Loneliness or Materialism, Which Is a Better Predictor of Internet Addiction?

• 作者: Srikant Manchiraju
• 来源期刊: 社交网络(英文)
• 学科: 医学
• 关键词: LONELINESS MATERIALISM Internet ADDICTION
• 年，卷（期）: 2018,（3）
• 页码范围: 137-146
• 页数: 10页
• 分类号: R73

摘要

In recent years, the widespread prevalence of loneliness, materialism, and Internet addiction have been widely studied. Studies have addressed either loneliness or materialism and its relationship with Internet addiction. However, to date, no study has addressed all three concepts in a single study. The purpose of this study was: 1) to investigate whether loneliness or materialism is a reliable predictor of Internet addiction and 2) what is the nature of the relationship among these variables across gender. Data were collected from a crosssectional online-survey, which consisted of US adults (N = 311). The survey consisted of 42 items related to the key constructs. Additionally, some demographic variables were also included in the survey. Loneliness was not associated with Internet addiction. On the other hand, materialism was strongly associated with Internet addiction. The aforementioned relationship was valid across gender. Between loneliness and materialism, materialism was a strong predictor of Internet addiction.