More on ‘Internet Addiction’

Ren Reynolds over at Terra Nova has a satisfying screed on media coverage of virtual worlds and Internet addiction. Anthropologists often complain about the shallow understandings bench scientists have of human meaning making and socialization, and I have to admit that much of this ire is best directed not at half-cooked scientific theories, but at superficial and banal press coverage of responsible people trying to do their jobs. Reynold’s descriptions of the violence done to the actual facts surrounding video game play brings this point home clearly, as he demonstrates the difficulties some extremely prestigious news sources have had getting their facts straight. For people following the Internet Addiction meme in the past couple of media cycles it is worth checking out.

Alex Golub is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He studies mining and petroleum development in Papua New Guinea, as well as American culture in to the online game World of Warcraft. You can contact him at rex@savageminds.org