Computer Life

Over the course of my intensive study of psychology for over 50 years, I have encountered a multitude of terms that have emerged and faded away. Descriptors of personality functioning and psychological traits are vast and diverse. They include dimensions such as introversion and extroversion, neuroticism, resilience, dependency, inhibition, acting out tendencies, addiction proneness, lability, self-centeredness, narcissism, asceticism, imperturbability, intellectual level, sociability, cognitive flexibility, perceptual accuracy, and countless others—perhaps even a few hundred more.

In addition to these existing terms, another descriptor can be considered: the degree of immersion in the cyber world, which I propose to call "cyberism." Some individuals find themselves deeply immersed in the cyber world, while others do not. Although the cyber world bears similarities to the real world, it is not an exact replica. For those whose reality predominantly resides within the cyber world, such as frequent gamers, individuals addicted to stock market trading, pornography, or YouTube videos, there exists a substitution of this virtual realm for the tangible world. These two worlds are akin, but not identical. The primary distinction lies in the passive nature of the cyber world, which reinforces a narrow focus due to targeted content on the internet. Consequently, a circumscribed worldview and set of interests are built. This observation is not particularly groundbreaking, as today's political tribalism is often attributed to this phenomenon. Psychologically, it likely engenders a more symbolized world where real-world engagement gradually diminishes. John Dewey touched upon the active/passive dichotomy, and Ernest Becker further expounded upon it in his book "Revolution in Psychiatry."

The process of symbol upon symbol construction without the corrective influence of real-world experiences tends to lead to a drift towards less accurate, and eventually, meaningless symbol systems that lack grounding in factual reality.

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