The Disease of 21st Century: Digital Disease

Constantly changing and developing technological life eases life on one hand, and creates new risks on the other. In the 21st century which is termed as “the age of technology”, computer and internet usage have become indispensable elements of life. Internet addiction has recently emerged as a new type of addiction which came to the agenda with technological developments. Failing to impose restrictions on internet usage, continuing to use it despite its social and academic damages and suffering from excessive anxiety when access to internet is restricted are symptoms of this new type of addiction and is one of the first examples of digital disease types which entered psychiatry literature as of 1990s. These types of recently-defined digital diseases which can be seen at almost every age have turned into a risk factor especially for 12-18 age group. The purpose of this article is to examine the types of digital diseases which emerge out of social media usage and problematic usage as a result of digitalization.