Twenty-one Seconds of Fame

Computer Life column for by
Richard Gordon

About 2 weeks ago, a crew from a Philadelphia TV station spent two-and-a-half hours with me, in part because they'd read my August 9 column about alleged Internet Addiction Disorder.

We talked about the pros and cons of using the Net, of the ways the anonymity of the 'Net can mask "bad guys" and the way it can help people with problems communicate with each other-for example, a breast cancer survival group or a rape victim's support group. I talked about how I've gotten soccer coaching tips from people as far away as New Zealand, about the Internet as a pathway to other people and information, as a way to expand one's community.

We talked at length about access issues-who can reach the information on the 'Net, how they can get there, whether Internet stations would ever become as commonplace in American homes as TVs or phones.

I acknowledged that people can go overboard with their use of the 'Net, as they can with any activity. But Internet addiction is a small problem compared to addictions to drugs, gambling, or alcohol-to say nothing of compulsions that lead to anorexia, bulimia, or other disorders. In fact, more people are addicted to TV than to the 'Net!

The crew interviewed one University student while she sent e-mail from one of our "Express Stations"-banks of computers designed for students to check their e-mail or do a quick Web session between classes. This student said, yes, she checked her e-mail daily, logging maybe 10-30 minutes a day.

Then the reporter asked her what she thought about a woman in Florida who lost custody of her kids because she spent too much time on the 'Net. The student couldn't have responded better if we'd paid her: She said, "That's crazy. She must be nuts. I have to go to class now."

You know what's coming

The story that ran on the 11:00 news painted a bleak picture.

It began with the woman in Florida, giving the impression that her Internet use was the sole reason she lost custody of her children. Isn't Internet Addiction awful? Next came a young psychology professor at another university applying basic addiction theory to overuse of the Internet. Next came a psychiatrist talking about people "hiding behind the screen" so they can do bad things.

Oh, here comes Richard! For 21 seconds, I appeared on the screen as a transitional device between the psychiatrist and more footage of that Florida woman.

The next morning, I had e-mail and phone calls from friends. People stopped by my office and hooted and hollered. "You're an addict, Richard!"

There are two reasons this story was slanted.

First, salaciously sensational stories sell. Do I run off to ABCNews on-line (www.abcnews.com) to learn the latest about the budget deficit? No, but I do zip over for a few minutes to check the latest Monicagate rumors. We can't really blame a TV station for airing what we seem to want.

The true story, how people on the Internet and their uses of the 'Net reflect society at large, cannot compete with the story of a woman who has forsaken that most blessed of states, motherhood, so she can chat on-line about her pets.

Just as the TV weather reports like to play up a 2-4" snowfall forecast as if it were the blizzard of the decade (so you'll watch longer, allowing the station to sell more commercials at a higher price), so an alarmist story about Internet use is immensely more salable.

Second, since a majority of people still awake for the 11:00 p.m. news have never been on the Internet, it's easy for TV to portray the 'Net in any way it chooses. Most people have no basis for judging what they see.

But this column lets me get the last word.

The Internet is just another communication medium, a tool for reaching out to other people, for finding information. Of course, there are risks, dangers, and problems. However, anything that allows people to communicate more effectively is, on balance, a Good Thing.

Copyright © 1998, The News Journal Company

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