Internet and Depression

This blog post talks about several studies and theories about the link between internet usage and symptoms of depression. A study done by Morgan and Cotten in 2003 found that there is a lower incidence of depressive symptoms among those who use the internet more frequently. Even though this is the result, there are still doubts on whether the internet does help in preventing or alleviating symptoms of depression. According to experts, it seems odd that the internet, which according to them is a very powerful isolating tool, would actually help someone become less depressed. Also, studies has shown that in America, time spent on social interaction grows less as time spent on the internet increases. Internet has proven to be a very effective tool of social isolation. This becomes a problem since social isolation comes with other problems like depression. So we can see why the results of the study done by Morgan and Cotten is baffling for most of the experts. There is also another study by Sanders, Field, Diego, and Kaplan in 2000 showing a positive correlation between frequency of internet usage and depressive symptoms in adolescence. This is a study more accepted by the blog author because it is more true to the already existing theories regarding the internet and depression. This study also makes much more sense in the context of the currently accepted theories.

I think that it is true that the internet can really be an effective isolating tool because of the things it could offer. You can live your life out in front of a computer in the comfort of your own home. I also believe that it would be very difficult for people to find a definitive relationship and a comprehensive theory regarding internet and depression because of the two already difficult nature of the two factors under study. One is depression. It is already difficult because it involves human beings and human beings are so difficult to study because why a person is behaving a certain ways can be affected by so many factors and it also varies with each individual. Another is the internet. The internet in the context of the society is very difficult since by its nature, the internet has created a sort of ambiguous society. It is a different world from our own altogether where people can spend their lives in. I think it might be futile to study the internet within the context of our current social norms. In order to fully understand the internet, it must be necessary to employ an approach that is within the context of the norms and culture within the internet.