Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the impact of internet use and growing concern about whether problematic use of the internet (PUI) constitutes an addiction. Despite the growing number of studies investigating PUI and PUI subtypes, its conceptualization and inclusion...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2100064X |
| _version_ | 1818572831240224768 |
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| author | Tania Moretta Giulia Buodo Zsolt Demetrovics Marc N. Potenza |
| author_facet | Tania Moretta Giulia Buodo Zsolt Demetrovics Marc N. Potenza |
| author_sort | Tania Moretta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the impact of internet use and growing concern about whether problematic use of the internet (PUI) constitutes an addiction. Despite the growing number of studies investigating PUI and PUI subtypes, its conceptualization and inclusion in a classification system have not been possible yet. Several models aimed at inspiring clinical research and practice have proposed possible mechanisms involved in PUI and problematic use of social media, and multiple self-report instruments have been consequentially developed. The diversity of theoretical models and instruments currently hinders standardized assessment procedures across studies and, in turn, their comparability. The purpose of the present overview is to highlight the current conceptualization and assessment of both PUI and problematic use of social media, in order to critically discuss the existing fragmentation in the field and the need to achieve conceptual convergence. Two suggestions for future directions are also provided, i.e., define diagnostic criteria by bottom-up and top-down processes and develop a psychobiological hypothesis including the description of higher-order mechanisms involved in PUI and not other psychopathological conditions (e.g., the multiple available internet-related cues and outcomes that may lead to parallel forms of associative learning; probabilities of obtaining internet-related reinforcements; and intrinsic motivation processes). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:02:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dc9b39c1836a4756aef6b34a4794a2c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0010-440X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:02:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-dc9b39c1836a4756aef6b34a4794a2c42022-12-21T22:42:50ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychiatry0010-440X2022-01-01112152286Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future workTania Moretta0Giulia Buodo1Zsolt Demetrovics2Marc N. Potenza3Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Corresponding author at: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, ItalyCentre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA; Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USAOver the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the impact of internet use and growing concern about whether problematic use of the internet (PUI) constitutes an addiction. Despite the growing number of studies investigating PUI and PUI subtypes, its conceptualization and inclusion in a classification system have not been possible yet. Several models aimed at inspiring clinical research and practice have proposed possible mechanisms involved in PUI and problematic use of social media, and multiple self-report instruments have been consequentially developed. The diversity of theoretical models and instruments currently hinders standardized assessment procedures across studies and, in turn, their comparability. The purpose of the present overview is to highlight the current conceptualization and assessment of both PUI and problematic use of social media, in order to critically discuss the existing fragmentation in the field and the need to achieve conceptual convergence. Two suggestions for future directions are also provided, i.e., define diagnostic criteria by bottom-up and top-down processes and develop a psychobiological hypothesis including the description of higher-order mechanisms involved in PUI and not other psychopathological conditions (e.g., the multiple available internet-related cues and outcomes that may lead to parallel forms of associative learning; probabilities of obtaining internet-related reinforcements; and intrinsic motivation processes).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2100064XProblematic use of the internetProblematic use of social mediaProblematic social networkingDiagnostic criteriaAssessmentAddiction |
| spellingShingle | Tania Moretta Giulia Buodo Zsolt Demetrovics Marc N. Potenza Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work Comprehensive Psychiatry Problematic use of the internet Problematic use of social media Problematic social networking Diagnostic criteria Assessment Addiction |
| title | Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work |
| title_full | Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work |
| title_fullStr | Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work |
| title_short | Tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media: Theoretical models, assessment tools, and an agenda for future work |
| title_sort | tracing 20 years of research on problematic use of the internet and social media theoretical models assessment tools and an agenda for future work |
| topic | Problematic use of the internet Problematic use of social media Problematic social networking Diagnostic criteria Assessment Addiction |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2100064X |
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