Are we all junkies? Online addiction is an ambivalent and emotional phenomenon whose multiple symptoms can no longer be overlooked in society: low attention spans, the search for simple answers to complex questions, radicalisation and polarisation within society, and mental health problems among adults and young people are on the rise. "Always online" with the smartphone is the new normal. All social groups are now affected by online addiction in varying degrees and suffer from the negative effects. The principles of the Enlightenment as the "Age of Reason" are coming under pressure. The concept of truth is dissolving. Traditional gatekeepers such as competent scientists and serious journalists / authors are being replaced by advertising-financed gatekeepers such as Google and Facebook. Democracies and alliances of states are increasingly losing stability.
Can we manage to detox? Tackling online addiction is less a problem of knowledge and more one of acceptance and implementation. The biggest obstacle to overcoming online addiction is ourselves. This book describes the causes and effects of online addiction and presents a comprehensive and group-specific toolkit - including technological tools and elements for effective regulation of the internet industry. This toolbox is intended to help free our children, ourselves, our environment and our society from online addiction so that we can once again make the most of the online and offline worlds.
Shaping the future or managing the downfall? We should look positively ahead and act with the necessary determination. Hostility towards technology and cultural pessimism are out of place. We have neglected the risks and side effects of the new technologies of the internet and smartphone / tablet for far too long and should now take countermeasures. Purposeful action is of utmost importance for us personally, for future generations and for the future of all humanity in the 21st century.
