contrast and distorting the true color of what is displayed on the screen." Therefore, both filters and the glasses are proven to not be as effective as we think, so being up late on AJA still means the blue light can do its harm to keep you up awake, and prevent you from having a benefitting day at school or work.

Lastly, most people think a loss of sleep is just being tired. No, it's actually making it harder for you to focus and concentrate at school or during your work day. Like I said earlier, IRL should be put before AJA. Sleep is a part of your IRL life, therefore you should be more concerned about your sleep than your AJA life. When you're up late on the app and lose sleep, you may find it harder to perform well during the day. Sleep.org states that, "If you get enough quality sleep each night, you should be able to sustain alertness and focus for much of the day. If you don't, you may struggle to function optimally at work, at home, or anywhere else. - and you may not be as sharp, productive, or creative as you'd like to be." This can definitely affect your day at school, or your job which won't help you in your real life. Being addicted to AJA would cause this as it would be hard to put your phone down and get the sleep and rest you need to function properly.

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Who does this problem target?

According to a few sources, people who these internet addictions are most common in are teenagers. An extreme amount of AJA's population is teenagers which makes an AJA addiction much more common in the people of our community. Though, mostly anyone can become addicted to a certain app or the internet, it's easier for teenagers to develop it. So, to all of us teenagers out there, I suggest being more careful about your screen time if it's becoming a problem.

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What aspects of AJA may be the cause of your addiction/developing addiction?

Groups

Groups are a HUGE cause of why people may feel addicted to AJA. There can be lots of work involved that makes you feel like you need to be on all the time. The people in the groups can also bring you joy, which is great, but it gets to the point where you're on a lot of the time. Also, there are many people who apply for one group after the other until they're in so many groups that they invest all their time in AJA and barely have time for IRL anymore. This affects their performance in school, and their social experience. As you can see, groups are a big contributing factor in AJA addictions.

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AJA Friends

Ah, AJA friends. They can be extremely ive and fun to talk to, but they may be one of the biggest causes of these AJA addictions. Yes, AJA friends are super great to have, but they can cause you to want to be on AJA more than you should. I know many people on AJA who are on here a lot like to chat with friends. I, myself, is even guilty of being on AJA so much to talk to my friends. Yes, it's fun, but there is a limit. Friends can cause you to want to be on the app so much until you're on it constantly. It's okay to make friends, but you need to be able to step away every once in a while for your health.

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Posts

From many people, I've heard that the content here makes people want to come on more. Posting is also a hobby people have. Though posting is great, it's smart to know when you're addicted to it. Things like writing, art, or even editing are also hobbies that can take up an extreme amount of time that sometimes guides you away from your schoolwork. I've known people who have spent countless hours on artwork for AJA to post, and in result they had late school assignments. Commissions are also something that keeps people addicted to the app because they are ongoing, and in return, you get a reward.

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How is the community being affected?

According to my anonymous poll, 70% agree that sometimes, they feel addicted to AJA. Our community is already being affected by starting signs of, or current AJA addictions. Everyone always says our community is too inactive or we don't have enough online , but a lot of the that are usually online may be too addicted. The pressure to stay online may also be a problem to our . It's important that our community knows when is enough, and right now, it is clear that it needs to be enforced.

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What can be done?

If you realize that you are someone who may be addicted to AJA, then maybe try to recognize when you may be on too much. Try setting screen times for yourself. To prevent any AJA addictions from further developing, you should really make sure that you aren't on for extreme amounts of time. Also, make sure you aren't putting your schoolwork or IRL priorities in front of AJA. If you find yourself doing so, you will have to try hard to get rid of that habit and establish a more effective one. Try to recognize your own personal boundaries.

If you're a concerned friend of someone who may be developing an AJA addiction, or already seems to have one, try encouraging your friend to start taking breaks from the app to train their body it's okay to step away. I have witnessed many situations where people feel pressured to stay on, but try to comfort them in those times instead of scolding them. Tell them it's okay to take a break or a few hours off. Also let them know about they're current condition so they can also help themselves into recovering.

To all the groups out there, to prevent your group from becoming a cause of these addictions, I suggest not pressuring your into putting too much work on their hands. Allow them time to complete their work as well, don't make the deadline a day after asg it. Overall, try to make sure aren't so stressed over completing work.

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Your Takeaway

As you leave this post, I hope you'll be more aware of the problems that arise from an AJA addiction, or even ones in the developing stages. I hope that you'll be able to stop yourself from fully developing one in the future. Make sure to not let the screen and the app take control of you. Be more aware of the contributing factors to stay safe from falling into the trap of an AJA addiction.

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That concludes my entry for the Debate Fair. I've worked extremely hard on it over the course of two weeks and I'm so excited to be presenting it to you. I hope you've enjoyed, and have a wonderful day!

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#DebateFair2019

#Debater25

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Sources Used

http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=43

https://www.psycom.net/iadcriteria.html

https://-bestlifeonline.com/social-mediastress/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/childmind.org/article/vteenagers-sleep-depried/amp/

https://bluwinx.com/blue-light/blue-light-filter-apps-do-they-work/

https://www.sleep.org/articles/sleep-affects-performance/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.consumeraffairs.com/amp/news/teens-most-likely-to-struggle-with-technology-addiction-070717.html