Within the last few years, social actors have fought for (or against) the recognition of Internet use as a potentially “addictive” disorder to be included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Informed by a critical social theory framework, this paper charts the main proposals of actors engaged in the social construction of Internet “addiction”. Specifically, rivalries, reconciliations, and united fronts that have emerged and morphed within two significant spheres of social influence are brought to light: those of science and those of social intervention.