Are Internet Boot Camps in Our Future?

Is this a fate that awaits us? Boot camps to break cyberspace addiction.

In South Korea, where 90 percent of homes are connected to the Internet, camps that are part rehab, part extreme games are growing in number, alongside a network of 140 Internet-addiction counseling centers, in addition to treatment programs within hospitals. The Jump Up Internet Rescue Camps started this summer in a country where online gaming is a professional sport and young people hang out at Internet parlors called "PC Bangs," the New York Times reports.

The camps get four to five applications for each spot. Once there, participants are denied computer access and can use their cell phones only one hour a day to make sure they are not playing online games via phones. What they do is exercise, ride horses, and do outdoor activities to connect with the natural, real world.

The story is a fascinating read. But is it a cautionary tale? Are we headed in the same direction, or are we maintaining balance between time spent online and offline in the tactile world?

LINK: Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession [New York Times]

Related: Are You an Internet Addict?