Addiction

Anne said she was “not really” addicted, but she was addicted to some games. She said she and her dad were “addicted to FreeCell, but not really the computer. Well, I couldn’t live without it, but I’m not as addicted as I know some people are who check their emails every hour and go on it every couple of hours to check for internet news, [whispers] I'm describing my dad”. Anne said none of her friends were addicted to computers or the Internet. I did not ask Anne what she thought addiction was. Anne referred to addiction as a joke. Her saying that “she couldn’t live without it” is probably more indicative of her dependence on the Internet.

Charli’s parents limit her hours on the Internet because as Charli said, “cause they think that I like I just get addicted to it, and it's unhealthy. I don't agree with that”.
In a later interview I prompted, “So you mentioned to me that you were addicted to the Internet?”
“That's just what people say I am but I'm not. Well my mum and dad say I am.”
For Charli, being banned from the Internet was a punishment not for her addiction, but for having social contact with her important overseas friends – her online community.
“I said to mum, I've done a week now but like I just wanna go back on, but then I know that everyone's disappointed in me, if I like do that. It's just so hard because, and it's not cause I'm addicted. Cause like I've got friends overseas, it's ok to not talk to my friends now because they're at school, and I see them and I can text them and ring them and stuff. But no, my friends overseas, it's like my only way through to them, it's so expensive to ring them and stuff. I don't get to text them or see them.”
During the course of the research, Charli was banned from the Internet for three months, for reasons personal to the family.
Charli defined addiction: “Like you can't go a day without, like you can't do anything without being, like without going on it. It's like an alcoholic; they can't get through a day without like having a certain amount of drinks or something. It's like somebody can't go through a day without being on the Internet for a certain amount of hours or something. Yeah.” Charli referred to addiction as a serious matter that she didn’t believe she could be fairly accused of.

Lisa referred once to addiction as a joke, in reference to her mother, who she stated was “addicted to that site” - a trader site of new and second hand items. I did not ask Lisa what she thought addiction was.

Chris, Jake, and Joe did not mention addiction.

Tim said he was not addicted to computer games, and he also implied that he thought Tom was not addicted to the computer, illustrated in the following excerpt.
“Do you think being addicted to the computer is a positive or negative thing?”
“Oh, if you were like a proper addict, probably negative [smiles]. Because like you'd fully go insane or something if you spent all day locked in a room or something [we both laugh], without going outside, doing no exercise or anything like that. Probably wouldn't be good for you. So that's probably negative.”
“Mmmm. Do you have any friends who you think are computer addicts?”
“Nah, not addicts. I've got friends the same as me, just like playing games and that, yeah. No one that's like on it 24/7 or anything like that.”
Tim’s idea of addiction included the statement, “I don't think like about it all day, every day.”

Tom said he was “definitely addicted” to the Internet. During the latter part of the research, he was banned from the Internet for six weeks for not handing in a school assignment, and read up on a World of Warcraft game manual so he could “get his fix”. I asked him before he was banned, “So what happens if you can't go on the computer?”
“Um, I haven't been without one for that long before, so I don't know.”
“So basically, you have to go on it every day?”
“Yeah, even if I'm not enjoying it, I just go on it.”
“So, what's that like then, feeling like you have to.”
“I dunno, just normal, I'm used to it. I don't feel like I'm not enjoying it very often.”
I asked him, “When do you think you first became addicted?”
“Pretty much straight away.” [we both laugh]
“So what does addiction mean to you? How would you define it?”
“You've gotta have it, like if you don't have it, you just crave it, I guess, yeah, even if you're watching somebody else and not doing it yourself.”
Because Tom’s computer use is a significant part of his identity, it is important to him, as with Charli.

I am saying “Internet” because Internet gives them access to email, instant online chat, websites, and online games, which are all part of ‘what they do’ on the computer.