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Tech Podcast: Internet Addiction and Depression

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We’ve got another great mix of stories this week on the tech podcast. Let’s start…at the end. The final segment this week features an interview with Dr. Catroina Harrison at the University of Leeds in Britain. She and her colleagues have been carrying out some interesting research into Internet addiction and depression. The basic finding is this: “People who spend a lot of time browsing the net are more likely to show depressive symptoms. Researchers found striking evidence that some users have developed a compulsive internet habit, whereby they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. The results suggest that this type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health.” Interesting, yes. But just as interesting, Dr. Harrison told me, is trying to figure out how to measure “Internet addiction” in the first place. And then there’s the real chicken-and-egg question — is it that depressed people feel compelled to go online more often, or that people who are online tend to end up more depressed? Harrison is currently devising a study that would run over a number of years that might get at an answer to that question.

We also return to Haiti in this episode, with a peek inside the Crisis Camps that have been held in cities across the globe every weekend since the earthquake hit. I went up to Montreal to check out one such gathering. Here are some links:

• Crisis Commons Haiti
• Crisis Camp wiki
• Blog: Can Haiti Leapfrog?

We also have a great story that takes you to the intersection of design and technology. It’s about a footbridge across the Nile River in Ethiopia. Here are the pictures I promised you in the podcast, and here’s a link to Bridges to Prosperity. Below is the video:

Another great story about design and technology follows. This one is about pint glasses in Britain.

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