Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder

• KIMBERLY S. YOUNG. Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder, CyberPsychology & Behavior. FALL 1998, 1(3): 237-244. doi:10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237

Abstract
Anecdotal reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much the same way that others became addicted to drugs or alcohol, which resulted in academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, research among sociologists, psychologists, or psychiatrists has not formally identified addictive use of the Internet as a problematic behavior. 

This study investigated the existence of Internet addiction and the extent of problems caused by such potential misuse. Of all the diagnoses referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1995), Pathological Gambling was viewed as most akin to the pathological nature of Internet use. By using Pathological Gambling as a model, addictive Internet use can be defined as an impulse-control disorder that does not involve an intoxicant. Therefore, this study developed a brief eight-item questionnaire referred to as a Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ), which modified criteria for pathological gambling to provide a screening instrument for classification of participants. On the basis of this criteria, case studies of 396 dependent Internet users (Dependents) and 100 nondependent Internet users (Nondependents) were classified. Qualitative analyses suggest significant behavioral and functional usage differences between the two groups such as the types of applications utilized, the degree of difficulty controlling weekly usage, and the severity of problems noted. Clinical and social implications of pathological Internet use and future directions for research are discussed.

Internet Addiction on Campus: The Vulnerability of College Students

• JONATHAN J. KANDELL. Internet Addiction on Campus: The Vulnerability of College Students, CyberPsychology & Behavior. SPRING 1998, 1(1): 11-17. doi:10.1089/cpb.1998.1.11. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.11

Abstract
Use of the Internet on college campuses has increased dramatically in recent years, leading to pathological use, or Internet addiction, for some students. Internet addiction is defined as a psychological dependence on the Internet and is characterized by (a) an increasing investment of resources on Internet-related activities, (b) unpleasant feelings (e.g., anxiety, depression, emptiness) when offline, (c) an increasing tolerance to the effects of being online, and (d) denial of the problematic behaviors. Individuals exhibiting such symptoms often are dealing with underlying psychological issues. College students are particularly vulnerable to pathological Internet use due to several factors. These factors include (a) the psychological and developmental characteristics of late adolescence/young adulthood, (b) ready access to the Internet, and (c) an expectation of computer/Internet use. The nature of the computer medium and the sense of control experienced when engaged in computer activities can also contribute to the potential for problematic computer/Internet use. Research on Internet addiction is in its infancy. The need for greater understanding of Internet addiction and its treatment is noted.

Persona: an online social network with user-defined privacy

• Randy Baden, Persona: an online social network with user-defined privacy, Proceeding SIGCOMM '09 Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2009 conference on Data communication, ACM New York, NY, USA ©2009, ISBN: 978-1-60558-594-9 doi>10.1145/1592568.1592585, http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1592585