Internet or no internet, the behaviour and interests of man in a particular era remains the same. I don’t feel that there is anything called an ’Internet Addiction’ as such. Do I have a Music addiction or a Food Addiction?? I mean Internet has become an integral part of our lives now, and something that is so attached to our daily lives can’t be termed an Addition. How its attached to our daily lives, I can tell you how it affects mine:
Disclaimer : This is not a ’balanced’ review, Its just an opinion

Getting information
If I am planning for a trip, at home overseas, I used to scan thru the Yellow pages and phone directories to get the numbers and address of travel agents, hotels, places and details about transport. I stopped doing that. To find a info about anything under the sun I just have to key in the ’keyword’ on my Google tool bar and it takes me there??? I can’t term this activity as an addiction, getting information about products, places and people is more easier then ever because of internet, and I use it when I need.

Entertainment
When I am feeling bored, I just log on to some game sites and play games, read some on-line books or humour. Earlier I used to scan the home for some ’un-read’ books or magazines, I don’t do that any more, am sure that there are Zillions of pages of interesting and humorous articles and stories I can find on the net. I can’t term this as addiction as well, as I won’t be affected if this was not there, I will find other means

Communication
Some say, the old world charm in communicating has disappeared after the advent of internet, I can say the same thig about telephone as well, and snail mail. If there were no postal system we would be going and meeting our relatives and friends personally or sending a ’manual’ mail them. Man has to change with time, so e-mail and e-greetings not only enhace the efficiency of communication but also makes you communicate more often. I send one email a day to my friends, can I do the same if I had to rely on snail mail, go the post office and get an envelope and stick a stamp and send it across. So, internet is the most powerful communication medium, again for me, its not an ’Addiction’.

Finding Like minded people
This is probably true for sites like MS. I don’t think you make really great friends on-line, unless you talk to them over phone or meet them personally. Sometimes, you meet really terrific people whom you woulnd’t never have met without Internet, why complain. You don’t have to actively ’search’ for them, you just find them, at an opinion site, or a ’Club’, where people sitting thousands of miles away can interact. This is ’collaboration’ and ’idea exchanges’ and not addiction.

What I want to say
At the end of the day, Internet is what you make it. If you feel that you are spending too much time on internet, it means that you are deriving something out of it. So why term it addiction, term it just an ’interest’. People who are interested in reading, read a lot, I mean more then the normal people, and people who are interested in internet, browse a lot, its normal, just like any other pass time. But I do believe that too much of anything ’may’ affect you, may it be Food, internet, booze, reading or talking.

Peace
Ranjith

Some more thoughts : Some people believe that Internet ’prevents’ physical activities. Physical activities are becoming lesser and lesser, but if you just remove internet, still our lives would be the same. We would spend more time reading and talking over the phone instead of browsing. By behaviour, human beings don’t relish physical work, and the lack of its should not be contributed to internet. People who want to exercise will exercise, internet or no internet.