Is the Internet Risk or Opportunity?

The development of technology and the increase in use have expanded the problem of addiction, which is one of the most important problems today. Addiction is multi-sector, multi-stakeholder, much complicated, and multidimensional problem and can make trouble for everyone of different ages, gender, geography, color at any time. Even though the reasons and runs of addiction are various, humanity almost evolves towards a direction that confirms Giddens’ statement, “Modern world is a world out of our control, which was said many years before. As addiction is in a dimension that is specific to substance use only, at this stage, it has become more inclusive for the behavioral dimension. Addiction is a process in which risk-creating factors and protective factors struggle with each other, and addiction occurs when risk factors predominate. Internet or technology addiction, which occurs with excessive use of technology, runs like other addiction types. The limbic system in the brain, in which there is a punishment and reward system, forms the basic framework of addiction. The reward and punishment system, this system provides a tendency to use the addicted substances with the release of dopamine. The point that dopamine increases when the reward is given and decreases otherwise indicate being addicted. Increasing dopamine secretion in drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, behavior and play constitutes the basic philosophy of treating addiction. Technology addiction is based on the response to the award and the unpredictable circumstances of when the award will be given increase the number of uses and make it attractive. Cigarettes, alcohol, drugs work through a reward system that is relatively foreseeable. Technology addiction is not such an addiction and it is difficult to predict where and in what form the reward will come. In addition, the rewards of every social platform are different from each other. In this way, the internet creates a risk situation within the dimension of addiction and it also creates opportunities in making life easier. When considering the internet from the perspective of, the facilities it provides to scientific activities, developments in the form of communication, instant access to information with mobile applications, socialization, and many similar facilities can be denoted. Accordingly, it is possible to look at the internet from the perspectives of both opportunity and risk.