Conceptual Issues Concerning Internet Addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder: Further Critique on Ryding and Kaye (2017)

Abstract

The recent commentary paper by Ryding and Kaye Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (doi 10.1007/s11469-017-9811-6, 2017) rightly claimed that “internet addiction” (IA) is a conceptual minefield and raised some important issues for researchers and treatment providers working in the online addiction field. In the present commentary paper, some of the assertions made by Ryding and Kaye are briefly critiqued and extended. More specifically, the present paper (i) examines IA and Internet-based addictions and argues that IA is now a misnomer, (ii) examines IA and its relationship to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and argues IA and IGD are two completely different constructs, and that IGD is a sub-type of gaming disorder rather than a sub-type of IA, (iii) argues that the time spent engaging in online activities is not a good criterion for assessing online addictions and that the context of use is far more important criterion, and (iv) argues that those researchers working in the IA field can learn a lot from the problem gambling field in collecting robust data. More specifically, one of the innovative ways forward could be to build strategic partnerships with commercial online companies to analyze their behavioral tracking data.

Problematic Use of the Internet and Smartphones in University Students: 2006–2017

“…This problematic use of the Internet is specific and not general; that is, it depends on the concrete activity that is carried out [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. This can also be affirmed for mobile phones [ 17 , 48 , 49 ]. Given that the Internet applications most widely used by university students are e-mail and messaging, participating in social networks, and listening to music, we infer that the increase in the perception of problematic use is associated with the use of online social networks.…”

“…Something similar is occurring with Internet addiction. In the last decade, we have learned that it is convenient to distinguish between behavioral addictions that take place on the Internet (for example, pathological gambling), the specific uses of the Internet that can become problematic (for example, videogames and social networks), and a possible generalized Internet addiction [ 45 , 46 , 49 ]. Davis [ 62 ] offered one of the first theoretical models, which differentiates between a generalized and a specific type of Internet addiction.…”

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina — Scale and selected mechanisms

“…Studies into FOMO are not so developed as research into other types of new media addictions (Griffiths, 2017;Vondráčková, Šmahel, 2015;Šmahel, Blinka, 2012). Nowadays, the importance of analyses of diagnosis and therapeutic work with new technology addicts is more and more often recognized.…”

Problem gambling, associations with comorbid health conditions, substance use, and behavioural addictions: Opportunities for pathways to treatment

“…Likewise, consistent with previous research, current problematic internet use was found to be significantly more common in lifetime problem gamblers [26,27], although in the final logistic regression model, this association merely lost its statistical significance. The validity of 'problematic internet use' as a disorder is controversial, as researchers believe individuals may be using the medium of the internet to engage in specific addictive behavior, such as online gaming and shopping, stating that "internet addicts are no more addicted to the internet than alcoholics are addicted to bottles" [65]. Also, the present associations should be seen in light of the increasing share of gambling happening online; thus, this may further explain the link between screening positive for a problematic internet behaviour and problematic gambling [28,29].…”