Internet addiction: reappraisal of an increasingly inadequate concept

This article re-examines the popular concept of Internet addiction, discusses the key problems associated with it, and proposes possible alternatives. The concept of Internet addiction is inadequate for several reasons. Addiction may be a correct designation only for the minority of individuals who...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CNS spectrums Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 7 - 13
Main Authors: Starcevic, Vladan, Aboujaoude, Elias
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.02.2017
Subjects:
Addictions
Addictive behaviors
Agreements
Anxiety disorders
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Behavior
Behavior, Addictive
Gambling
Humans
Internet
Internet access
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Opinion
Psychopathology
Social anxiety
Text Messaging
Video Games
compulsive Internet use
Internet gaming disorder
problematic Internet use
pathological Internet use
Internet
Internet use
Internet use disorder
Behavioral addiction
Internet addiction
ISSN:1092-8529, 2165-6509
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article re-examines the popular concept of Internet addiction, discusses the key problems associated with it, and proposes possible alternatives. The concept of Internet addiction is inadequate for several reasons. Addiction may be a correct designation only for the minority of individuals who meet the general criteria for addiction, and it needs to be better demarcated from various patterns of excessive or abnormal use. Addiction to the Internet as a medium does not exist, although the Internet as a medium may play an important role in making some behaviors addictive. The Internet can no longer be separated from other potentially overused media, such as text messaging and gaming platforms. Internet addiction is conceptually too heterogeneous because it pertains to a variety of very different behaviors. Internet addiction should be replaced by terms that refer to the specific behaviors (eg, gaming, gambling, or sexual activity), regardless of whether these are performed online or offline.
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ISSN:1092-8529
2165-6509
DOI:10.1017/S1092852915000863