Do you have discomgoogolation?

你有 discomgoogolation 嗎？如果你每天已習慣上網，一天不上網、收發電子郵件、用即時通訊軟體(MSN或奇摩即時通)就讓你渾身不對勁、怕無法隨時保時得知最新資訊的話，那也許你就得了 discomgoogolation (網路不安症)。

根據外電的報導，英國有將近一半的人(44%)是discomgoogolation患者，超過1/4、27%的人承認無法上網時就會壓力上升。而回頭檢視我自己的狀況，雖然不見得已到了渾身不對勁或是有資訊恐慌的狀況，但一天不上網，的確會讓我覺得好像與世界脫了節，也和好朋友們斷了聯絡，有些許不安的感覺，遑論是在工作極需使用網路時的焦慮感了。

此外，網路提供了資料蒐集的便利，然因資訊爆炸之故，蒐尋的結果常常多達好幾萬筆，讓我在篩選資訊的過程中吃盡苦頭，因為也要花很多的時間及精力過濾資訊及整理歸納。舉個例子而言，雅虎奇摩的知識網是大家很常利用來蒐尋資料的工作，但其實可以發現，許多人回答的答案也是從別的地方貼過來的，可能是將錯就錯，最明顯的就是許多大學生將自己的作業在知識網發問，也有許多人熱心地協助解答，但其實就英文的作業解答可以發現許多錯誤，而且許多是網友直接利用翻譯軟體或中文直譯而來，根本是誤導。因此在網路上找到的資料的確是要花很多工夫及精力來消化、過濾，才能變成有用且正確的資訊。因此除了無法上網會有焦慮症外，其實有的人會因為資料太多無法消化也會有不安感。

discomgoogolation這個字來自discombobulate與Google這兩個字。discombobulate 是「困惑、挫折」的意思，而 google 本來是蒐尋引擎網站的名字，現在變成可當動詞，為「網路蒐尋」之意。因此有人問你一個資訊，你就可以說 Why don't you google it? (何不在網路上蒐尋呢?)(何不用google 蒐尋引擎網站蒐尋呢?) 由這兩個字結合而成的 discomgoogolation 這個字就變成「網路不安」的新字了，這指的是人們對無法上網而產生的焦慮感及不安感。

想更了解何謂 discomgoogolation 嗎？有興趣的話，可以看看下面這一篇今(2008)年9月1日路透社所發布的新聞。

相關網址: http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKL146220120080901

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Nearly half of Britons suffer "discomgoogolation"

Mon Sep 1, 2008 4:56pm BST

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Feeling stressed or anxious at an inability to access the Internet? Don't worry, you're not alone and now there's a word for it: "discomgoogolation".

Nearly half of Britons -- 44 percent -- are discomgoogolation sufferers, according to a survey, with over a quarter -- 27 percent -- admitting to rising stress levels when they are unable to go online.

"The proliferation of broadband has meant for the first time in history we've entered a culture of 'instant answers,'" said psychologist Dr David Lewis, who identified discomgoogolation by measuring heart rates and brainwave activity.

The term comes from "discombobulate," which means to confuse or frustrate, and Google.

"A galaxy of information is just a mouse click away and we have become addicted to the web," added Lewis. "When unable to get online, discomgoogolation takes over.

"It was surprising to see the stress this led to brain activity and blood pressure in participants both increase in response to being cut off from the Internet."

The survey also found 76 percent of Britons could not live without the Internet, with over half of the population using the web between one and four hours a day and 19 percent of people spending more time online than with their family in a week.

Forty-seven percent of those polled believed the Internet was more important in people's lives than religion, with one in five people paying the Internet more attention than their partner.
Commissioned by information service 118118, the YouGov poll questioned 2,100 Britons during the first week of July.
(Reporting by John Joseph; Editing by Steve Addison)