This story at Ars Technica has me up in arms. The summary of the story is that Rutgers University is going to be soon releasing results of a study that point to a Internet connectivity addiction. It seems too asinine to be real, but there it is.
Alcohol can be addictive, nicotine can be addicting, marijuana can be addicting. The desire to connect to the Internet is not an addiction. We, as the human race, are in a sad state that we label everything a mental defect or an addiction. Am I addicted to programming, because I like doing it so much that I miss it while I'm on vacation? Am I addicted, because when I'm stuck with other responsibilities that keep me away from programming I become ornery?
I hope you said, no. This concept of creating new mental defects is out of control. No one wants to be held accountable for their own actions and feelings. There's no doubt that there are feelings tied to things we love to do. There's a comfort, or a satisfaction, or a desire fulfilled, but that's not an addiction.
There are enough real addictions out there for us to worry about. It's time to stop being a sit-com to those sitting back and watching us.