While there are definitely some advantages to having a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips via the Internet, The Low-Tech Times has previously reported that excessive Internet usage can sometimes be a real problem.
WebMD has a feature story on another type of problem some people are having with the ease of access to information in cyberspace:
Thanks to the Internet, becoming a hypochondriac is much easier than it used to be.
The easy availability of health information on the web has certainly helped countless people make educated decisions about their health and medical treatment, but it can be disastrous for people who are likely to worry. Hypochondriacs researching an illness used to have to scour books and ask doctors for information. Now a universe of information is available with a few mouse clicks.
“For hypochondriacs, the Internet has absolutely changed things for the worse,” says Brian Fallon, MD, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University…
…the phenomenon is common enough to have a snappy name — “cyberchondria.”