Not everyone is addicted to the internet. Most people surf the net just for fun. But some spend quite a lot of time on the net and a few even feel compulsive to go online. These heavy online users, or veteran netters, are the most interesting subjects to talk about.

Certainly these heavy users are not in pathological status. The online activities have not significantly impacted their real lives yet. Feeling the need to reduce the online time, some may experience the mild withdraw symptoms but keep on going back online. It is like smoking, somewhat addicted but manageable.

Are these people significantly different from those addicts such as Mr. Zhu? (see his story below)

The answer is yes and no.

They are different from Mr. Zhu because they are not socially isolated. However, they may indeed prefer solitude and feel comfortable sitting in front of computers and chatting with netters instead of colleagues.Some people may have a job which doesn’t require many verbal communications. Furthermore, as foreigners, they don’t belong to the mainstream of the society. The longing for belonging certain groups drives them to a place where they can talk in Chinese with similar people. Not proficient in language may be another reason to go online.

These people also don’t have to seek social recognition on the net. However, social recognition still operates at a subtle level. Most people don’t change their nicknames very often. They cherish their nicknames and ensure that names are not stigmatized. In fact, most of them reserve several names for different purpose. Whenever there is a hot debate, all sorts of new names come out, some indeed are brand new but most are old folks. Thus even on the net, most people want some recognitions.

In addition, almost all netters are sensitive people. There are constant fights among them—either on political issues or trivial daily life. For example, many people will reply all posts related to them, no matter whether there is a need or not.

Most importantly, the addictive behavior, i.e., keeping on going back online, results from the rewarding system, the positive feedback which enables us to learn sophisticate modern technology. The rewards in net, namely the acknowledgement and condolence from others, or even the arguing itself, encourage people to involve more and more in the discussion. It is like an endless play, all are actors and audiences. No one wants to quit.

The group affiliation, the social support and social recognition from the group, and the psychological reward from participation and discussion hook people on the net. For many, it is part of their lives.

He was famous, sure only over the internet. He was famous not only because of his sudden death when surfing the internet, but also his pseudoscientific arguments. He was literally online 24/7. His name is Haijun Zhu.

When I started my online expedition, he was in the discussion with Dr. Fang about evolution. My first impression was that he was polite and argumentive. He replied all posts at length and with careful thought (not necessary correct). He rarely cross-posted other people’s pieces. He actively involved in discussions on both mainland and oversea forums. Due to time lag, he was online day in and day out to fight with all sorts of people around the world. He defended his opinions relentlessly. He was such a character–diligent, humble, and stubborn. He died of heart attack in his 30s when surfing the web, leaving his wife and two kids in desperate.

Why, then, is a man like him so willing to sacrifice his life and family only to communicate with people he never met? Certainly he was addicted to the internet, not to pornography, cybersex, or other ungodly things, but merely talking (in text) with others. What characteristics does an internet addicted person have?

Those who addicted to internet are sensitive persons. They prefer solitary activities, feel comfortable with social isolation, and are abstract thinkers (KS Young 1996, 1998). Simply put: lonely people surf the net. However, it is not clear whether the loneliness makes people go online, or going online makes people feel lonely. Spending much time online also cuts social lives in reality.

Social isolation

Human beings are social animals. There is an internal need to communicate with others. Everyone belongs to some groups. The addicted people may have difficulty joining real world societies. Thus the easy-come-easy-go internet society provides such an opportunity for them.

The difficulty of socialization in real world was evident in the example of Mr. Zhu. He was from a remote rural area in inner China (translate: he was a highly intelligent people. The college entrance exam is extremely unfair to rural students in China). He was neither a popular person in his college nor a welcome teacher in his work. In fact, he was demoted from middle school teacher to elementary school teacher. He once claimed himself a maverick. We don’t know whether his social isolation was due to his own personality or unfriendly social environment. However, we do know that he was ousted by society. The nonconformity to social convention is a common factor in internet addicts.

Social recognition

Everyone has a role in the real world. Achievement is the only criteria for the existence of human beings in modern society. Many people, partially due to their socioeconomic status, gender, and age, may lack the opportunity to succeed. The open internet creates a platform in which one can transform him/her-self to establish a new persona. This desire relates to self-identity.

Mr. Zhu retained his real name and even revealed his real personal experience over the internet. He was socially isolated for so long and was longing for social recognition. He wanted to be someone. He once expressed his philosophy about online surfing: “it is not the idea that is important, but the fame is critical”. He personally practiced this philosophy, and to some extent, succeeded in make his name known in the virtual world.

Shy person

Internet society, in particular the discussion boards or chat rooms, is highly interactive. On the other hand, internet addicts are shy people in real world. Thus, it seems ironic that these introverted people will go online communicating with virtual human beings. The key is the nature of anonymity in the internet. Because those who addicted to the internet are sensitive and private, the illusion of anonymity assured them to freely express their opinions without being publicly criticized or humiliated.

Mr. Zhu told many stories about his earlier years in schools. He categorized himself as a shy person, not brave enough to show off, to talk to other student, in particular female students. He was reluctant to directly confront with others. In fact, he tolerated the unfair demotion during his teacher career.

Vigilant person

Those who addicted to the internet are also sensitive. They tend to be argumentive which is detrimental in daily life. No one is willing to be involved in endless verbal fight. However, the stress to hold one’s opinion back, the depression experienced in reality, and particularly the internal confliction demand an outlet.The multi-party internet society provides such a platform for these people to talk to each other. Because people are always available and willing to talk, the addicted one will find someone is willing to argue with him or agree with him.

In the discussion, Mr. Zhu was polite. However, that he replied every post reflected his sensitivity and vigilance.He valued other people’s opinion too much. He would argue for trivial things such as wording and alternative meanings. He was constantly on defensive mode.

Abstract thinker

Abstract thinking is a gift to many people. Unfortunately, the discussion over the internet encourages abstract reasoning and independent thinking, which those abstract thinkers prefer. Theoretically, information is abundant and accessible to most surfers. However, one can frequently find people ignoring facts. Instead, they resort to pure logic reasoning. Conspiracy theory is the favorite of all internet surfers.Empirical research is not in their vocabulary.

One of Mr. Zhu’s famous theories was about face-to-face copulation. Based on the observation that since only human beings (together with one or two other primates) practice this mating position, he believed that face-to-face copulation must have a role in evolution. He theorized that it was face-to-face copulation led to the biped-walking in human beings. Just before he died, he had publicly admitted his false claim on this issue. However, he still argued that the way of his thinking was healthy and important.

Finally, the joy of rewarding

There are many biological theories behind addiction such as neurotransmitter disruption, in particular dopamine circuit. However, psychologically speaking, the attractiveness of addiction is rewarding, the positive feedback.

The relative open internet society may lead one superficially believes that one forum will allow all kinds of opinions. On the contrary, any forum is unique. There are great similarities among its members. Quickly after the forum is established, a group of people with similar ideas and personalities become the mainstream. A norm will be formed and different voices are either alienated or suppressed.

Fortunately, the freedom of internet society permits one to find a right forum. Therefore, similar people gather together talking about things they are interested. People found their opinions are noticed and often welcomed. The acknowledgement is rewarding. A positive feedback is established. People will keep on coming back to the same place to find condolence, satisfaction and mental relief. To the extreme, the argument itself is a reward.

Mr. Zhu’s death should partially attribute to this rewarding system. For example, despite Dr. Fang kept on teasing him about his evolution theory, the many replies gave him an impression that they valued him. In fact, most people felt sympathy about him, and thought him diligent and smart. He was a victim of praise and critique.

Conclusion

The internet society provides a secure, open, and anonymous place for those shy, sensitive, and lonely people to express their ideas, find social support, and establish new selves. To many, internet society is the ideal society of freedom. Like Mr. Zhu, they are living in the internet. Unfortunately, being addicted to the internet may make one more isolated, more paranoid, and eventually impair one’s health.

One netter over xys excitedly claimed that he finally reached the half-winner level: his salary went up to six digit level. Well, if his wife is also working, his family income now ranks among top 2% in the US, although probably at the low bound. I heartily congratulate his success.

It is not a state secret that money can buy everything (including love ). However, here I voluntarily confine myself to the topic of money and health, leaving the chit-chat to other romantic observers.

Let’s review some economic facts to define who the poor and not-so-poor people are, thus boosting your self-esteem a little bit more.

According to the current population survey (CPS 2003), the median income in the US was about $43,000, and residents in the top rich states had the median income above $55,000. However, in 2003, the bottom 20% US population only accounted for 3.4% of aggregate income in the US, with an average income of $17,984, while the upper 20% household had average income of $86,867, which accounts for 50% of total US income (Census CPS income report 2004). The Gini index in 2003 is 0.464, higher than that in 1995 (the larger Gini index, the worse). Further, 12.5% people living under the official poverty rate (about $15,000 with a family of four), or about 35.9 million people are considerably poor.

It is kind of appalling when you realize that one out of ten people is living under poverty. Where are they? In all urban cities, many poor people live in the crowd central areas. They are working in labor intensive, low grade jobs such as cleaner, janitor and manufacturing positions. They are sort of invisible for many winners.

One doesn’t have to fumble through research papers to discover that poor people constantly suffer from chronic diseases and die earlier. The richer, on the other hand, enjoy much healthier and longer lives, in addition to all luxuries specifically made for them.

Apparently, the money in one’s pocket makes difference. Then, how?

Although the redistribution of income through tax and public subsidies such as Medicaid, SCHIP is important and complicate by itself, my primary interest in this essay is mechanisms of income to health.

The first intuitive explanation is that the absolute amount of money determines the life expectancy. People with more money can afford better living conditions, more healthy foods, and better health insurance. One may even further conclude that higher education incurs better job and higher income. People with higher education live in a healthier lifestyle. This argument seems justifiable and indeed correct.

However, in the relationship between income and health, the right tail is flat: the effects of income on health diminish as income goes up to a certain level. Further, at the low end, one may expect that income has larger effects on health, but it is not. The shape is sort of flat too (poor people can have free health insurance in most industrialized countries). Probably the most evident association is in the middle of curve, more money, better health.

Wilkinson in the UK made a sparkling discovery when he graphed life expectancy against Gini index by countries. The smaller Gini index, the longer life expectancy (except for the US). Although his findings were later discredited due to its outdated data, his hypothesis lingered. He proposed that income inequality could explain some of the health inequality, which has been verified by the British and Canada studies. It should be warned that the income inequality is an aggregate measure, i.e., a summary measurement at state level or country level, in contrast to individual income and education which are the characteristics of individuals. Some found no income inequality effects after adjusted for individual education and income using multilevel analysis (contextual analysis). Nevertheless, the inequality hypothesis gained strong support from US data.

It seems difficult to explain the mechanism from income inequality to health. Some believe that absolute amount of money is the key. However, in England and Canada where universal health insurance exists, the effect of regional income inequality on health persists. Some believed that income inequality itself may have direct effect on health.

Some propose that relative income level compared to the upper income level, or later relative deprivation compared to the lower income, or derivatives of the income curve, may independently explain the income inequality effects on health. As we all know, the feeling that one does not earn enough money certainly affects one’s psychological status. Those who have relatively lower income level are worse in health because anxiety, stress, and even failure are detrimental to health. This psycho-social theory has some supports but there are challenges. For example, the stress of daily life experienced by a poor people may be no worse than the stress from incoming review meetings experience by a manager. There is no way to tell that this stress is more harmful to health than the other one.

Some suggest that if one lives in relatively poor, he lacks social capital such as community support, trust, and networks. Then one may tease that the scope of social capital is so vast that it literally includes everything.

This relative thing can be extrapolated to a broader framework such that it embraces the relative social position, social class, and finally socio-economic position. Not only the money matters, but also the social status determines your fate. Among them, income, education, and employment are the most important things.

A recent terminology emerges in some popular media. Health literacy refers to the knowledge of health. Poor people may lack the health literacy while those rich people know more about health issues. Again, one may comment that health literacy is more related to education than income.

When it comes to sociology, complementary or competing theories are all around. One has to be critical to fully appreciate the “development” of our knowledge.

“Saturday” is not a light reading. In fact, I felt sort of relieved when I finally closed the book. Admittedly, I’ve never heard of Ian McEwan. My impression of British literature was from Shakespeare drama, Victorian writings such as from Jane Austin and George Elliot, or stuff like Twin Cities, Jude and so forth, but not many modern novels. Surprisingly, “Saturday” shared many elements with these traditional works: theatrical, mind probing, and dryly humorous.

“Saturday” is indeed a marvelous novel. Ian McEwan deftly directed readers through the seemingly trivial activities of a neurosurgeon, Henry Perowne, in February 15, 2003. The journey was accompanied by serious thoughts and viewpoints about politics, family, and life itself.

There were several interwinded threads or themes throughout the book. The first thread was politics. The novel opened with Perowne’s keen observation during the earlier morning. A problematic plane was heading towards the Heathrow airport. The instinct link between plane and 9/11 made him feel unease. Fortunately, it was nothing but an emergency landing. Nevertheless, the seed of politics was planted at the very beginning.

February 15, 2003 was also a special day. It coincided with the largest protest in London against invading Iraq. However, Perowne was not moved by the demonstration. He even felt somewhat irritated when crossing the blocked street. He drove a silver Mercedes, had a meaningful life, and enjoyed a happy family. He loved peace and hated terrorism. When arguing with his daughter about the incoming war in Iraq, he made it clear that invading Iraq might be good for the Iraqis. Saddam had to be removed sooner rather than later. The conclusion on this topic must reflect the author’s opinion. That is, if the war seemed beneficial in the current situation, we should go for it. Future problems should be addressed later.

The second thread was the dullness of middle life and fear of aging. Despite the wealth and achievement Perowne enjoyed, he felt something terrible growing relentlessly on him. For instance, after the plane illusion was resolved, the sex with his wife was quick and unromantic, with no preamble and in missionary position.

Furthermore, although the squash game with his colleague during the morning was boring, both participants took it seriously. As a middle age person, the exhausting exercise provoked his fear for the incoming frailty with age. It was strengthened during the subsequent visit to his mentally destroyed mother. He mused profoundly about life during the whole day.

The thread of family was also weaved intricately throughout the whole plot. Perowne was a rarity in modern society for his prolonged love with his post-menopausal wife who was also a successful lawyer for a newspaper. His son, Theo, was a talented musician, and his daughter, Daisy, was a prominent poet. She already had a poem book ready to be published. To Perowne, family was not an abstract concept.

His fulfillment of family obligations was excellent if not impeccable. He made sex with his wife and called her during the day. He attended his son’s rehearsal and appreciated his son’s new song. Even though he didn’t like literature, he read many books his daughter assigned to him. He visited his old mother despite that she could not recognize him. He hid his dislike to his father-in-law and showed respect to him. In addition, he prepared a hearty dinner enthusiastically for the family reunion.He was indeed a family man.

Another interesting theme was Perowne’s view about literature. As a surgeon, he never had time sit down and read novels. He found that even those masterpieces Daisy assigned to him wasted his time and slowed his mental process. He did read her poems but failed to recognize the poem she was reading. However, during the life-threatening moment when the street guy, Baxter, was about to destroy his family, the power of literature, illustrated by his daughter’s poem, saved his family. It also changed Perowne’s view about literature.

The central theme in “Saturday” was about a man whose personalities were sure the most interesting. Perowne was a calm, intelligent and resolute man. In handling a car accident during the detour to his squash game, he escaped a physical threat using his medical knowledge.However, his authoritative manner humiliated the unfortunate street guy Baxter.

Baxter had Huntington disease which made his emotion in a constantly shifting mode. He traced his car to his home and kidnapped Perowne’s wife. At this critical time, Perowne stayed in calm. His eye contacts towards his wife, his son, his daughter, and his father-in-law assured them that he had a plan in his mind. The climax of the novel unraveled when Baxter forced Daisy to undress herself and read a poem to him. Miraculously, Baxter was completely transformed by the touching poem. He requested Perowne to show him the paper about a new trial on Huntington’s disease. Perowne, with the help from Theo, grasped the opportunity to defeat Baxter. However, Perowne felt that it was his responsibility to save Baxter who had severe brain injury during the fight. In his heart, he inclined more to forgiveness rather than to revenge.

A busy Saturday ended with another quick sex and more thoughts. Perowne’s view of life and world was strengthened. The future would be just fine. The only thing we needed to do was to adapt ourselves to this changing environment.

Is that true?