Email Addiction

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Researchers appear to have little better to do than to investigate technology "addictions". It is remarkably easy to problematize emails as a form of addiction. What is strange is how they never seem to problematize the exact same issue in a wider context: Humans are social addicts. Every symptom of addiction mentioned within that article can also be applied to social addiction.

Consider this: I would like to point out that the majority of humans are social addicts. Like other addicts, social people experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better social contact or more and more hours with other people. In fact, social addiction can lead to excessive socializing, sexual pre-occupations and lots of talking. I would say that these addicts use socializing as a way to escape their lonely reality. Addicts may be addicted to everything from the sheer act of talking, to social events, shopping or three-dimensional, multi-human events known as meetings.

It is remarkably simple to rehash social interactions in the form of an addiction simply because it IS a form of addiction. Humans are so addicted to being social that they do not realize it is an addiction. Emails and online communications are exactly what they are: Communications. In fact, they are merely communications over an electronic medium. It is not as if the people are actually totally attached to the electronics for their own sake, but have become increasingly attached to their precious electronics because it brings them socially closer to other humans!