The problems of PIU

The topic that my group had to read and write about was explaining Problematic Internet Usage, or PIU. According to the study done by Turkish doctors using students from universities in Turkey there are preexisting conditions that can make someone more likely to get PIU. Loneliness, computer dependency, and Depression in that order were the three factors most likely to make someone suffer from PIU.

This is very difficult to to apply to how technology is changing the food industry, however it is applicable. Pretty much everything on the internet that has a following (games, movies, music, fashion, etc), and with that following is a group of people who are addicted. I'm certain people who are food enthusiasts and love to cook are no exception. People who are lonely or depressed and love to cook could use the internet as an escape for them leading to PIU. They can talk in a virtual world to other people who share the same problem and are as passionated about recipes, restaurants, and new appliances as they are. In my tweet related to this group project I talked about how depressed people use the internet because they now they will not be rejected as anyone. This goes for television too, nobody on food network is going to reject them. Studies show that people who watch a show regularly grow a personal connection with it's host. In this case people become delusional and think that Rachel Ray or Alton Brown actually know them. They become depressed because these television personalities are the only people who they share a connection with.