Elsevier

Computers in Human Behavior

Volume 24, Issue 6, 17 September 2008, Pages 3027-3044
Computers in Human Behavior

Internet addiction: Meta-synthesis of qualitative research for the decade 1996–2006

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.05.009Get rights and content

Abstract

Internet addiction is “an individual’s inability to control their Internet use, which in turn leads to feelings of distress and functional impairment of daily activities” [Shapira, N., Lessig, M., Goldsmith, T., Szabo, S., Lazoritz, M., Gold, M. et al. (2003). Problematic Internet use: Proposed classification and diagnostic criteria. Depression and Anxiety, 17(4), 207–216]. Previous research in this field has offered inconclusive data on whether Internet addiction can be classified as a disorder. This study provides an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of internet addiction through a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on excessive Internet use published during the period of 1996–2006. Several constructs pertaining to the domain of Internet addiction have been identified and a theoretical model of Internet addiction has been proposed.

Section snippets

The Internet addict

Towards the end of his sophomore year at a prominent university, Tommy realized that his academic performance over the last three semesters shows a continuous decline. After entering the college as a scholarship recipient, Tommy now faces academic probation for failing to maintain the required grade point average. He spends less and less time on scholastic responsibilities and more on participating in an online community. In addition, he places more value on his online interactions with virtual

Defining Internet addiction

Over the brief academic history on Internet addiction, one of the most challenging tasks has been to arrive at a comprehensive definition of the concept. Researchers in the field have not been able to agree on a term to describe the concept of Internet overuse or abuse. One example of this difficulty lies in the basic terminology for Internet-related behaviors. There are as many as six different terms associated with the concept of Internet addiction, including “Internet Addiction Disorder

Qualitative meta-synthesis approach

The qualitative meta-synthesis approach is receiving increasing attention from researchers in diverse fields of inquiry. Whereas quantitative research has had a well-developed tradition of methods used to generate aggregate findings, qualitative research lacks sophistication in the techniques available to synthesize findings, as they are often elementary in nature (Dixon-Woods & Fitzpatrick, 2001). Meta-synthesis can be used to address research concerns normally associated with other

Description of studies reviewed

The qualitative studies used in this meta-synthesis covered a 10-year period from 1996 to 2006. After the first studies by Young, 1996, Young, 1997 who set out to investigate whether or not the Internet could be addictive, qualitative inquires sought to explore the concept of Internet addiction from various perspectives. Griffiths (1998) further advanced empirical research on addictive capabilities of computers, conducting a case study of five individuals exhibiting excessive computer usage.

Conclusion

The meta-synthesis of 10 studies on Internet addiction for the period of 1996–2006 resulted in deeper insights into questions formulated for this research. To recap, the main antecedents of Internet addiction are feelings of isolation and loneliness, low self-confidence and self-esteem. The symptoms of the condition are excessive time spent online, denial that the problem exists, as well as moodiness and irritation while offline. Negative effects of over-engagement with the Internet are

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by National Science Foundation Grant No. 0627488 titled: “CT-ISG: Improving the privacy and security of online survey data collection, storage, and processing.”

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