1. Talking to China’s “Web Junkies”

            Evan Osnos, a contributing editor of The New Yorker, wrote an article about Internet Addiction. He begins by telling of a Harvard anthropologist and psychiatrist who studied Chinese patients in the 1960’s and discovered people who were raised to suppress had trouble recognizing individual trouble. Chinese newspapers pay a lot of attention on the affliction called wangyin (Internet Addcition). China has classified it as a clinical disorder and considers it a threat to their young. In 2005, Shan Xiuyun estimated that 90% of China’s juvenile crime was related to the Internet. Today, it is not only a problem related to health; it is a determinant of national anxiety. A documentary called “Web Junkie” was made and it is about Internet addiction treatment center in Beijing, China. The movie, however, talks more about families and their questions about individuality, trust, and self-development; rather than about Internet addiction itself. It does not end with clean answers, and Osnos says that it right. Young Chinese kids use the Internet as an escape from a reality which they are not content with.

           

In the article, Evan Osnos talks about Internet addiction in China’s youth. It is mostly an informative article, though he does state his opinion at the end, when he says he liked the way “Web Junkie” ended. He not only talks about the documentary, but he also said talked about Chinese newspapers and used direct quotes to show the Chinese actually believe Internet addiction is a serious problem. Many times he spoke of Chinese teenagers, who had problems with individuality and self-worth, he uses their own stories to make his point, not relying only on his opinion about the topic. He uses personal stories to make reader believe it, rather than saying it with no facts to prove his point.

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/talking-chinas-web-junkies