Internet Addiction Leads to Loneliness or Loneliness Leads to Internet Addiction?

Introduction: Internet users in Indonesia are growing from year to year. Based on the latest data from the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association, known as Asosiasi Penyelenggaraan Jasa Internet Indonesia (APJII), in 2022, internet users in Indonesia reached 210 million. With a large number of internet users, there are positive and negative consequences that occur. Internet addiction began to be studied by many researchers. These studies include research on the factors that cause internet addiction, as well as its correlation with loneliness. To explain the correlation between internet addiction and loneliness. Methods: Literature review. Results: Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotion that is thought to be a factor in individuals experiencing internet addiction. Loneliness is the thought of loss and dissatisfaction that occurs due to a mismatch between the individual’s social interaction and the social interaction one expects. Hence to overcome the loneliness that is felt, individuals express themselves better in cyberspace than in person. Internet addiction is a condition in which internet users use the internet excessively, due to a lack of self-control and interferes with their daily tasks and functions, to the detriment of themselves. This sums in several negative consequences. Studies showed that internet addiction and loneliness are correlated and mutually reinforcing. Conclusions: The relationship between loneliness and internet use is bidirectional in the sense that just as the internet may drive individuals towards loneliness, loneliness can also encourage individuals to spend more time on the internet.

Keywords: Internet Addiction, Loneliness

Introduction

Nowadays internet usage in the world is growing and has contributed to people all over the world. There are some benefits of internet usage such as online transactions. Online transactions provide efficiency in running errands, thus time spent on such activities can be lessened and allocated for other activities such as gathering with family and friends. The internet is also beneficial as a tool in several professions such as journalism, research, and online marketing. The internet gives easier access to information needed in their respective fields. Last but not least, the internet is a more economical communication medium so that it can be used to communicate with family and friends[1].

Based on a survey by Asosiasi Penyelenggaraan Jasa Internet Indonesia (APJII) in 2016, internet users in Indonesia reached 132.7 million users[2]. Internet users aged 10-24 years reached 18.4% or around 24.4 million, aged 25-34 years had a percentage of 24.4% or 32.3 million users, and aged 35-44 years reached 29.2% or 38.7 million, aged 45-54 years reached 18% or 23.8 million internet users and above 55 years there were 10% or 13.2 million users[2]. The latest survey in 2022 based on Asosiasi Penyelenggaraan Jasa Internet Indonesia (APJII) internet users reached 210 million users, this showed how widespread internet use is in Indonesia[2].

The vastly growing and widespread use of the internet has positive and negative impacts on its users. Excessive use of the internet networks has several impacts on daily activities. These various kinds of information and facilities enable individuals to survive for long periods in front of computers or smartphones[3]. The substantial amount of convenience of internet usage is also one of the factors in which users are able to spend time using the internet on smartphones or computers[3]. The increase in internet use is currently very significant, therefore it can result in the emergence of new problems with the term internet addiction[3].

Internet addiction refers to the excessive use of the internet by individuals and cannot be separated from using the internet in everyday life. A person is addicted to the internet if time spent on the internet is more than seven hours a day, meaning that the length of internet use equals or exceeds human sleep time in a day[4]. Caplan[5]sees technology addiction as a subset of behavioral addictions; internet addiction exhibits features of the core components of addiction (i.e., salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse). He says that using the internet as a way to escape disturbing feelings, developing tolerance with the internet to achieve satisfaction, experiencing withdrawal when internet usage is reduced, experiencing increased conflict with other people due to the activity, and relapsing back to the internet are signs of addiction[5]. An individual will be classified as an internet addict when one meets one of the following conditions: 1) One will feel that it is easier to achieve self-actualization online than in real life; 2) One will experience dysphoria or depression when internet access is interrupted or stops functioning; 3) One tries to hide one’s actual usage time from his family members[6].

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University[7]conducted a longitudinal study on the psychological impact of increased internet use and it was associated with decreased family communication and reduced local social circle size. Researchers[8]found that the more addicted Internet users are, the higher their likelihood of using the Internet to escape something. When stressed from work or depressed, internet addicts showed a higher tendency to access the internet and reported higher levels of loneliness, depressed mood, and compulsiveness than other groups[8].

Loneliness can also affect individuals experiencing internet addiction. Based on field observations, teenagers who feel lonely and lack close communication with parents divert the feeling of loneliness by excessive use of the internet[9]. Some research also showed that loneliness was described as a feeling caused by social relationships that don’t meet one’s expectations[10]. Loneliness felt by individuals can be classified into two types which are social loneliness and emotional loneliness[11]. Social loneliness refers to the lack of social communication with other people, while emotional loneliness refers to the feeling of being incapable of having close relationships with others[11]. Some research also showed a link between internet addiction and loneliness. This leads the author to question whether internet addiction causes loneliness or vice versa. This paper aims to further explain internet addiction and loneliness, and whether there is a relation between the two variables based on research data provided by previous research.

Reviews

Internet Addiction

Addiction is defined as a habit that must be done in certain activities or substance use, albeit its consequences corrupt physical, social, spiritual, mental, and financial well-being. Normally, addiction shows psychological and physical features[12]. Physical dependency occurs when an individual's body experiences dependency on certain substances, for instance, drugs or alcohol[12]. Psychological dependency starts when the patient experiences withdrawal symptoms such as depression, craving, insomnia, and irritability[12]. According to Caplan[5], tech addiction is a subset of behavioral addiction; internet addiction for instance shows the main features of addiction (i.e. salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse). Taken from this perspective, internet addicts show salience for the activity, often experience cravings, and feel

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