Loneliness and Problematic Internet Use Among Young Adults

Abstract

The popularity of the internet, due to its multifunctional nature, makes most individuals develop an uncontrollable obsessional pattern of usage, signifying negligence in other areas of life. With greater time spent on the internet, these individuals are devoid of quality time spent on real-time socializing, which might cause loneliness. Hence, the present study is aimed at exploring the relationship between loneliness and problematic internet use among young adults. The UCLA three-item questionnaire and Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire short form-6 were administered among students aged between 18-25 years (n=212). A statistically significant relationship was found between loneliness and problematic internet use. Differences in loneliness between various religions were obtained. The analysis revealed a significant relation between alcohol users and high loneliness as well as tobacco users and high problematic internet use. The study tried to understand how the digital age of internet has an impact on the loneliness experienced by young adults.

The interplay between social media use and problematic internet usage: Four behavioral patterns

“…Individuals who excessively use social media (SM) may exhibit Internet addiction symptoms [ 15 ]. People with PIU may have difficulty managing their Internet use and may have difficulties with their career or academic achievement, social relationships, and mental and physical issues [ [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] ]. PIU can be difficult to identify and differentiate from normal use and may even go unrecognized by the individual experiencing it.…”

Investigating Rape Myth in the Prism of the Big Five Factors of Personality: An Explorative Study

“…When rape supportive attitudes were reversed, it was found to be effective in lowering the perpetration of forced sex. 3 Different factors may be linked with rape myth acceptance (RMA) such as loneliness, 4 rejection sensitivity, 5 sexual desires, 6 pornography consumption, 7 and history of past victimization. 8 Further, the gender differences in attitude towards rape have been determined in prior studies.…”