With the growth of technology in recent years, many people have added the Internet as part of their daily routine. It has become very common to go online for most people, as it makes interacting and searching for information a much easier task. The Internet is a great place for social networking and meeting or communicating with people from all over the world. Nicholas Carr, author of the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” argues that regular Internet use has the potential to make people less intelligent. In addition to harming general intelligence, I believe it is also possible for a person to become addicted to the Internet. When a person becomes addicted to the Internet, not only does he potentially become less intelligent, as Carr believes, but he also develops mental and psychological problems. I believe people should become more aware of Internet addiction. Once someone becomes addicted to the Internet, it's just like a real drug and can be incredibly difficult to break away from. Although Internet addiction has many symptoms similar to those of addictive drugs, it is not currently classified as an addiction. Some psychologists argue that Internet addiction is a symptom of depression rather than a clinical disorder. Many people believe that the Internet is just a tool used for research, social networking, and entertainment. Internet addiction is not a real diagnosis, it's just a problem. Although it is only one problem, it can cause impairment or distress. Expert Weinstein Aviv believes there are four essential components to the diagnosis. “1) excessive use of the Internet, often associated with a loss of sense of time or neglect of basic drives, 2) withdrawal, including the feeling of ... middle of paper ...... due to a problem around the world, it's also one that many people aren't aware of. People need to make sure they know how much time they spend on the Internet and what kind of effect it is having on them. Works CitedCarr, Nicholas. “Not addiction; addiction." Raw Type. May 2010. December 1, 2011.Flisher, Caroline. “Staying Connected: An Overview of Internet Addiction” Journal ofPediatrics &Child Health. vol. 46. Number 10. p557-59. October 2010. 3 March 2014. Lam, Lawrence. “Factors associated with Internet addiction among adolescents.” Cyberpsychology and behavior it's really an addiction..." TechDirt. October 2006. March 3, 2014 Weinstein, Aviv. "Internet Addiction or Excessive Internet Use." American Journal of Drug & AlcoholAbuse. vol. 36. Number 5. p277-83. 2010. 3 But