engleski

Excessive Internet use among adults

Problematic Internet use is excessive use of various Internet applications and includes behaviours such as playing games, gambling, watching and sharing pornography, social networks activities and similar. Excessive Internet use is related to computers, tablets, smartphones and similar devices that allow Internet access. Excessive internet use is often considered a type of behavioural addiction with characteristics that are similar to substance use disorders. Although people of various age are vulnerable to excessive Internet use, most research was conducted on youth. The purpose of this research was to explore media coverage of problematic Internet use in Croatia. Specific aims of this research were 1) To analyse frequency of articles related to excessive Internet use of adults in Croatian media 2) To determine general features and main topic of those articles. We hypothesized that less than half of the articles related to excessive Internet use would deal with adults. Further we hypothesized that main topics would be related to Internet addiction, prevention of excessive Internet use and health problems. The sample consisted of all Croatian printed media (journals, magazines, newspapers) that were published in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Out of this sample, all articles dealing with excessive use of Internet were selected and analysed. Analytic matrix included general data about article (e.g. date, page, size of article) and dominant topic and specific topics related to excessive Internet use. For the purpose of the current study we focused on media portrayal of problematic use of Internet among adults. We analysed length, position, journalistic form and dominant themes of those articles. The results showed that only minority of the articles was focused on excessive internet use among adults, that articles rarely included systematic and in-depth analysis of possible problems, and often only superficially portrayed excessive internet use. Main topics were: general (often sensational) description of excessive use, general or specific Internet addictions (e.g. mobile phones addiction), health problems. Prevention or therapy was mentioned only in a few articles.

excessive internet use, problematic internet use, media coverage

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