Internet Addiction among University Student: A Comparative Study

INTRODUCTION

Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks. Where it connects the millions of people across the world. At present internet has become a part of everyone‘s life by providing information and entertainment at their fingertips. Due to this people highly attracted towards internet, since people are spending more time on internet they are unable to spend time with family and friends. By isolating from family, friends and society they addicted to internet. Internet addiction damaging the psychosocial development of individuals. Now a days all age group individuals are being diagnosis by internet addiction but young individuals and children are more addicted to internet than old individuals. Internet addiction is an excessive use of internet interfering day to day life of individual. It causes the impairments of domains like physical, cognitive, social-emotional and language development of human life. Kimberly S. Young‘s definition [1998]: defines internet addiction as any online related ,compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family ,friends, loved one and one‘s work environment.

• Cyber- sexual addiction: addiction to adult chat room or cyber porn. • Cyber-relationship addiction: online friendships made in chat room or cyber porn. • Net compulsion: compulsive gambling ,day trading or action shopping • Information overload: compulsive web or data base surfing • Computer addiction: compulsive game playing or programming.

• Starts spending more time on computer or with mobile • Drastic changes in his/her routine activities. • Social life takes a hit the person restricts himself /herself to online friends.

about online application • Reacting strongly when asked to restrict time spent online • Despite restricted physical activity they suffer pain in back, neck and hands .

To examine the Internet addiction among university students Objectives 1. To study the level of internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students

1. There is a significant difference in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students.

• Independent variable :Age, Education • ependent variable: Level of internet addiction

Internet addiction : internet addiction is describes as an impulsive control disorder which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological gambling.

A comparative study using internet addiction test among Under graduate students and Post graduate students. The test was administered personally and obtained scores interpreted using ‗t‘ test.

The sample for the study consisted of 60 students who were studying in Affiliated colleges and Post graduate centers in Bangalore University ,the sample consists of both boys and girl students.

Information schedule developed by the researcher exclusively for this study.

• Responses are scored in a 5 point rating scale in internet addiction

The objective of the study was ‗To study the level of internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students. To meet the objective a hypothesis was formulated that ―There is a significant difference in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students. The ‗t‘ test was computed to verify the hypothesis, the obtained result were presented in the table 1.1

Table 1.1 shows that scores of internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students , mean score of internet addiction is 29.46 and 28.2,SD is 2.05 and 1.93 and ‗t‗ value is 2.52 . Obtained ‗t‘ scores indicates significant at 0.05 level and 0.01 level hence it according to the hypothesis which states that ‖There is a significant differences in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students.‖

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The aim of the study was to examine the internet addiction among the university students. The objective is to study the level of internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students based on their age and educational back ground. Hypothesis was framed stating that there is a significant difference in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students. The sample selected was 60 students who were studying in Affiliated Colleges and Bangalore University. The tools were used for this study is that the internet addiction test developed by Young[1998] . The statistics was used for this study was descriptive analysis and ‗t‘ test, these were done to verify the hypothesis . The obtained result of the study is states that there is a significant difference in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students. • There is a significant difference found in the internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students. This results supports to the hypothesis which states that ―There is a significant difference in internet addiction among Under graduate and Post graduate students‖. The probable reasons may be that the age factor and level of education may influenced on their performance. Here we can see that Post graduate students are less addicted compared to Under graduate students.

• The presented study was conducted on very small sample

• The study can be done for all age and gender

Rotter, Julian B. (1966) generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement, Psychological monographs 80[1]: pp. 1-28 Young, Kimberly S. (1998)‘internet addiction: the emergence of a new clinical disorder‘, Cyber psychology and Behavior. 10[5]: pp. 671-679 Chask, K. and Leung, L. (2004) shyness and locus of control as predictors of internet addiction and internet use, Cyber psychology and Behavior,7[5], pp. 559-570. Lam,Lawrence.; PEG, Zi-Wen(2010)‘effect of pathological use of the internet on adolescent mental health‘, archives of rediatrics and adolescent medicine.164[10]: pp. 901-6.

Guest Faculty, Department of Psychology, Jnanabharathi Campus, Bangalore University, Bengaluru-560056 prameelapn93@gmail.com