College sophomore Erika Beck said she was once signed on to AOL Instant Messenger for 22 days straight.
But, she said, she does not have an Internet addiction.
"For the most part I'm really focused on my work," Beck said. "I can multitask pretty well, and I know my priorities."
According to a survey conducted by the Office of Health Education in April 2004, 13 percent of the 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students surveyed indicated that the Internet had affected their academic performance in some way or another.
Following the survey, the Office of Health Education has started a "Sign Off" awareness campaign to encourage students to control the amount of time they spend on the Internet, according to Steve McCann, wellness coordinator at the Office of Health Education.
"A lot of times people know when it's time to work, and they'll turn the TV off, turn the radio off, but they'll leave the Instant Messenger on," McCann said. "They don't see it as a distraction; they don't want to be left out."
Internet addiction is marked by some or all of the following: a need for spending more time on the computer, withdrawl symptoms when the Internet is unavailable for a period of time, reduction of school or work productivity and a decrease in offline activities in favor of spending more time on the computer.
Many Penn students at least acknowledge that the Internet can be a source of distraction.
"Me and my friends always joke about how the Internet is the devil," College freshman Rana Wardlaw said. "You can't live with it, but you can't live without it."
Wardlaw said she never turns off her computer and has been signed onto AOL without interruption except for when she went home during the holidays.
"I consider myself to be a social person, so I always like talking to my friends. ... It's an incredible way to procrastinate," she said.
Wharton junior Mike Andersen said that he likes to check the news online and that it takes up a significant chunk of his time.
"A lot of times I do need to go to another room to do work because it's too distracting," Andersen said.
According to the survey, Internet use was the seventh most reported health issue with a negative impact on academics out of a list of 24 other items. There also appears to be a strong correlation between Internet use and the top three student health issues -- stress, sleep difficulties and colds.
Although College sophomore Katie Bracaglia said she definitely finds the Internet distracting, she also said she feels that "the positive and negative uses of the Internet pretty much balance" each other out.
Bracaglia, like many other students, said she uses the Internet for academic purposes in addition to the social benefits of Instant Messenger.
Myrna Cohen, director of the Weingarten Learning Resources Center, acknowledged the multiple functions of the Internet.
"What makes it unique is that it exists on the very same machine that you use to do your schoolwork," she said.
"It's tempting," said Susan Villari, director of the Office of Health Education. "There are so many things going on ... sometimes it's hard to get away."
Regardless of the benefits or drawbacks of the Internet, it will continue to become a prevalent part of student life at Penn, as 99 percent of College House residents have reported owning at least one computer.
"If the Internet didn't exist, I would be doing my schoolwork a lot more and paying more attention to it," Wardlaw said. "But then again, I would probably find something else to distract me, too."
Symptoms Of Internet Addiction Disorder Need for increasing amounts of time on the Internet to achieve satisfaction Withdrawal symptoms such as trembling develop after reduction of Internet use Accessing the Internet for a longer time period than originally intended Important social, occupational or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of Internet use Loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of excessive use of the Internet Source: Ferris, Jennifer R. Internet Addiction Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Consequences
