Digital addiction to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon is on the rise these days.
Another rare case observed by the SHUT clinic (Service for Healthy Use of Technology) of National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) is the habit of excessive chatting with strangers online.
"The international scientific community has recognised various forms of digital addiction to social media, movies and videos, gaming and online pornography. While prolonged use of websites to chat online with strangers has not yet been termed as an addiction, we have received three cases of it in our clinic, which can be deemed as problematic and dysfunctional. The patients were young men in their 30s and spent four to five hours a day chatting online. On their days off from work, the chatting would go up to 10 hours or more, only stopping to take breaks to eat," said Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology at SHUT Clinic.
Ask him what the appeal of chatting online with strangers is and Sharma explains a set of factors that were common in all three cases.
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"There is a sense of novelty when chatting with new people and the advantage of anonymity. The patients were introverts who found it difficult to make connections in the real world and had nothing to do post work, in the evenings. It started as a way to pass time and they ended up losing control. At times, the chats turned sexual. It is not just one but several people they could chat with, the variety of which got them hooked," Sharma explained.
Pre-occupation with these chats and reduced sleep time are also signs that digital use is excessive and unhealthy. For the patients, it began to affect their career as they found themselves chatting with strangers online even during work hours. It became difficult to abstain after a point, which is when they approached the clinic for help.
"They would sleep at 1 or 2 am after chatting online with several strangers. In the real world, they are constrained by social sanctions while interacting with people but here, because of anonymity, they can use any language they want, which also attracted them. It became a compulsion for them to do this every single day," Sharma said.
Dryness of eyes due to infrequent blinking while staring at the screen, change in food and sleep habits are all symptoms of digital addiction or in this case, problematic use of online chatting with strangers.