My name is Jessica Glaser and I am sophomore Psychology major. I chose to focus my research around the effects of Internet addiction and dependence among college students. Living in a technologically driven generation has dramatically changed the way society communicates and interacts with one another. This topic interests me mostly because today almost everyone relies on the Internet for one thing or another. Excessive Internet use can be defined as the quantity of use that is considered by the participant to go above the planned amount of time online. The emergence of the Internet and its evolution has and continues to transform the way we think and work. However I believe it also contributes to a lot of the problems revolved around self-image, efficiency of production, communication and relationship building.
My research mostly consists of several articles exploring the idea of Internet addiction as a disorder and how it can potentially affect the psycho-social well being of people. I also created my own survey and shared it with my peers to receive their own input regarding their experience with the Internet. The main questions I want to study are:
1. Are people self- aware of their Internet use or have they become “slaves” to the Internet?
2. What are the ramifications that the Internet is causing for college students, in terms of time management and efficiency?
3. What are the main factors that draw college students to the Internet?