When the Net Becomes A Web: A Multiple Case Study of Compulsive Internet Usage

Abstract

The accelerating use of ICT is fundamentally impacting our existence, conduct and perception - both in our private and our public sphere. So much so that the virtual world offered by New Media has become the battleground between the deterministic and the reflexive schools of thought, throwing up questions to do both with the fluidity of its technology on the one hand and the psychology and sociology of its consumption on the other. The present study focuses on four participants out of an initial baseline survey of 500 in order to profile the differences between internet users and abusers on the need gratification dimension; to study whether compulsive users display behaviour similar to that of substance abuse; and to determine whether it is the man or the machine that is the causative factor for addiction to occur. It was found that heavy usage was not always associated with significant psychosocial impairment. But these two factors together with extremes in personality profiling did predict compulsive internet usage. Significant negative correlation was found between internet dependency and the sociability, self esteem, locus of control and social support levels of these participants. Shyness as a personality factor was the only variable exhibiting a positive correlation with compulsive internet use.

Keywords: Compulsive internet use, Technological determinism, Need grat i f icat ion, Informat ion communication technology

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