THE EFFECTS OF VIRTUAL WORLD CAPTIVITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

In recent decades, access to digital technology has increased, and labor productivity has required the acquisition of digital knowledge, so that the same skills used to meet hedonic tendencies, have led to the initiation and amplification of harmful behaviors. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted normal activities globally, generating multiple challenges for people's physical and mental health. The adaptation to the new lifestyle, imposed by this pandemic, has increased the use of digital technology, which has led to the development of addictive behavior in some users. The purpose of this work is to bring to the attention of specialists, how the effects of virtual addictions, during the pandemic, act on mental health and unexpectedly change the normal rhythm of life. This work is a synthesis of possible addictive behaviors and mental disorders triggered by the use of digital devices, classified according to: the field in which the addictive behavior is installed, predisposed age groups and the association with pre-existing mental disorders. Changing people's behavior, associated with other stressors, can lead to a multitude of ailments, ranging from mental disorders to changes in compliance in organic diseases. Consequently, addictive behaviors have different intensities, occupy variable durations, have a fluctuating mental consumption. They generate a gradual social dysfunction, to which pre-existing mental suffering is added, and people involved develop disorders requiring the intervention of a specialist in the field of mental health.