Loneliness as the Cause and the Effect of Problematic Internet Use: The Relationship between Internet Use and Psychological Well-Being

By Junghyung Kim, Robert LaRose, Wei Peng. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2009

817 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract The current research started from the assumption that one of the major motives driving individuals' Internet use is to relieve psychosocial problems (e.g., loneliness, depression). This study showed that individuals who were lonely or did not have good social skills could develop strong compulsive Internet use behaviors resulting in negative life outcomes (e.g., harming other significant activities such as work, school, or significant relationships) instead of relieving their original problems. Such augmented negative outcomes were expected to isolate individuals from healthy social activities and lead them into more loneliness. Even though previous research suggests that social use of the Internet (e.g., social networking sites, instant messaging) could be more problematic than entertainment use (e.g., downloading files), the current study showed that the former did not show stronger associations than the latter in the key paths leading to compulsive Internet use.

Subfields: Communication, Education, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d02ffe4466652ae4b7fda4b3ba4b2f910a38a9c5

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Communication

In Education

In Sociology and Political Science

Citations in the corpus

A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: Towards a model of compensatory internet use (2014, neutral): “…Phillips, & Saling, 2000; Velezmoro, Laceﬁeld, & Roberti, 2010; Widyanto & McMurran, 2004), loneliness and shyness (e.g., Caplan, 2002, 2003, 2005; Kim, LaRose, & Peng, 2009), locus of control and online experience (Chak & Leung, 2004), attention-deﬁcit/hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (Yoo,…”
The future of social media in marketing (2019, background): “On the other hand, research has shown that social media use alone is not a predictor of loneliness as other factors have to be considered (Cigna 2018; Kim et al.”
Facebook Addiction Among Turkish College Students: The Role of Psychological Health, Demographic, and Usage Characteristics (2013, neutral): “22,23 26”
Relationship between Impulsivity, Social Media Usage and Loneliness (2016, background): “On the other hand, Kim, LaRose, and Peng (2009) underlined that virtual environments take individuals away from actual environments and expose them to loneliness.”
Does Facebook make you lonely?: A meta analysis (2014, background): “Although there have been a few attempts to investigate the reciprocal relationship between loneliness and Internet use (Kim et al., 2009; Lou et al., 2012), more evidence is needed to add to overall understanding.”
Facebook Psychology: Popular Questions Answered by Research (2012, background): “…more socially included because they participate in SNS communities, particularly when they feel isolated from others in the real world (Sheldon, 2008), when online engagement is a form of avoidant coping, users may be less likely to face realworld problems (Kim et al., 2009; Green & Brock, 1998).”
Psychosocial causes and consequences of pathological gaming (2011, background): “One cross-sectional study indicated that loneliness was both a cause and a consequence of pathological online gaming, thereby suggesting a reciprocal relation (Kim et al., 2009).”
Loneliness, social support, and preference for online social interaction: the mediating effects of identity experimentation online among children and adolescents (2011, background): “In contrast, Kim, LaRose, and Peng ( 2009 ) showed that instead of relieving their original problems, individuals who were lonely could develop strong compulsive Internet use behaviors resulting in negative life outcomes, including harming other significant activities, such as work, school, or signi”
Loneliness, social contacts and Internet addiction: A cross-lagged panel study (2014, background): “In a cross- sectional study, Kim, LaRose, and Peng (2009) identified loneliness to be the cause, as well as the effect, of problematic Internet use among American college students.”
The Effects of Boredom, Loneliness, and Distress Tolerance on Problem Internet Use Among University Students (2016, background): “Loneliness is a second factor that has been frequently associated with PIU (Ang et al. 2012; Barthakur and Sharma 2012; Caplan 2002, 2007; Ceyhan and Ceyhan 2008; Davis 2001; Dowling and Brown 2010; Kim et al. 2009; Morahan-Martin and Schumacher 2000; Odaci and Kalkan 2010).”