From: utzoo!decvax!duke!bcw
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: Computer addiction
Article-I.D.: duke.2214
Posted: Mon Jun 14 00:55:50 1982
Received: Mon Jun 14 02:17:56 1982


From:	Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University
Re:	Computer addiction, Hackers, etc.

I have also noticed that the "computer addiction" phenomenon
seems to recede as one approaches the source -- it's always
someone that somebody once knew, or knew someone who knew,
etc., and one rarely (if ever) finds a primary case of a
person who is interested in computers as an end in them-
selves rather than as, say, something which just happens
to run a particular game or which is useful for doing things
like graphics, or which leads to interesting mathematical
problems, or whatever.

Is it possible that the "computer addiction" label is a bit
like the "cannibal" label?  Anthropologists have had a great
deal of trouble tracking down cases of primary cannibalism --
it's always the tribe down the river (who in turn are appalled
at the idea and say that they've heard the tribe up in the
mountains practices that disgusting act...).  Some anthro-
pologists have come to the conclusion that even if there are
a few true cannibals, the major function of the stories is
to define *us* versus *them* groups.

This seems a lot like what's going on in the "computer
addiction" stories -- people (especially the journalism
and psychology groups) are looking for a label to show that
the rival group (computer people) are in some way not quite
fully human, and have latched onto this canard.

Comments?

			Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University