What Makes the Internet Addictive.docx
- 文档编号:8637420
- 上传时间:2023-02-01
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:19
- 大小:27.66KB
What Makes the Internet Addictive.docx
《What Makes the Internet Addictive.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《What Makes the Internet Addictive.docx(19页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
WhatMakestheInternetAddictive
WhatMakestheInternetAddictive:
PotentialExplanationsforPathologicalInternetUse
KimberlyS.Young
UniversityofPittsburghatBradford
Paperpresentedatthe105thannualconferenceofthe
AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,August15,1997,Chicago,IL.
ABSTRACT
ResearchhasidentifiedpathologicalInternetuse(PIU)whichhasbeenassociatedwith
significantsocial,psychological,andoccupationalimpairment.Priorresearchintheaddictions
fieldhasexploredtheaddictivequalitiessustainingdrugandalcoholaddictions,pathological
gambling,andevenvideogameaddiction.However,thereexistslittleexplanationforwhat
makescomputer-mediatedcommunication(CMC)habitformingtothedetermentofone’s
personalwellbeing.Therefore,thisexploratorystudyclassified396casesofdependentInternet
users(Dependents)baseduponanadaptedversionofthecriteriaforPathologicalGambling
definedbytheDSM-IV(APA,19950.Qualitativeanalysesattemptedtoidentifythe
psychologicalreinforcementunderlyingCMC.Resultssuggestedthatinformationprotocolswere
theleastaddictivefunctionsandthatinteractiveaspectsoftheInternetsuchaschatroomswere
highlyaddictive,creatinganatmosphereforDependentstoseekoutcompanionship,sexual
excitement,andalteridentities.Implicationsforassessmentandtreatmentarediscussed.
WhatMakestheInternetAddictive:
PotentialExplanationsforPathologicalInternetUse.
Methodology
?
Subjects
?
Materials
?
Procedures
Results
?
DemographicData
?
AddictiveApplications
?
SocialSupport
?
SexualFulfillment
?
CreatingAPersona
?
UnlockedPersonalities
?
RecognitionAndPower
Discussion
References
WhatMakestheInternetAddictive:
PotentialExplanationsforPathologicalInternetUse.
Whilemanybelievethetermaddictionshouldonlybeappliedtocasesinvolvingtheingestionof
adrug(e.g.,Walker,1989;Rachlin,1990),similarcriteriahavebeenappliedtoanumberof
problembehaviorssuchaseatingdisorders(Lacey,1993;Lesieur&Blume,1993),pathological
gambling(Mobilia,1993;Griffiths,1991and1990),computeraddiction(Shotton,1991)and
videogameaddiction(Keepers,1990).Today,amongasmallbutgrowingbodyofresearch,the
termaddictionhasextendedintothepsychiatriclexiconthatidentifiesproblematicInternetuse
associatedwithsignificantsocial,psychological,andoccupationalimpairment(Brenner,1996;
Egger,1996;Griffiths,1997;Morahn-Martin,1997;Thompson,1996;Scherer,1997;Young,
1996).
Young(1996)initiatedtelephonesurveystoformallystudypathologicalInternetuse(PIU)based
uponmodifiedcriteriaofPathologicalGamblingdefinedintheDSM-IV(AmericanPsychiatric
Association,1995).CasestudiesshowedthatDependentsclassifiedusedtheInternetanaverage
ofthirty-eighthoursperweekfornon-academicornon-employmentrelatedpurposeswhich
causeddetrimentaleffectssuchaspoorgradeperformanceamongstudents,discordamong
couples,andreducedworkperformanceamongemployees.Thisiscomparedtonon-addictsin
thisstudywhousedtheInternetanaverageofeighthoursperweekwithnosignificant
consequencesreported.
SubsequentresearchonPIUbaseduponaselfreportdeterminationofaddictionwereconducted
utilizingon-linesurveymethods.Brenner(1996)received185responsesinonemonthtohison-
linesurveyregardingbehaviorpatternsassociatedwiththeInternet.Hissurveyshowedthat17%
usedtheInternetmorethan40hoursperweek,58%saidthatothershadcomplainedabouttheir
excessivenetusage,and46%indicatedgettinglessthan4hoursofsleeppernightduetolate
nightlogins.Egger(1996)received450responsestohison-linesurvey.Self-professedaddicts
inthisstudyoftenlookedforwardtheirnextnetsession,feltnervouswhenoff-line,liedabout
theiron-lineuse,easilylosttrackoftime,andfelttheInternetcausedproblemsintheirjobs,
finances,andsocially.SteveThompson(1996)developedthe"McSurvey"whichyielded104
validresponses.Amongrespondentstohison-linesurvey,72%feltaddictedand33%felttheir
Internetusagehadanegativeeffectontheirlives.Surveysconductedoncollegecampuses
(Morhan-Martin,1997;Scherer,1997)alsosupportedthatstudentssufferedsignificantacademic
andrelationshipsimpairmentduetoexcessiveanduncontrolledInternetusage.Formal
Computer/Internetaddictiontreatmentcentershaveevenbeenestablishedatsuchclinical
settingsasProctorHospitalinPeoria,IllinoisandHarvardaffiliateMcLeanHospitalinresponse
totheseriousimpairmentcausedbyPIU.
DespitetheincreasedawarenessthatPIUisalegitimateconcern,littleisunderstoodaboutwhat
makescomputer-mediatedcommunication(CMC)habitformingandoftentimes"addictive."
Therefore,usingcasestudiescollectedaspartofYoung'soriginal1996study,thispaper
discussesthepotentialexplanationsofPIUandoffersimplicationsforfutureevaluationand
treatment.
[ReturntoIndex]
METHODOLOGY
Subjects
Participantswerevolunteerswhorespondentto:
(a)nationallyandinternationallydispersed
newspaperadvertisements,(b)flyerspostedamonglocalcollegecampuses,(c)postingson
electronicsupportgroupsgearedtowardsInternetaddiction(e.g.,theInternetAddictionSupport
Group,theWebaholicsSupportGroup),and(d)thosewhosearchedforkeywords"Internet
addiction"onpopularWebsearchengines(e.g.,Yahoo).Foradetaileddiscussionoftheself-
selectionbiasinherentinthismethodologyandlimitationsoftheseresearchfindings,please
refertomypaperentitled"InternetAddiction:
TheEmergenceofaNewClinicalDisorder."
Materials
Anexploratorysurveyconsistingofbothopen-endedandclosed-endedquestionswas
constructedforthisstudythatcouldbeadministeredbytelephoneintervieworelectronic
collection.ThesurveyadministeredaDiagnosticQuestionnaire(DQ)containingtheeight-item
classificationlist.Subjectswerethenaskedsuchquestionsas:
(a)howlongtheyhaveusedthe
Internet,(b)howmanyhoursperweektheyestimatedspendingon-line,(c)whattypesof
applicationstheymostutilized,(d)whatmadetheseparticularapplicationsattractive,(e)what
problems,ifany,didtheirInternetusecauseintheirlives,and(f)torateanynotedproblemsin
termsofmild,moderate,orsevereimpairment.Lastly,demographicinformationfromeach
subjectsuchasage,gender,highesteducationallevelachieved,andvocationalbackgroundwere
alsogathered..
Procedures
Telephonerespondentswereadministeredthesurveyverballyatanarrangedinterviewtime.The
surveywasreplicatedelectronicallyandexistedasaWorld-Wide-Web(WWW)page
implementedonaUNIX-basedserverwhichcapturedtheanswersintoatextfile.Electronic
answersweresentinatextfiledirectlytotheprincipalinvestigator’selectronicmailboxfor
analysis.Respondentswhoanswered"yes"tofiveormoreofthecriteriawereclassifiedas
addictedInternetusersforinclusioninthisstudy.Atotalof605surveysinathreemonthperiod
werecollectedwith596validresponsesthatwereclassifiedfromtheDQas396Dependentsand
100Non-Dependents.Approximately55%oftherespondentsrepliedviaelectronicsurvey
methodand45%viatelephonesurveymethod.Thequalitativedatagatheredwerethensubjected
tocontentanalysistoidentifytherangeofcharacteristics,behaviorsandattitudesfound.
[ReturntoIndex]
RESULTS
DemographicData
Means,standarddeviations,percentages,andcodingschemeswereutilizedtoanalyzedata.The
sampleofDependentsincluded157malesand239females.Meanageswere29formales,and
43forfemales.Meaneducationalbackgroundwas15.5years.Vocationalbackgroundwas
classifiedas42%none(i.e.,homemaker,disabled,retired,students),11%blue-collar
employment,39%non-techwhitecollaremployment,and8%high-techwhitecollar
employment.
AddictiveApplications
TheInternetitselfisatermwhichrepresentsdifferenttypesoffunctionsthatareaccessibleon-
line.Therefore,beforediscussingaddictivenatureoftheInternet,onemustexaminethetypesof
applicationsbeingused.WhenDependentswereasked"Whatapplicationsdoyoumostutilize
ontheInternet?
",35%indicatedchatrooms,28%MUDs,15%Newsgroups,13%E-mail,7%
WWW,and2%InformationProtocols(e.g.,gopher,ftp,etc.,).Uponexamination,traditional
informationprotocolsandWebpagesweretheleastutilizedamongDependentscomparedto
over90%ofrespondentswhobecameaddictedtothetwowaycommunicationfunctions:
chat
rooms,MUDs,newsgroups,ore-mail.Thismakesthecasethatthedatabasesearches,while
interestingandoftentimestime-consuming,arenottheactualreasonsDependentsbecome
addictedtotheInternet.
ChatroomsandMUDswerethetwomostutilizedmediumswhichbothallowmultipleon-line
userstosimultaneouslycommunicateinrealtime;similartohavingatelephoneconversation
exceptintheformoftypedmessages.Over1,000userscanoccupyasinglevirtualarea.Text
scrollsquicklyupthescreenwithanswers,questions,orcommentstooneanother.Privatized
messagesareanotheravailableoptionwhichallowonlyasingleusertoreadamessagesent.
Multi-UserDungeons,morecommonlyknownasMUDs,differfromchatroomsasthesearean
electronicspinoffoftheoldDungeonandDragonsgameswhereplayerstakeoncharacterroles.
ThereareliterallyhundredsofdifferentMUDsranginginthemesfromspacebattlestomedieval
duels.InordertologintoaMUD,ausercr
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- What Makes the Internet Addictive