Internet usage patterns in spanish univertsity population
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20882/adicciones.437Keywords:
Internet, use, students, university, abuseAbstract
In this study, the Internet usage patterns and resources, such as websites, e-mail, and specific chats, were analysed in a sample of 1301 university students of both sexes. Their sociodemographic characteristics, global and specific Internet usage parameters, motives and the interference of such use in their daily lives were studied. The results show that 33.9% of the sample had been using the Internet between 1 and 3 years, and 23.1% reported using Internet for a period ranging between 2 and 5 years; 43.3% of the university students preferred connecting to Internet in the afternoon, 39% at night, and 17.7% in the morning, generally from home. On analyzing connection duration, a high percentage of the sample made moderate use of Internet (with less than 4 hours per week), and only 1% reported spending a minimum of 5 hours per day, seven days a week, and only 17% admitted perceiving some kind of interference in their daily lives from the use of Internet resources. By gender, men spend more time per week than women using any of the Internet resources. In general, the students surveyed use the Internet very moderately, devoting a average weekly period ranging from 11 to 20 hours, which would indicate that there is no abusive or pathological use, approaching addiction, of the Internet. Only a reduced group of young people came near to this kind of psychopathology.References
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