Internet Addiction: An Exploratory Study on Malaysian Internet Users
Internet has become a part of our daily lives. The vast scale of internet moves the whole society and culture into an entirely new dimension. With the media giving so much attention to the internet, more and more people are getting involved but some seem to be a bit too involved. It is becoming c...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
1999
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8767/1/FEM_1999_10_A.pdf |
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| Summary: | Internet has become a part of our daily lives. The vast scale of internet moves the
whole society and culture into an entirely new dimension. With the media giving so
much attention to the internet, more and more people are getting involved but some
seem to be a bit too involved. It is becoming common to know someone, or have heard
of someone, that has become obsessed with on-line activities to the point that they
ignore important personal responsibilities. However, despite the increasing importance
of internet, little attention seem to have been paid towards understanding internet
dependency or addiction. This study was conducted specifically to determine 1) the
existence of internet addiction, 2) which demographic factor and personality type
correlates with internet addiction, 3) the characteristics of internet users and as well as
possible addicts.The study was conducted on active internet users, who get their access to internet
via cybercafes in Klang Valley. A total of 136 individuals participated in the study. Data
were collected through self-administered questionnaire and were analysed using
statistical analyses such as frequency, percentage, correlation and Chi-square, by means
of SPSS-Win computer software.
The findings show that the internet users in cybercafes are young, educated,
mostly males with low income. These young users also have strong peer influence and
are willing to forgo their recreational activities and personal responsibilities in order to
stay on-line. Being youths internet is mainly used for entertainment, research and
communication purposes. Internet is sought after by these users due to the quantity of
information and its excellent networking capabilities. Affordable charges at the
cybercafes has facilitated these youths to continue their net habits there. Peer company
and influence, easy access to the internet and appealing facilities are the main reasons of
these young users visit cybercafes.In midst of getting exposed and familiarised with internet, some get obsessed.
Internet addiction was found existing among Malaysian internet users. These addicts are
aware of their extensive usage and intend to reduce. Based on the findings of this study,
there is a need for recovery programs and therapy to cure these addicts. And various in
depth studies should be carried out to cope with the social implications of this latest
communication technological tool. |
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