As internet addiction is a relatively new phenomenon, information is somewhat hard to find in regards to which demographic of the population is most likely to suffer from internet addiction. Most studies do show however, that there is a great prevalence of internet addiction among teenagers and college students.
Per the website www.encognitive.com, studies show that internet addicts can be of any gender or race, and usually fall between the age groups of 18-55. No longer is internet addiction just something found amongst so called "computer nerds," it can affect many people from many different backgrounds with the variety of mediums over the internet that people can become addicted to. According to www.ysas.com.au, in a study of 2,853 adolescents, 1.2% were addicted to the internet. The study concluded the people suffer from internet addiction are susceptible to other forms, or may already have other forms of addiction.
I personally feel that the percentage of people addicted to the internet amongst teenage and college students should be much higher than what statistics are showing. I feel that given the age group being called into question in this study; chances of obtaining honest, truthful answers from individuals in regards to how they spend their time on the internet and how much time is spent is going to be quite difficult as people might not want to freely admit what they are doing when they are on the internet. I think that in order to obtain accurate statistics, one must not only question the possible internet addict, but also people who are close to that person, whether they be family, friends, roommates, etc. Only then will it truly be possible amongst this age group to get a clear picture of the percentage of the population in the teenage and college demographic truly do suffer from internet addiction.
If you have any thoughts about this blog; whether you agree, disagree, were surprised or had your opinions confirmed, please leave a comment below to tell us what you think.
Per the website www.encognitive.com, studies show that internet addicts can be of any gender or race, and usually fall between the age groups of 18-55. No longer is internet addiction just something found amongst so called "computer nerds," it can affect many people from many different backgrounds with the variety of mediums over the internet that people can become addicted to. According to www.ysas.com.au, in a study of 2,853 adolescents, 1.2% were addicted to the internet. The study concluded the people suffer from internet addiction are susceptible to other forms, or may already have other forms of addiction. I personally feel that the percentage of people addicted to the internet amongst teenage and college students should be much higher than what statistics are showing. I feel that given the age group being called into question in this study; chances of obtaining honest, truthful answers from individuals in regards to how they spend their time on the internet and how much time is spent is going to be quite difficult as people might not want to freely admit what they are doing when they are on the internet. I think that in order to obtain accurate statistics, one must not only question the possible internet addict, but also people who are close to that person, whether they be family, friends, roommates, etc. Only then will it truly be possible amongst this age group to get a clear picture of the percentage of the population in the teenage and college demographic truly do suffer from internet addiction.
I agree with you. I feel like the percentage of teenagers addicted to the internet should be higher. Not only are young people spending more and more time on the internet, it is becoming a social norm to actually be on the internet all the time. People constantly posting to one social network or another is indirectly saying: "Look! I'm constantly on the Internet!" Anyone with a smart phone can see what a problem internet addiction has become. Just look at all of the social network apps and and the number of people that have them.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I didn't even have Facebook until I came to college and hopped on the bandwagon and now Facebook is a part of my everyday life, like my phone contacts are all synced to Facebook and I'm pretty sure one day when we all start out cars it will tell us our new notifications. In a time where we are a technology-driven society, I can see how some people may become overwhelmed and rely too heavily on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI was extremely resistant to sign on to facebook, and still sometimes regret the fact that I have a profile. Because I have it on my phone though and as it's an easy way to waste time, I do find myself on it a few times a day checking to see what people wrote, even if I never add anything myself. I think people need to keep in mind how they are using Facebook though, as I have personally worked with people who were fired for writing negative posts about their bosses on their facebook pages during work.
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