Comparison of Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high school

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Abstract

This study investigated the difference between Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high schools, and focused specifically on their Internet usage patterns, and gratification and communication pleasures. A total of 1708 valid data samples of high school adolescents were collected. Among this sample, 236 subjects (13.8%) were identified as addicts using the eight-item Internet addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire designed by Young [Internet addiction survey [Online]. Available: http://www.pitt.edu/_ksy/survey.htm]. The analytical results revealed that Internet addicts spent almost twice as many hours on line on average than the non-addicts. Notably, surfing with a social/entertainment motivation and gratification was positively correlated with Internet addiction. Furthermore, Internet addicts obtained markedly higher overall PIUST scores and scored higher than non-addicts on four subscales (tolerance; compulsive use and withdrawal; related problems, including family, school, health, and other problems; interpersonal and financial problems). While Internet addicts perceived the Internet to have significantly more negative influences on daily routines, school performance, teacher and parental relation than non-addicts, both Internet addicts and non-addicts viewed Internet use as enhancing peer relations. Moreover, students with personalities characterized by dependence, shyness, depression and low self-esteem had a high tendency to become addicted.

Introduction

Controversy regarding the positive and negative impacts of Internet and computer use has received considerable attention recently. The Internet provides a new communication medium that enables access to vast amounts of information across a wide variety of topics. However, the remarkable growth of the Internet has not been uncontroversial. Anecdotal and empirical evidence shows growing problems of Internet related harassment, stalking, and pornography. Brenner (1996) contended that since the Internet provides a user-friendly interface, and a convenient medium for checking information and communicating with others, a more diverse group of users than previously have become cybernetically involved with the Internet, altering the profile of the computer addict. Besides these and other related problems, recent research has begun to explore the physical, psychological and other problems resulting from excessive Internet use (Brenner, 1996, Brenner, 1997, Egger and Rauterberg, 1996, Greenfield, 1999, Greenfield, 2000, Griffiths, 1999, Griffiths, 2000, Kraut et al., 1997, Kraut et al., 1998, LaRose et al., 2001, Morahan-Martin, 1999, Pratarelli et al., 1999, Pratarelli and Browne, 2002, Shapira et al., 2000, Young, 1996a, Young, 1996b, Young, 1996c, Young and Rogers, 1998).

Given the widespread growth of the Internet, differences in various aspects of Internet use across demographic groups have become an interesting research area. Notably, the college student population is especially susceptible to Internet use related problems, and more specifically – excessive Internet use. According to Kandell, various factors influence the tendency for college students to become dependent on or overuse the Internet: examples include (1) having free and easily accessible connections, (2) a strong drive to develop a firm sense of identity, (3) desire develop meaningful and intimate relationships, and (4) Internet use being implicitly if not explicitly encouraged. Accessibility of the Internet is clearly factors in its overuse by college students (Anderson, 2001, Davis et al., 1999, Lin and Tsai, 2001, Morahan-Martin and Schumacher, 2000, Wang, 2001). A high percentage of colleges and universities have an Internet presence by offering Internet connections, e-mail accounts etc; these institutions enable students to access the World Wide Web, as well as providing e-mail and related Internet services.

To cultivate information literacy and improve global competitiveness among primary and secondary high school teachers and students, the Taiwanese government has been promoting the establishment of networks to connect high school campuses since 1996. The Taiwanese government has strongly promoted Internet use island-wide for commercial and educational purposes. Internet use in Taiwan has exploded in terms of number of subscribers to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) since popular consumption began in 1995. According to the computer center of the Taiwanese Department of Education, around 3.14 million students and academics in Taiwan have used the Internet, and all students above primary school level enjoy full accessibility to the Internet. This accessibility means that high school students, like college students, could also be vulnerable to Internet overuse or Internet dependence.

Although Internet addiction is receiving considerable attention among researchers and counselors, with a recent accumulation of anecdotal data and empirical studies, the conceptualization of Internet addiction remains in its infancy. Various researchers have coined terms such as Internet addiction, Internet dependence, technology addiction, Problematic Internet Use (PIU), Pathological Computer Use (PCU) and Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), and have conducted studies on related issues. Systematic exploration and validation is required of issues related to Internet addiction, such as a more precise, holistic, concept definition, accurate diagnosis and measurement, demographic and important variables influencing Internet addiction, for example physical, psychological and social variables, and so on. Additionally, a comprehensive and humanistic theoretical framework and methodology (a combination of discourse analytic and ethnomethodological techniques) must be embraced that complements our understanding of Internet addiction. Research in this area is just beginning, and further research is required to understand the full scope of Internet addiction and the most effective treatment modes.

Given the above background, this study examined the differences between Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high schools, with specific focus on Internet usage patterns, and gratification and communication pleasures. Hopefully, this study can contribute to understanding of Internet addiction among Taiwanese adolescents and help in designing educational policy to prevent excessive non-productive Internet use.

Section snippets

Literature review

Goldberg defined Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) as a behavioral addiction that acts as a coping mechanism and borrows from substance-dependence criteria from the DSM-IV (Garrison and Long, 1995, Goldberg, 1996). Young presented a second definition for Internet related disorders, Problematic Internet Use (PIU), namely another diagnostic term based on DSMIV criteria associated with pathological gambling (Young, 1996a, Young, 1998b, Young and Rogers, 1998). Young (1998a) designed an eight-item

Subjects

This study used purposive sampling, and focused on two major municipalities in Taiwan. The target subjects were senior high school adolescents (roughly ages 17–19) from two major municipalities in Taiwan. One class of 10th–12th grades in four high schools and vocational high schools of the two major municipals was randomly chosen for study. The total of 1990 paper-and-pencil survey questionnaires were distributed, and 1708 valid data samples were gathered.

Among the respondents, 56% were boys

Internet addicts versus non-addicts

This study used the eight-item Internet addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ) developed by Young (1996b) to distinguish addicts from non-addicts. Two-hundred and thirty-six subjects (13.8%) were identified as addicts following Young’s standard of defining addiction as a positive answer to five or more of the eight questions in her test. This percentage exceeds the 9.8% recorded by Anderson (2001), the 8.1% of Morahan-Martin and Schumacher (2000), and the 8.1% of Tsai and Lin (2001), but

Summary

This study examined the interplay between Internet addiction among Taiwanese high school students, and Internet usage patterns, gratification and communication pleasures. A questionnaire was administered to a stratified sample of 1990 high school students, yielding 1708 valid responses.

The analytical results indicate that Internet addiction does exist among Taiwanese high school students. This study identified 236 Internet addicts using the criteria of Young. The percentage of addicts in the

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